• FairPrice has been supporting global initiative, Earth Hour, for six years
  
• Over 280 FairPrice and FairPrice Finest supermarkets, FairPrice Xtra hypermarkets, FairPrice Xpress and Cheers convenience stores will support Earth Hour 2014 by switching off non-essential lights

SINGAPORE, 29 MARCH 2014– NTUC FairPrice (FairPrice) extends its support for Earth Hour this year by pledging S$15,000 towards WWF’s Earth Hour 2014 initiatives. As part of FairPrice’s commitment, all non-essential lights such as signage light boxes and façade lighting at over 120 FairPrice and FairPrice Finest supermarkets, FairPrice Xtra hypermarkets, will be switched off from 8.30pm till closing time or till 7.30am the next day for 24-hour supermarkets. Additionally, over 160 FairPrice Xpress and Cheers convenience stores will also be switching off refrigeration lights between 8.30pm and 9.30pm. Business will operate as usual during these periods.

Mr Koh Kok Sin, Chairman of the FairPrice Green Committee, said, “FairPrice is glad to be supporting Earth Hour again this year. At FairPrice, we have a social mission to moderate the cost of living in Singapore. We strive to bring the best quality, value and service to all our customers. Beyond this, we also do our part to build a sustainable environment by making our stores more environmentally-friendly where possible, and encouraging our customers to bring their own bags, recycle, and conserve resources.”

FairPrice will reach out to its strong pool of over 133,000 fans on That’s My FairPrice and Cheers Facebook fan pages to encourage them to support Earth Hour 2014 by switching to LED lights, turning up air conditioning by one degree, reducing usage of plastic bags and taking shorter showers.

Committed to Sustainability

As one of the largest retailers in Singapore, NTUC FairPrice recognises the importance of protecting the environment and conserving resources in all aspect of its business operations. As part of its CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) framework, the co-operative has put in place various initiatives to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment.

Since 2007, FairPrice remains the first and only retailer to offer a daily Green Reward for customers who bring their own bags. Customers who responded to the Green Rewards Scheme helped to save over eight million plastic bags in 2013 alone. To further encourage more customers to bring their own bags, FairPrice also started dedicated “BYOB checkout lanes” in selected stores to serve only customers who bring their own bags or do not need a bag.

FairPrice was the pioneer partner in Building & Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark Portfolio Programme launched in 2013, which aims to promote green practices through collaborative partnerships to improve sustainability outcomes in fit-outs and daily operations. FairPrice aims to achieve a minimum of 20 Green Mark-certified stores within three years, with at least a Gold Mark rating for 10 of these stores.

Currently, there are 50 FairPrice stores installed with at least five green features: LED lights, zonal lighting controls, energy-efficient refrigeration fans and motors, refrigeration energy savings system and motion sensors. FairPrice will continue to install these eco-friendly features for new stores or stores that are due for renovation.

FairPrice Supermarkets that operate 24 hours also switch off about 30 percent of their lights between 12am and 6am.

More details on FairPrice’s Corporate Social Responsibility Framework can be found at www.csr.fairprice.com.sg