Schemes

  1. The National Environment Agency
  2. Programmes & Grants
  3. Schemes
  4. Packaging Partnership Programme and Singapore Packaging Agreement

Packaging Partnership Programme and Singapore Packaging Agreement

Packaging Partnership Programme

Officially launched on 24 March 2021, the Packaging Partnership Programme (PPP) is an industry capability development programme that supports companies in their journeys towards adopting sustainable packaging waste management practices. Efforts include supporting companies in fulfilling their regulatory requirements starting with the Mandatory Packaging Reporting (MPR) scheme, as well as enabling the exchange of best practices in sustainable packaging waste management. Since 1 Jan 2026, the PPP is administered by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) in partnership with the National Environment Agency. It was previously administered by the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF).

Find out more information, including on how to join the PPP, here. 

Technical Reference 109 on Sustainable Packaging Guiding Framework and Practices

The PPP was a key stakeholder in the development of the Technical Reference 109 on Sustainable Packaging Guiding Framework (TR109:2023). Developed by a multi-stakeholder Working Group appointed by the Singapore Standards Council and overseen by Enterprise Singapore, the TR109 was launched by Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Dr Amy Khor at the Packaging Partnership Programme x Packaging Council of Singapore (PPP x PCS) Conference 2022. The TR109 specifies guidelines, criteria, and best practices in implementing the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) for Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer packaging, taking into consideration practices that are sustainable in Singapore’s context. It covers the life cycle of packaging, starting upstream from packaging design to end-of-life management and is applicable across industries.

The TR109 can be purchased from the Singapore Standards e-shop: https://go.gov.sg/tr109-sustainable-packaging-guiding-framework-and-practices.

Guidelines on Sustainable E-commerce Packaging

From mid-2024 to early-2025, an Alliance for Action (AfA)1 on Packaging Waste Reduction for the E-commerce Sector developed a set of sector-specific voluntary guidelines on sustainable packaging for the e-commerce sector under the ambit of the PPP. Co-led by the SMF and Singapore Post (SingPost) and supported by the National Environment Agency, the AfA sought to complement the Technical Reference on Sustainable Packaging Guiding Framework and Practices (TR109:2023) by contextualising it to the e-commerce sector.

1AfAs are industry-led coalitions, working in partnership with the government, to prototype ideas in areas of opportunity for Singapore or address a common challenge.

The resulting Guidelines on Sustainable E-commerce Packaging, published on 4 March 2025, provide concrete 3R (Reduce, Re-use, Recycle) solutions for various e-commerce packaging types, suggest operating models for e-commerce marketplaces to promote sustainable packaging to consumers and suppliers, and contain a scorecard for businesses to evaluate their own sustainable packaging practices. The Guidelines also include real-world case studies that companies can use as references for their own sustainable packaging journeys.

The Guidelines on Sustainable E-commerce Packaging can be downloaded from https://go.gov.sg/sustainable-e-commerce-packaging-guidelines.

Singapore Packaging Agreement (ceased w.e.f. 30 June 2020)

The Singapore Packaging Agreement (SPA) was a voluntary joint initiative by government, industry and NGOs to reduce packaging waste, which constitutes about one-third by weight of Singapore’s domestic waste disposed of. Signed on 5 June 2007, World Environment Day, the Agreement provided flexibility for the industry to adopt cost-effective solutions to reduce waste. With the end of the SPA on 30 June 2020, initiatives such as the Packaging Partnership Programme (PPP) and Mandatory Packaging Reporting (MPR) scheme continue to drive sustainable packaging waste management in Singapore. 

SPA

Click here [PDF, 192 KB] for the full list of signatories.


SPA Awards and Packaging Waste Reduction Case Studies

The annual SPA Awards served to recognise signatories who made notable efforts and achievements in reducing packaging waste. The packaging waste reduction case studies of the SPA Awards winners can be found at the links below:

Packaging Benchmarks

Under the SPA, packaging weight benchmarks (‘Lightest’, ‘Median’ and 'Heaviest’) were established for the purpose of allowing companies to compare the weight of packaging of their products against that of similar products, and enable them to see the potential for improving their packaging design and use of materials. Equipped with this knowledge, businesses can then review their packaging designs, practices and/or processes to identify areas for improvement.

The packaging benchmarks for the following product categories may be found at the links below: