The Lessons From Singapore’s Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards 2023
Organized by the United Nations Global Compact Network Singapore (GCNS), the Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards 2023, are Singapore’s benchmark of excellence in corporate sustainability.
Now on their 8th edition, the Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards 2023, which took place on October 3rd at the Orchard Hotel, are the most prestigious form of recognition for Singapore companies in the categories of Sustainable Business and Sustainable Solutions. This year, the awards also featured a new category called the LowCarbonSG Awards, to recognize local businesses that have made significant progress in their carbon emissions reduction efforts. To be eligible for this new category, which is by invitation-only, companies have to prove that they have reduced their Scope 1 and 2 emissions over a period of 24 months by at least 5%.
Below are the lists of finalists and winners for all 3 categories.
Sustainable Business winners:
- Daikin Airconditioning (Singapore) Pte Ltd
- Maxeon Solar Technologies Ltd
Sustainable Solutions winners:
- Keppel Corporation
- Rimm Sustainability Pte Ltd
LowCarbonSG winners:
- Containers Printers Pte Ltd
- Ovol Singapore Pte Ltd
- Tru-Marine Pte Ltd
Mrs. Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and The Environment was the Guest of Honour and provided the highlights of the event in a fire-chat conversation entitled “Forward Faster Corporate Sustainability: A Conversation with Minister Grace Fu.”
Introduced with a rather ominous reminder of the current macro political and socio-economic environment we find ourselves in, where half of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are off-track and some actually worsening, Minister Grace Fu re-hashed the efforts Singapore is taking as part of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and it’s ambitions to become net-zero by 2050. The main principles of education, adaptation to increased global temperatures to protect coastal lines from the threat of sea level increases and international cooperation on loss and damage for developing countries disproportionately affected by climate change were highlighted as the most pressing steps to fight the most adverse effects of global warming.
Countries could tackle waste and reduce emissions at no cost
Minister Fu also took the time to emphasize some simple and pragmatic ways countries could tackle waste and reduce emissions at no cost. Among the suggestions brought up were:
1.During Covid-19 Singapore found that even with people working from home the office buildings were still operated at full capacity, which led to an increase in energy and water used in Singapore and duplication of resources. Countries and companies experimenting with hybrid work models should take those lessons into account and try to minimize the waste of resources.
2.Having a water pricing model in place is a great tool for minimizing overuse of such a precious resource and ensuring defunct water systems are modernized. Many developing countries do not have such a model in place to punish water use inefficiencies by their industries and to get the funds needed to modernize their water systems. Some developed countries like the UK are not doing any better as they have not been diligent in reinvesting their profits in the modernization of their water systems, which led to repeated headlines about record levels of raw sewage making its way into the country’s waterways.
3.Food production accounts for 16% to 17% of global greenhouse emissions and around 40% of food is wasted so if we actually reduced our food waste and improve our food storage and supply chains we could reduce global emissions at no cost.
Ending on a call to action
Overall, Minister Grace Fu’s speech emphasized the urgency of climate action, the need for collaboration and adaptation, and the role of individuals, corporations, and governments to take action and be advocates for a sustainable future.
The importance of engaging and mobilizing young people in shaping the future of climate action was a particularly important ending argument of Minister Fu’s speech as she stressed that much of today’s youth will be in the prime of their lives in 2050 and the world they will inherit will be drastically different than what they are currently experiencing.
Ed. Source of water data Consultancy.uk. Article photo by Dhoomil Sheta on Unsplash.
