REAL estate company City Developments Limited (CDL), urban indoor farm BlueAcres and sustainability practitioner Esther An were the top winners of their respective categories at the second edition of the Sustainability Impact Awards, organised by The Business Times and UOB.
CDL clinched the Impact Enterprise of the Year award under the large enterprise category for its capacity-building and thought leadership in climate action. The property developer has, with the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore, built a sustainability academy that has hosted more than 1,000 advocacy events and reached out to 34,500 in-person visitors.
BlueAcres won the Impact Enterprise of the Year award in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) category for blending environmental and social impact. The company has enabled individuals with moderate autism to acquire farming skills, allowing them to be part of society while also alleviating Singapore’s labour shortage on farms.
As for the individual category, CDL’s chief sustainability officer Esther An was awarded Impact Leader of the Year for being a pioneer in this field. As chair of the Sustainability Reporting Advisory, which was set up by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority and the Singapore Exchange Regulation to chart a road map for sustainability reporting, she has helped shape national regulations for climate-related disclosures in the city-state.
Now in its second year, the Sustainability Impact Awards was launched in February 2023 to recognise individuals and corporates in Singapore who strive to make an impact on the environment and society, driving innovations towards a greener and more inclusive future.
The Centre for Governance and Sustainability at the National University of Singapore Business School is the Awards’ knowledge partner.
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Speaking at the awards ceremony on Thursday (Sep 26), UOB’s chief executive officer Wee Ee Cheong said that sustainability is about making a positive impact for people and the environment, not just for the present, but over the long term.
“Many of these outcomes may not be obvious in the short term. It takes vision, leadership and conviction to drive sustainability initiatives with the long term in mind,” he said.
“It is the collective responsibility of everyone to work towards this common good. Real change happens when everyone works together, including governments, businesses and individuals.”
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam also attended the ceremony as its guest of honour.
Wee noted that the Awards received more entries this year, reflecting a strong commitment from companies and individuals to create meaningful impact.
He added that his hope for the Awards is to encourage like-minded partners to come together, to create a multiplier effect for the greater good.
Eight other companies and individuals were also recognised for their contributions.
Among large enterprises, global asset manager Keppel – which has been actively involved in Singapore’s sustainable urban renewal and test-bedding of emerging green building technologies to improve energy efficiencies – was among the three companies in the category presented with the Impact Enterprise Excellence Award.
Statutory board Sentosa Development Corporation, which was instrumental in setting up the Sentosa Carbon Neutral Network with the aim of making the island carbon-neutral by 2030, was also recognised with the award.
Property developer UOL Group, in a joint submission with its member company Pan Pacific Hotels Group, also received the award for being the first Singapore hospitality group to achieve the Global Sustainable Tourism Council Industry Criteria for Hotels certification.
Under the SME category, Excellence Awards were given to urban farm Edible Garden City, non-profit organisation Ground-Up Initiative, as well as waste management and environmental restoration company Seven Clean Seas.
Edible Garden City supplies produce to 90 restaurants weekly and has built more than 270 urban edible gardens. Meanwhile, Ground-Up Initiative serves underprivileged individuals and communities by supplying organic produce to community kitchens, and works with corporate sponsors to upcycle wood waste into furniture for underprivileged households.
Seven Clean Seas pioneered and operates a plastic credits system that quantifies plastic footprints for businesses and events. This allows these businesses or events to be plastic-neutral by funding the removal of an equivalent amount of ocean-bound plastic.
Individual Excellence Awards were also presented to Cheng Hsing Yao, group chief executive officer of property developer GuocoLand, and Jeffrey Sim, group CEO of transport company SBS Transit.
Under Cheng’s leadership, GuocoLand has prioritised energy efficiency, greenery and community in its developments. Cheng is also director of Discover Tanjong Pagar, a private sector-led partnership formed by property owners in the precinct, which has organised various community engagements.
Sim was recognised for incorporating environmental, social and governance considerations into SBS Transit’s operations. The company has also implemented a chilled water cooling system at its Downtown Line stations and utilised artificial intelligence to optimise train schedules.
