Our eco-friendly bamboo flooring is now recognised all around the world.

From GEN’s web site, a Type I program is:

a voluntary, multiple-criteria based, third party program that awards a license that authorizes the use of environmental labels on products indicating overall environmental preferability of a product within a particular product category based on life cycle considerations.

All you need to understand is that when you get bamboo flooring from Star Bamboo, you get independent assurance that your actions will help the environment.

Simply look out for the Singapore Green Label logo below:

Star Bamboo is a proud member of the Singapore Green Label.

If your supplier claims to Green Label certified, you should verify their claims on the Singapore Green Label product directory (Star Bamboo is listed under “035-004″).

Below is the full text of the press release from Singapore Environment Council (SEC):

Singapore’s Green Label Gets A Global Boost

Singapore’s Green Label, which turns 20 in 2012, is certified by Global Ecolabelling Network’s Internationally Coordinated Ecolabelling System(GENICES)

Singapore’s most recognised eco-label, the Green Label, which is administered by the Singapore Environment Council, today received a global boost when it was officially accredited by the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN), an international non-profit association of third-party, environmental performance recognition, certification and labelling organisations.

2          The certificate of accreditation was awarded to SEC at the 2011 GEN Annual General Meeting and International Conference of the Global Ecolabelling Network in Yilan, Taiwan, yesterday afternoon, 27 October 2011.

3          This independent accreditation from a global authority on eco-labelling sets the Green Label apart as Singapore’s one and only Type 1 Eco-labelling scheme.

4          “Type 1” is an important distinction that identifies Singapore’s Green Label Scheme (SGLS) as an eco-certification scheme that considers multiple criteria, examines the overall life cycle of a product and which incorporates principles of life cycle thinking, and which is administered on a voluntary basis. This ensures that all aspects of the product have been analysed to ensure that the product is truly an environmentally preferable alternative to one that does not carry the Green Label Logo.

5          The peer-review process of the Global Ecolabelling Network’s Internationally Coordinated Ecolabelling System (GENICES) accreditation process also lauds the appropriate and good practices of the SGLS, as verified by international auditors. The SEC is the only eco-labelling body in Singapore that is a member of the Global Ecolabelling Network.

6          Receiving the accreditation certificate on behalf of the SEC was Executive Director Jose Raymond. He said, “We are very proud that Singapore’s Green Label has stood up to such stringent scrutiny from GEN. The SEC works hard to constantly develop new criteria for eligible products, and tighten up requirements for existing categories as well. By expanding our outreach to as many types of consumer products, construction materials, personal electronics and home appliances, as well as constantly improving the credibility and distinctiveness of the Green Label, we hope that the already familiar logo will become an instantly recognisable and trusted symbol of environmentally preferable products.”

7          The GENICES certification also sets a solid foundation for the Singapore Green Label Scheme to ramp up its drive to expand its scope, in terms of criteria development and regional outreach.

8          The GENICES certification helps SEC achieve multilateral, mutual trust with other GENICES members. This is a very important step, as it qualifies the SGLS to sign Mutual Recognition Agreements with other GENICES certified countries, such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, the United States and many European countries. This makes it easier for SGLS  certified products to get certified in these countries. The achievement of multilateral mutual trust also enables SEC to cut costs for products certified by other GENICES members.

9          “We are happy to be able to offer more value-for-money to SGLS applicants, and hope that more manufacturers will avail themselves to this attractive opportunity for regional outreach by applying for the SGLS certification. For the Singaporean consumers, having as many products labelled under the SGLS will mean allowing them to make more environmentally preferable purchasing decisions across. For example, the very same construction manager who chooses Green Label-certified cements containing recycled content, and paints low in volatile organic compounds at the workplace can pick up a Green Label detergent, dishwashing soap or light bulbs on their way home,” added Mr Raymond.

10        As of 22 October 2011, 1,940 products are certified under the SGLS.

For more information about the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme, please visitwww.greenlabel.sg.

**END OF MEDIA RELEASE**

But don’t fret, you can still contact us easily.

So here’s wishing Singapore a wonderful birthday as our nation marches toward middle age.

