Could everyday products be linked to haze? Why sustainable sourcing remains a challenge

Singapore

As Singapore investigates companies over possible links to the haze, experts say sustainability certification can provide some assurance that green standards have been met, but does not guarantee that products are free from causing environmental harm.

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27 Oct 2026 03:07PM

SINGAPORE: Could the products in our shopping baskets be linked to the fires causing haze in Singapore?

The question has come into focus amid renewed scrutiny of Indonesia’s palm oil and pulp-and-paper industries, which supply raw materials used in everyday products such as cooking oil, soaps and tissues.

Singapore has issued preventive notices to 10 companies in Indonesia over fires potentially linked to transboundary haze.

Among them are three wood-fibre suppliers to Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), which is behind tissue paper brands such as Paseo and Nice.

APP's enhanced Singapore Green Label certification – which covers environmental requirements including sustainably sourced fibre, zero land burning and peatland management – has also been placed under temporary restrictions.

Under the restrictions, APP must submit daily reports on fire hotspots and firefighting measures in concession areas managed by the suppliers.

The company previously came under scrutiny during the severe haze in 2015. At the time, major Singapore retailers removed products linked to it from their shelves over alleged connections to fires.

More than a decade on, how much has sustainable sourcing improved, and what role can consumers realistically play in checking where their products come from?

CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL

In the palm oil industry, efforts to make production more sustainable have been underway for more than two decades.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), established in 2004, brings together growers, manufacturers, retailers and other industry players to promote sustainable production.

According to RSPO's 2026 Impact Report, 16.2 million tonnes of certified sustainable palm oil were produced in 2024, accounting for about one-fifth of global palm oil supply.

However, only about 11 million tonnes, or roughly two-thirds, were sold through RSPO channels. The remainder entered the market under other certification schemes or was sold as conventional palm oil.

Certified sustainable palm oil has yet to become the industry standard, partly because of the cost. Plantations seeking certification must meet environmental and labour requirements and undergo audits.

Tracing palm oil through the supply chain is another challenge.

Before reaching consumers, palm oil can pass through plantations, mills, refineries, processors and manufacturers. It is also processed into different fractions and derivatives used in a wide range of products.

At each stage, companies must track the oil's origins and whether its certified status has been maintained. The further it moves through the supply chain, the more difficult this can become.

But advances in technology have made tracing products easier, said Associate Professor Jolene Lin, director of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law at the National University of Singapore.

"With global supply chains, accountability is difficult, especially when you ask the question of where in the production chain does accountability come in," she told CNA.

She highlighted digital tracing used by Malaysia's palm oil certification scheme, which helps companies identify where their palm oil originates.

Such technology allows "quite a lot of precision in being able to point out where a particular product was harvested from", she noted.

However, the level of traceability offered by certification schemes can differ.

For instance, some palm oil supply-chain models keep certified oil separate from conventional oil, while others allow the two to be mixed under controlled systems.

WHAT DO SUSTAINABILITY LABELS ACTUALLY GUARANTEE?

For consumers, the complexity of these supply chains is often difficult to see.

Palm oil may appear on ingredient lists under names such as vegetable oil, palm kernel oil or other technical terms. Ingredient labels may also provide little information about where the oil was produced or whether it came from a certified supply chain.

Associate Professor Kelvin Law from Nanyang Technological University's Nanyang Business School said certification generally indicates that an independent party has checked whether a product or company meets a particular set of requirements.

However, it does not necessarily establish which plantation supplied the raw materials or whether those materials came from an area affected by fires. Certification also does not guarantee that no environmental harm has occurred, he added.

The same questions apply to pulp and paper, with the restrictions on APP's green certification showing how certifiers can impose additional scrutiny when concerns arise over suppliers.

CAN RETAILERS DO MORE TO ENSURE SUSTAINABLE SOURCING?

Retailers have a role to play in ensuring products are sustainably sourced, experts say.

Associate Professor Terry van Gevelt, an urban sustainability expert at Singapore Management University, said supermarkets are in a stronger position to demand information from suppliers.

"Supermarkets have a disproportionate amount of power in terms of how they can push through the supply chain," he said.

"They also have the capacity to understand these labels at a greater degree than consumers."

He said supermarkets can press suppliers for information on where products come from and whether they are certified, making them an effective point of pressure along the supply chain.

Singapore has taken steps to encourage more responsible sourcing.

The Singapore Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil (SASPO), formed after public outcry over the 2015 haze, has worked with businesses to increase demand for certified palm oil and improve sourcing practices.

The government's latest action has also brought corporate accountability into sharper focus.

In addition to the preventive notices issued to 10 Indonesian companies, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has issued notices seeking information from 10 Singapore-registered palm oil and forestry firms. A new specialist panel will also help investigate corporate relationships and supply chains across borders.

IS AVOIDING PALM OIL THE ANSWER?

Avoiding palm oil altogether may not necessarily reduce environmental damage.

Oil palm produces considerably more oil per hectare than crops such as soybean or sunflower.

Replacing the same amount of palm oil with alternative vegetable oils could require substantially more land.

A wholesale shift away from palm oil could therefore increase pressure on land elsewhere, including through deforestation and biodiversity loss.

For shoppers, independent sustainability certification remains a useful starting point, although it does not provide a complete picture of how a product was made.

"We shouldn't expect consumers to audit a global supply chain when we are shopping for tissue paper. That's not possible," said Assoc Prof Law.

Still, he said consumers have a right to question companies about their sourcing practices, particularly given the health risks associated with haze.

“We are the ones suffering all the health consequences. So we should have every right to ask the questions, even though we may not get the answer,” he said.

Source: CNA/mp(dn)