The World Goes Viral. Cool Change in the Air |
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We’ve been through a few months of what we’re calling “viral lockdown”. Under these physical and social constraints, this very human-centric content producer decided to put this online magazine into “voluntary hibernation”. Not that we’ve been lazy or inactive. We’ve been working from home on many fronts. Mainly producing content for others – writing and editing - some of which we spell out in the items and articles to follow. We’ve missed the networking and illumination we gain from events and face to face meetings. “Virtual” communication platforms don’t make up for that. We did, however, finally meet up with one of our contributing editors and he kindly shared a very relevant piece of writing. Making this point: “We are at a pivotal point in human history where we have been forced into adopting behaviours that align favourably with reducing our individual carbon footprint.” Read "Are Humans the Virus?" by Brook Wright. It sums up what we think is important. Fortunately, a few other minds are advocating the adoption of a New Green Deal. Whether there’s political change in the US to make that happen or not, it’s still possible to follow the more enlightened leadership we’re seeing/hearing from Europe and other small, but influential places, like New Zealand and Costa Rica. Change that is undeniably essential. Now and forever. Click on the image above to see what Sky News is doing about it. The Coronavirus, like Climate Change, won’t go away until we change our ways and come clean in every way.- Ken Hickson
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The behavioural and economic ramifications of COVID-19 will permanently reduce global energy demand, according to DNV GL’s newly published Energy Transition Outlook. The latest news is here.
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Getting Stuck into Ocean Pollution |
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Profile: Putting the Plastic Pandemic in its Place |
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With more than 20 years of experience with the United Nations with a focus on chemicals, waste management, environment and sustainable development, Jacob Duer has a strong track record in policy work, inter-governmental negotiations, practical implementation and problem solving, coupled with strategic thinking and proactive leadership skills. As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, he now leads the development of the overall strategic vision of the Singapore headquartered Alliance, that will invest US$1.5 billion over 5 years in infrastructure, innovation, education and clean-up projects to help end the leakage of plastic waste into the environment and contribute to a circular economy. Last month, he was interviewed on radio by Claressa Monteiro. on Singapore’s Money FM 89.3 “On Soul of Business”. She asked Jacob about our reliance on plastic, reducing plastic on a daily basis and the evolution towards being a zero-waste nation. Hear it all here.
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Planet or Plastic?
Plastic waste is everywhere. ArtScience Museum’s first exhibition to launch since re-opening after Singapore’s circuit-breaker, shines a spotlight on the fragility of the natural environment. The exhibition raises awareness of society’s dependence on plastic by visually depicting the crisis and highlighting the innovative individuals and communities who are working on solutions. Learn about the global plastic pollution crisis through more than 70 powerful photographs and videos in an exhibition by National Geographic. Exhibition opens 12 September. Go here for more.
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Life sized Lego? The main issue is not with plastic as a material, but with our linear economic model: goods are produced, consumed, then disposed of. This model assumes endless economic growth and doesn’t consider the planet’s exhaustible resources. But there are many ways we could set plastics on a different lifecycle – and one that I have been working on is turning disused plastics into a hardy, reliable and sustainable building material. This from Sibele Cestari, a polymeric materials scientist from Brazil, who is currently a research fellow at Queen's University Belfast. Go to BBC for more.
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What a waste! "The conflict currently raging in the world's recycling system wins far less attention than its trade war equivalent. But this battle over global plastics is an equally good illustration of the tensions bubbling up between emerging economies and the rich world, and the wider trend toward de-globalisation they bring." James Crabtree on Asia’s plastic waste war in Nikkei Review.
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For a full overview of the work of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, see “IT ALL STARTS WITH COLLABORATION”. About its comprehensive Progress Report, The Alliance says: "Our ambition, over five years, is to divert millions of tons of plastic waste in more than 100 at-risk cities, improve livelihoods for millions and contribute to a circular economy. We are demonstrating how successful plastic waste management solutions can unlock capital to scale and accelerate the pace. We are coming together as industry, governments, civil society and development agencies, acting with urgency for the future, and it begins with ending plastic waste in the environment."