Our office will be closed from Friday (6 Aug) till Monday (9 Aug), and reopen on Tuesday (10 Aug). You can still contact us via email: info [at] starbamboo [dot] com.

Happy birthday, Singapore!

I’ve been making some tweaks to our web site:

* Most importantly, visitors to www.starbamboo.com now see a static welcome page instead of the blog. The blog is accessible via a link to your right.

* The pages now have a better flow – visitors get guided along, instead of having to figure for themselves where to click next.

* Some pages have been removed – they provide valuable content, but more often than not, simply confuse a new visitor.

* You want to see how bamboo flooring looks like in a real-world setting? Your wish is granted! We are adding photos to our project portfolio page.

There is one more big surprise to be unveiled soon.. Check back here for more details!

Visitors in the past few hours would not have been able to connect, instead seeing a blank page.

Thankfully, it has been sorted out. The cause was a fault in the WordPress database, which causes excessive connections. Or that’s what my tech guy told me.

What’s still not working is the contact form. Queries sent with it disappear into a mysterious black-hole. So I’ve taken it offline for now, but you can still get in touch with us via the contact page.

Sorry about all this.

Eco-Sale!

Now you can enjoy the beauty and luxury of our eco-friendly bamboo flooring at prices never seen before.

Wouldn’t you want to have a lovely bamboo floor like this in your home:

Enjoy the natural look and feel of hardwood without harming a single tree.

We are now offering hefty discounts off our Singapore stocks. You will be pleasantly surprised at how affordable they are.

We have limited stocks of each type of bamboo flooring, so give us a ring at 65659217 now to avoid disappointment!

Thanks to your support in 2008, our eco-friendly bamboo flooring has really started to take off in Singapore and around the world.

Here are some quick tips for a Green Christmas:

1. Giving Green: Gift wrapping paper can be recycled, and not all gifts need to be wrapped.

2. Fake Fir: Consider an artificial tree which can be reused time and again.

3. Tree recycling: If you pine for real trees, then do get them recycled after the season. Ikea Singapore has a recycling programme in place.

4. Low-energy lights: LED lights are 90 percent more efficient than traditional Christmas lights.

Have a great holiday and see you in 2009!

(Please note that our office will be closed on 26 Dec 2008 and 2 Jan 2009.)

Our application to IRAS has just been approved, Star Bamboo (S) Pte Ltd will be GST-registered effective 17 Nov 2008.

From this date onwards, we have to charge and account for 7% GST on all our business transactions.

For customers who confirm their orders before 17 Nov, we will not be charging GST even if the delivery/installation date is after this.

So if you have been wanting to order our bamboo flooring, this is the best time to do it.

Also, just to apologise for the recent lack of updates. Besides the office relocation, I have also spent last week in Guangxi, China as part of a Singapore business delegation sourcing for possible business and investment opportunities. Taken loads of photos and I have lots of fascinating stories to share.

But all that will have to wait till after I visit a Korean customer in Pusan this week.

We have a team of bamboo flooring experts in Singapore to handle all your queries, so call them at +65-65659217 today.

In order to serve you better, Star Bamboo is moving to a new and bigger office.

Now we can carry more ready stocks, and have a shorter delivery lead time and faster fulfilment of your orders.

From 18th October 2008, our new address is at:

51 Bukit Batok Crescent #06-41
Unity Centre
Singapore 658077

Our contact numbers remain the same:

Tel: 6565 9217
Fax: 6565 0508

Sorry if you’ve tried calling us today but no one answered.

The telephone line was transferred this morning but NOT the call transfer service. So we were basically uncontactable the whole day.

But everything’s up and running now, we’ve even got the Internet back on!

The move is still in progress, there’s a steady stream of cartons and boxes coming in.

We’ll probably unpack tomorrow and then spend the next 3 weeks deciding where to put what.

You can view the home page at www.starbamboo.com, but cannot click through to any individual pages.

We’re working on this right now. In the meantime, we can be contacted at:

Tel: 6565 9217

Email: info@starbamboo.com

Sorry for the inconvenience caused!

Update: Web site has been fixed, we’re up and running!