Companies form ground-breaking Alliance for Sustainability Innovation

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 10:30:00 +0800

With Nanyang Polytechnic as the nexus, companies are coming together to help each other through the challenges of starting, or powering up, their sustainability journeys. 

SINGAPORE, Oct. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alliance for Sustainability Innovation (ASI) was launched by Minister, Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Education and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman. This is a collaborative platform where forward-minded enterprises can exchange knowledge, experiences and best practices for their sustainability journeys. Members can look forward to workshops with experts, specific training sessions customised to their sectors, and consultations to introduce technology or know-how to make a tangible difference in operations. More than 180 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from various sectors, including building management, transportation, construction, manufacturing, and electronics and industrial processes, have joined the ASI thus far.

Powering the Alliance and connecting the various nodes is Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP).  NYP's Principal & CEO, Mr Russell Chan, explains: "With our footing of being industry-centric, we are uniquely placed to become the catalysts for change. We were hearing companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – which still represent 99 per cent of businesses here in Singapore – asking for help to decipher the complexities of sustainability; for assistance in their own operations to be less carbon-heavy."

ASI seeks to connect companies, particularly SMEs, with experts and champions so that they can better navigate challenges and find avenues for innovation and growth in today's increasingly eco-conscious business landscape.  The Alliance also supports the Singapore Green Plan 2030, aligning with the key pillar of catalysing a Green Economy to help Singapore's companies harness sustainability as a competitive advantage. NYP is also offering to help enterprises – bringing the know-how and technology from all its six Schools into play – with sustainability projects.

An example is W-Locate, a local firm with 25 employees that helps construction companies manage their fleets of machinery and vehicles. They partnered NYP on sustainability innovation, including better tracking the location and movement of vehicles – for more efficient scheduling. Instead of multiple trucks idling at a site, waiting their turn to offload, and burning carbon fuels while waiting – trucks are slotted in to arrive in a just-in-time fashion, which better optimises resources. W-Locate reports up to 10 percent fuel efficiency savings after this change and is seeking further improvements as they optimise the usage of the system. Next up? Its engineers are now exploring a more efficient electric system that can be used to keep the cement trucks' drums rotating – without tapping on the carbon-heavy fossil-fuel truck's drive train engines.

Besides tapping on know-how and technology assistance, W-Locate says it is looking forward to learning from experts in the field of reporting. Its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Stevie Ooi, says: "I am looking forward to learning about aspects of reporting so we can assist and work with companies with the declaration of their Scope 3, or their supply chains' carbon emissions. I'm also excited about the prospect of networking with fellow SMEs and engaging with Government regulators to gain insights into carbon credits and explore funding support opportunities for carbon accounting initiatives."

For more information about the Alliance for Sustainability Innovation, please visit www.nyp.edu.sg/ASI.

About Nanyang Polytechnic

Established as an institution of higher learning in 1992, Nanyang Polytechnic's (NYP) academic schools offer quality education and training through 40 full-time diploma courses and common entry programmes. NYP also has a full suite of Continuing Education and Training (CET) options for lifelong learning, ranging from specialist and advanced diplomas, to SkillsFuture-supported modules and courses. NYP's Asian Culinary Institute and the Singapore Institute of Retail Studies are CET institutes set up in partnership with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to champion and transform Singapore's F&B and retail sectors, respectively. A third NYP CET institute - the National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning - also set up in collaboration with SSG, will spearhead the development of progressive workplace learning strategies and programmes for companies here.

Annex A

Factsheet

The Alliance is starting with more than 180 SMEs from various sectors, including building management, transportation, construction, manufacturing, and electronics and industrial processes.

To facilitate impactful conversations on sustainability, NYP has tapped on its networks to bring in Founding Fellows, which are experts serving as mentors and champions for sustainable innovation. As distinguished leaders advocating for sustainability in their respective sectors, they will lend their expertise and dedication to environmental initiatives, helping to define ASI's long-term objectives and offering guidance to future members in their sustainability journey.

The list of Founding Fellows for the ASI initiative are (listed in alphabetical order by company name):

1. Patrick Pang, Chief Technologist, ASEAN Public Sector, Amazon Web Services
2. Tan Shao Yen, Group Chief Innovation Officer, CPG Corporation Pte Ltd
3. Daren Kang, Chief Operating Officer, Global Green Connect
4. Sunil Kumar Yadav, Director, ESG, KPMG Singapore
5. Jackson Seng, Vice President, Sustainability and Strategy, Schneider Electric
6. Clement Teo, Chief Sustainability Officer, Singapore Manufacturing Association
7. Lee Hui Mien, Senior Director, Group Environmental Sustainability, Singtel
8. Andreas Hauser, CEO, Digital Service, TÜV-SÜD

The Founding Fellows will serve as dynamic change agents within the alliance, with multi-faceted roles encompassing strategic input and network facilitation. They will act as pivotal links in creating a vibrant platform for revolutionary ideas in sustainability, enriching discussions through workshops and webinars and propelling the next wave of sustainable innovation. As hands-on mentors, the Founding Fellows will also be keenly involved in shepherding impactful projects from concept to completion. Their supervision ensures that initiatives achieve and surpass their goals, thus amplifying their positive environmental impact within Singapore and beyond.