Question

Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the Ministry is considering a review of the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act to explicitly prohibit greenwashing by businesses operating in Singapore; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider funding community education programmes to raise awareness among consumers about greenwashing.

Oral Answer (to be attributed to Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan)

1. The Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA) already protects consumers against businesses that make false or misleading claims about their products or services, including greenwashing.

2. In November 2023, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) and the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) have jointly developed a set of tips to help consumers better understand environmental claims made by businesses. These can be found on the CASE and CCCS websites. CCCS is also developing guidelines to help businesses make more accurate environmental claims about their products.