Our Story

2013

In 2013, Singapore was hit by its worst ever haze on record. Millions of people were left crumbling for the few remaining haze masks and with little knowledge of the causes and solutions.

Meanwhile, a few individuals decided to investigate the causes of Haze that had been recurring on and off since 1997. They asked:
“Can we, the people of Singapore, do something to help stop the haze?”

deforestated field with palm trees at the back

They discovered that one of the main causes of haze is the rampant clearing of forests, especially peat swamps and forests, for palm oil and paper plantations. Much of this expansion and destruction of key ecosystems is fuelled by a global demand from consumers and investors, including people in Singapore.

2014

In February 2014, the 5 co-founders of PM.Haze would meet at a food court to discuss our first steps toward stopping haze. Although they were just ordinary Singaporeans, they were united by the conviction that

when enough ordinary people come together, we can create change.

At that time, Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution bill was open for public consultation and they quickly organised and provided some suggestions which ended up strengthening the bill. This would then become the The Transboundary Haze Pollution Act of 2014 (THPA) revised in 2021. This is a statute of the Parliament of Singapore that criminalizes conduct which causes or contributes to haze pollution in Singapore, and to provide for related matters such as deterrence.

2016

In 2016, PM Haze became an official registered charity, determined to drive a movement to stop the haze in Singapore and the region.

Since then, PM.Haze has attracted more like-minded people to join the movement, conducted research and built valuable partnerships around the region.

Singapore's skyline with flowers on the foreground

Our Mission

Our mission is to drive a global movement to stop the haze by empowering the community with the knowledge, tools, and passion. We educate and tackle the root causes of haze, starting with our community-led peatland restoration program.

Advocacy and community empowerment

In Singapore, we aim to steer consumption patterns towards sustainable palm oil (our consumer choices matter!) while building a movement that advocates for haze-free products and planetary health.

Community-led peatland restoration

In Indonesia, we support farmers with their peatland restoration efforts and creating sustainable livelihoods. For this, we adopt science-based methods and assist local communities to restore community-managed peatlands, ensuring long-term ownership of the activities, and ultimately reducing the risk of fires.

Past Projects

Haze Free Foodstand Campaigns

In 2020, with the support of Packard Foundation, we launched our flagship campaign, Haze-Free Food stand, improving the ‘branding’ of sustainable palm oil and simplifying pathways to action for food businesses and consumers in Singapore and co-create a sustainable haze-free future.

The campaign celebrated eateries that switched to (or committed to) using Sustainable Palm Oil in their operations. We provided complimentary marketing to the eateries in exchange for them joining the campaign. On the first iteration of the campaign, we managed to successfully onboard 32 eateries. The second iteration of our campaign concluded in 2023.

Visit https://www.pmhaze.org/hazefreefoodstand for more information about the campaign

People’s Expedition to Experience Peat (PEEP)

In March 2019, we organized the first iteration of our signature People’s Expedition to Experience Peat (PEEP) trip to Air Hitam Forest Reserve, bringing students from National University of Singapore (NUS), in collaboration with the Johor State Forestry Department, County Government of Air Hitam, Forest Research Institute of Malaysia, and Malaysian NGO, Muslim Aid.

Through this trip we wanted Singaporeans to:

Understand the landscape of sustainable peatland management and conservation
Directly impact peatland conservation (through the planting of 50 native peat swamp species trees)
Understand and appreciate the livelihood challenges of rural communities

Check out our video from our first PEEP in 2016 here!