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Focus on Forests: Wood 4 Good |
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PEFC & Sustainability in Packaging: The global pandemic might have put added greater pressure on the packaging supply chain, but in ‘The Future of Global Packaging to 2024’ report, Smithers forecast the market value will increase to $1.05 trillion by 2024. Asia is the largest market of world packaging consumption, followed by North America and Western Europe. So Asia is a key arena for sustainability decisions as the consumer base grows so rapidly, while the recycling infrastructure and waste management is not keeping up. That’s a key focus of the Sustainability in Packaging Asia event in Singapore on 21-24 September. The Brands and E-tailers' Perspectives on Sustainability on the third day will feature Ben Gunneberg, PEFC’s CEO (pictured). Also making its presence felt will be International Stakeholder member of PEFC, WestRock. who will share how it can advance the functionality and sustainability of fibre-based packaging and also highlight partnerships to accelerate sustainable packaging to serve brands, consumers and the environment. Check it out here.
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Wood in Architecture: Breathe a sigh of relief: wood is good for the climate – inside and out! So shouts the headline for this article by Ken Hickson in the latest issue of Wood in Architecture. “Architects and builders like working with wood as it allows for creativity in design. It is strong, flexible, attractive and easy to work with. But wood means even more than that. It has a positive influence on the climate, both for the planet and for the indoors, as well as for the well-being and health of the people who live or work in buildings.” Read more about the importance of responsible sourcing and sustainable supply chains.
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Timber Takeover: We came across the “Resurgence & Ecologist” magazine with its special Timber Takeover issue, which included the “Sounds of the Forest” project, aiming to build a global forest sound map through a co-creation process. Sarah Bird writes: “We wanted to encourage people to go to their local woodlands and forests and take time to stop, listen and record the harmonies of nature then upload these online”. Hundreds of sounds from over 50 countries have been submitted and have transported thousands of us to forests around the world. Next, musicians and poets will respond to the forest sounds and you can expect some new music to stake the stage at Timber Festival next UK summer. Listen up.
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Plant more trees? Yes & no. It's the wholesome, ‘simple’ and easy to understand option that everyone’s talking about in the range of solutions to mitigate climate change. Tree planting campaigns have become all the rage, with influential figures across several industries, including presidents, scientists, and corporate leaders, presenting it as a solution to climate change. We remind readers of our reforestation alert more than a year ago from Thomas Crowther that “the conservation and restoration of forests can potentially buy us some time as we try to decarbonise our economies.” The Capture Club in Singapore warns us not to rely on only one measure to beat climate change. Read more.
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Wood befits the ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ movement. It also helps to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere thus contributing to the slowing down of climate change as wood captures and stores carbon. It is a cost-free solution to carbon capture. Wood can also be used to offset sectors of the economy that cannot become carbon neutral, so it is beneficial to use this natural and renewable material instead of other materials. Pictured is a Forest Holiday in Wales with PEFC-certified timber log cabins. Read more about the Wood for Good campaign.
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Double Helix is working with Source Map to provide an expanded service and to help companies better manage traceability. Do you know, for example, whether soy is sustainably sourced, without contributing to tropical deforestation, or to climate change? Transparency is the key: without knowing where each bushel of soy comes from it’s impossible to measure impact, or to shift industry practices. Read more from Sourcemap.
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Wood Wide Web: Research has shown that beneath every forest and wood there is a complex underground web of roots, fungi and bacteria helping to connect trees and plants to one another. This subterranean social network, nearly 500 million years old, has become known as the "wood wide web". Now, an international study by "Nature" journal has produced the first global map of the "mycorrhizal fungi networks" dominating this secretive world. We heard about this first on BBC.
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Illuminato! Let's see what European photographers have come up with. PEFC Italy has announced the stunning winners of its 2020 ‘Experience Forests, Experience PEFC’ photo contest. The images entered into the fourth edition of the contest show the beauty of Italy’s forests, mountains and landscapes. First place went to Ruggero Alberti for his photo ‘Illuminato’ (‘Illuminated’), taken in Mezzano in Trento, Northern Italy. This and other country winners will go into the annual international PEFC photo contest. See more for yourself.
