15 Jan 2024
Ms Soon Su Lin, Chief Executive Officer of Frasers Property Singapore and Mr Edward Chia, Managing Director of Life Lab Resources signed a Memorandum of Understanding which was witnessed by Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State for Trade and Industry to roll out the food waste valorisation programme to more Frasers Property Singapore malls.
SINGAPORE, 15 JANUARY 2024
Frasers Property Singapore has inked a partnership with food security solution provider, Life Lab Resources (LLR), taking a significant step towards realising a circular economy on food waste for its retail ecosystem in Singapore. The collaboration built on the successful food waste upcycling pilot at Causeway Point, one of the first local malls to fully integrate tenants into a holistic food waste segregation programme.
Frasers Property Singapore is excited to announce the roll-out of the WasteMaster food waste valorisation system to five of its malls – including Causeway Point, Waterway Point, Northpoint City, Century Square and Tampines 1. There will also be potential upscaling to other of Frasers Property Singapore’s malls in 2025.
The onsite food waste treatment plant developed by Green Eco Technologies and operated by LLR converts food waste into nutrient-rich substrates using reactive oxygen technology. LLR is setting up a bio-refinery plant in the first quarter of 2024 to treat and transform the substrates into high-quality microbial protein with all essential amino acids. This protein has the potential to be supplied to feed formulation companies to be converted into aquaculture feed. Besides cutting down on waste sent to incinerators and landfills, it also reduces the need for new natural resources to produce food, thereby providing a sustainable avenue to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
(From left) Ms Soon Su Lin, Chief Executive Officer of Frasers Property Singapore; His Excellency Mr Allaster Cox, Australian High Commissioner to Singapore; Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State for Trade and Industry; Mr Christopher Thorn, Chairman of Green Eco Technologies and Mr Edward Chia, Managing Director of Life Lab Resources, posing for a group photo after the Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony on the food waste valorisation programme.
A Memorandum of Understanding on the partnership to roll out the food waste valorisation system was inked between Frasers Property Singapore and LLR at Causeway Point on Monday, 15 January 2024, and witnessed by Minister of State for Trade and Industry Ms Low Yen Ling.
Ms Soon Su Lin, Chief Executive Officer of Frasers Property Singapore, said: “As a major real estate player, Frasers Property’s vision and efforts are aligned with the Singapore Green Plan 2030 to push for a more sustainable environment. Achieving our net-zero carbon goal will require strong collaborative efforts with every stakeholder in the real estate ecosystem. I’m heartened to bring our retail tenants onboard Singapore’s first-of-its-kind circular economy solution for food waste management, in our collaborative drive towards a zero-waste and food-resilient future.”
She added: “Partnering with like-minded organisations such as Life Lab Resources with Green Eco Technologies as the technology provider enables us to drive sustainability and social impact through technology and champion environmentally friendly behaviours. With the successful pilot at our Causeway Point mall, we look forward to the support and participation of more tenants in this food waste management programme across our malls. We also welcome collaborative opportunities to testbed innovative solutions to help build a greener and more liveable Singapore.”
(From left) Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, delivering a speech on driving a circular economy for food waste in the retail landscape; and Ms Soon Su Lin, Chief Executive Officer of Frasers Property Singapore, giving an opening address on innovating for sustainability with the roll-out of the food waste valorisation programme to five of Frasers Property Singapore’s malls.
Mr Edward Chia, Managing Director of Life Lab Resources, said: “This collaboration is symbolic of the ingenuity required to tackle sustainability and climate challenges head-on. We are thrilled to partner with Frasers Property on this sustainable innovation that aligns with Singapore’s Zero Waste Masterplan and supports the narrative on enhancing food security, turning vision into action. With the strong support of Frasers Property, we are able to scale up a bio-refinery plant to undertake the process of converting the extracted proteins into fish feed for commercial purposes, seamlessly integrating waste upcycling into the food production ecosystem.”
“We are thrilled to work with Life Lab Resources to bring this technology to Frasers Property that is dedicated to fostering a truly circular solution tailored to Singapore's sustainability plan. Collaborating with such like-minded partners is instrumental in pushing the boundaries of innovation, a crucial aspect of our collective efforts in combating food waste and addressing the climate crisis. Our gratitude extends to our aligned partners, as well as the commendable efforts of all tenants and stakeholders involved in this transformative project. Together, we look forward to making a significant impact on sustainability and contributing to a brighter, greener future for Singapore,” shared Mr Moses Lim, Global Business Development Director of Green Eco Technologies.
Invited guests witnessing a live demonstration of how the food waste valorisation programme works at Frasers Property Singapore’s Causeway Point mall located next to Woodlands MRT station and bus interchange.
The seven-month pilot at Causeway Point was adopted by food and beverage (F&B) outlets such as Bali Thai, Food Republic, and Ichiban Boshi as well as FairPrice Finest supermarket. A total of over 27 tonnes of food waste had been collected during the pilot which started from January 2023. More F&B tenants such as Dian Xiao Er, Kuriya Japanese Market, PastaMania, Shabu Sai and Tokyo Shoduko have since joined the programme, resulting in the collection of over 52 tonnes of food waste in the past year.
“Ichiban Boshi is pleased to participate in Frasers Property’s food waste valorisation pilot programme at Causeway Point. This programme aligns with RE&S group of companies’ sustainability objective and targets to reduce total general waste, and reinforces our commitment towards responsible waste management. By joining this initiative, we embrace the potential to create a sustainable and circular food system, where every scrap becomes a source of positive change,” said Ms Yap Fang Ling, Chief Financial Officer of RE&S Holdings.
“Food Republic hopes to not only nourish the communities that we are in but also to feed a sustainable future. Embracing the food waste valorisation initiative by Frasers Property is not just a commitment to reducing waste; but also part of our efforts to create a positive impact on both people and the environment,” said Mr Andy Kiu, General Manager (Food Atrium Division), Food Republic Singapore.
The WasteMaster food waste valorisation system is able to close the food loop in three simple steps.
Video credit: Life Lab Resources
The food waste valorisation system was able to reduce the net weight of food waste by up to 80% while retaining its nutritional value, eliminating harmful pathogens and creating safe, nutrient-rich substrates. The substrates have been tested by an independent third-party laboratory for safety and efficacy. An E. coli and Salmonella spike test was previously conducted to empirically prove that the WasteMaster reactive oxygen technology eliminates pathogens. A separate laboratory test also proved the retention of nutrients.
The substrates were further processed via fermentation to cultivate microbial protein, which is a high-quality protein with all essential amino acids required for aquaculture feed. As part of the bench trial test, the substrate’s protein content rose from 17 per cent to 44 per cent following fermentation, with the potential to increase further in the next phase of commercialisation. On an annual basis, the food waste valorisation programme at five of Frasers Property Singapore’s malls is expected to reduce up to 2,200 tonnes of food waste and save up to 660 tonnes of CO2 emissions. In the event that the food waste valorisation programme is extended to other of Frasers Property Singapore’s malls, it is expected to cut down about 4,700 tonnes of food waste and reduce up to 1,600 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
This initiative in Singapore builds on the Group’s track record of leveraging partnerships and sustainable innovation to drive food waste management. Some of these solutions include composting food waste into fertiliser at The PARQ and One Bangkok in Thailand, as well as processing food waste into nutrient-rich residue with Green Eco Technologies’ WasteMaster system at Burwood Brickworks Shopping Centre, Ed.Square Town Centre and Eastern Creek Quarter in Australia. Frasers Property remains committed to engaging its ecosystem of stakeholders in its decarbonisation journey and pushing for innovative initiatives and eco-friendly practices to forge a sustainable future.