[SINGAPORE] Asset manager Keppel, Singapore Management University (SMU) president Lily Kong and Edible Garden City co-founder Bjorn Low clinched top honours at this year’s edition of the Sustainability Impact Awards.
In their third year, the awards are organised by The Business Times and UOB. The ceremony was held at the Pan Pacific Orchard on Thursday (Sep 25), with Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat as the guest of honour.
The awards “shine a spotlight on individuals and enterprises who are going above and beyond to embed sustainability into their work, and who are paving the way towards a greener and more sustainable future for Singapore”, he said.
Keppel clinched the Impact Enterprise of the Year award under the large-enterprise category, for riding green trends as part of its business transformation.
The company has embarked on clean energy import projects and is building Singapore’s first hydrogen-compatible power plant. It is also developing a floating data centre that uses seawater for cooling.
In the real estate sector, Keppel is rolling out sustainable urban-renewal solutions to make older commercial buildings more eco-friendly while enhancing their value, its chief executive Loh Chin Hua noted in his acceptance speech.
The award “is an affirmation of our commitment to making a positive impact on sustainability, including both running our business responsibly, and making sustainability our business through the solutions we provide”, he said.
Loh pledged that the company would continue to contribute towards Singapore’s Green Plan 2030 and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Four companies in the large-enterprise category received the Impact Enterprise Excellence Award. They were ComfortDelGro Corp, FairPrice Group, The Ascott Ltd and UOL Group-Pan Pacific Hotels Group.
The large-enterprise winners “show that scale can be a force for good”, said Chee. “By embedding sustainability across their operations and value chains, they create ripple effects across their industries,” he added.
Impact leaders
In the individual category, Professor Kong and Low were named Impact Leaders of the Year.
Prof Kong made sustainability a priority at SMU, advocated for mandatory sustainability education there, and also played a key role in establishing the Singapore Green Finance Centre and SMU Urban Institute.
In her speech, she noted that it takes an “ecosystem approach” to tackle biodiversity loss, poverty and inequality, and climate events.
“I am here tonight because different parts of my university ecosystem were aligned in achieving sustainability, or at least pursuing sustainability as a priority,” she said.
“We adopted scientific and technological know-how to improve our campus operations for sustainability, but we also focused on the art of inculcating sustainability literacy and values, and building an aligned community.”
Low champions urban agriculture and food sovereignty, and has led more than 280 urban farming installations. He has showcased Singapore’s urban-farming model on the global stage, through events such as the Expo 2020 Dubai.
He believes that the next chapter of sustainability would comprise cities designed as “regenerative foodscapes”.
“This award is not the end of the story; it’s encouragement to keep going. To imagine a Singapore, and perhaps one day many other cities, where food, care, and community are rooted in the very fabric of urban life,” he said in his speech.
Two other sustainability advocates were recognised with Individual Excellence Awards.
They were Jeremy Lee, founder and CEO of eco-cleaning solutions company SimplyGood, and Beh Siew Kim, chief financial and sustainability officer for lodging at CapitaLand Investment; she is also managing director for Japan and South Korea at The Ascott Ltd.
Green innovators
In the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) category, innovators Pollen Tech and WeavInsight were presented the Impact Enterprise Excellence Award.
Pollen runs Asia’s first excess inventory liquidation operating system, which helps brands recover costs from excess inventory.
WeavInsight uses cutting-edge technology to help companies bridge the data gap in pursuing sustainability. For instance, its tools help to lower energy consumption in buildings, greening the real estate sector.
Winners in the category for SMEs found creative ways to innovate and demonstrate that “size is no barrier to (make an) impact”, noted Chee.
Likewise, the individual champions inspire their communities to do more for the environment, “demonstrating that larger shifts are often built up over time from small changes, one step at a time”, said the minister.
Ambitious target
Chee added that Singapore has set an ambitious target to hit net-zero emissions by 2050. This will require strong partnerships across the public, private and people sectors.
“The government is committed to continue helping businesses and individuals tackle sustainability challenges, by making it easier to adopt green solutions and for companies and individuals to benefit from their investments.”
One solution is the Green Mark certification scheme, which guides building owners on sustainability. Another is the Green Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing Buildings 2.0, which supports building owners in improving energy efficiency. Both are administered by the Building and Construction Authority.
“Through such initiatives, we want to ensure that sustainability is not just an expenditure, but is also an opportunity,” said Chee.
Wee Ee Cheong, CEO of the awards’ co-organiser UOB, said that the bank wants to build a sustainable future “by doing right by our customers and communities”.
Chen Huifen, the editor of BT, said the awards represent the paper’s commitment to “recognise individuals and businesses that are not only driving economic value, but also advancing sustainability and contributing significantly to environmental and societal well-being”.