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Energised to Come Clean for Low Carbon Future |
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As a preview for Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) 26-30 October 2020, here’s some insight from the most recent Webinar. The panelists looked at the feasibility of deploying offshore renewable solutions to overcome land limitations in ASEAN. Mr Frank Phuan from Sunseap Group shared a recent offshore project and highlighted that the biggest issue lies not in execution but in identifying the location, as it required the approval and agreement of 12 different government agencies—a process that took two and a half years. Looking ahead, collaboration between industry and policymakers remains critical to scaling up clean energy solutions to meet net-zero ambitions. Justin Wu, Head of Asia-Pacific, BloombergNEF, summed up the sentiments of his fellow panelists, saying that “a lot about renewable energy is more possible than we think, if we work together,” echoing the SIEW 2020 theme – Creating Our Low Carbon Energy Future. There's more.
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Invest in Renewables in Asia Pacific |
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With over half of the world’s electricity generation projected to come from the Asia Pacific by 2030, there are excellent opportunities for investment in the region, supported by incentives and benefits as well as backing from regional and international institutions. But for the Asia Pacific to become a powerhouse in renewable energy, investors need to have a global perspective, informed by local understanding and a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to technical challenges, opportunities and risks. This and more in the comprehensive report by DNV GL about the prospects for Renewable Energy Investing in Asia Pacific. Read more.
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HSBC Pollination Billion Dollar Climate Fund |
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HSBC has announced the birth of an innovative new green approach to asset management, outlining plans to partner with climate change consultancy Pollination Group to create a new investment fund focused on "natural capital". HSBC Pollination Climate Asset Management aims to raise US$1billion for its first fund. Sustainable investment in natural capital provides exposure to projects focused on nature including sustainable forestry, regenerative and sustainable agriculture, water supply, blue carbon (carbon captured by oceans and coastal ecosystems), nature based bio-fuels, or nature based projects that generate returns from reducing greenhouse emissions. Illustration by David Rowe in the Australian Financial Review. Pollination co-founder Martijn Wilder said the goals of the Paris Agreement would require financial actors to "originate and fund new approaches that protect nature, at scale. Investing in the resilience of nature is investing in the resilience of the economy. Nature is the most fertile investment we have." Read more in Business Green.
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Science Based Targets Initiative: Recognising the importance of keeping global warming to 1.5°C, companies are increasingly adopting net-zero climate targets. But how can they be sure that their targets are consistent with the reductions that science tells us is needed? The transition to a low-carbon economy is underway and accelerating globally. 973 companies are taking science-based climate action and 454 companies have approved science-based targets. 15 September 2020, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) will release a new paper laying out the foundations for credible, science-based net-zero targets for the private sector. Read all about it.
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Global Market for Battery Standards?
A project to create performance standards for residential and small-scale commercial battery energy storage systems in Australia has been completed, with project leader DNV GL raising hopes that the rules can inform the global market too. Standards Australia has to formally adopt the standard. Funded by ARENA, DNV GL led a consortium that included CSIRO, Deakin University and the Smart Energy Council. Read more.
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Australia is Thinking Big on Clean Energy |
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Tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes says massive investments in renewable energy initiatives like the A$22 billion Sun Cable project could lift Australia out of recession by creating jobs, lowering power prices and generating new export revenue streams. One such project is a high-voltage cable that could transmit solar energy between Western Australia and the eastern states. "If we had west to east connectivity of power we would need vastly less storage in the National Electricity Market," Mr Cannon-Brookes told The Sydney Morning Herald's Sustainability Summit.
Big news for the hydrogen lovers. Global energy consultancy Xodus Group has been selected by Infinite Blue Energy (IBE) Group to carry out initial phase one work for Australia’s first, large scale 100 per cent green hydrogen plant. The $300million Arrowsmith Hydrogen Project secured investment earlier this year. Located 320km north of Perth, it is projected to produce 25 tonnes of green hydrogen a day using solar and wind energy. Read all about it.
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Pangolins are rare and endangered. Not this one. In August 2010 four earnest people came together to form Pangolin Associates Pty Ltd, two in Sydney and two in Adelaide. They all worked in the carbon and energy management sector, only too aware of the climate tipping point on our doorstep and what that would mean for us on this continent. They created Pangolin to help businesses Australia-wide to reduce the risk. Read all about it.
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ABC Carbon Express Returns with a Vengeance |
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Sustainability Gets Ministerial Ranking |
While we've been quietly biding our time and waiting for the right moment to get back on track, there's a been a lot brewing in Singapore and elsewhere. In the next 10 years, 55,000 jobs are expected to be created as Singapore pursues sustainable development, including about 4,000 in the next 12 months, This from Singapore's first Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu. Skilled jobs will be created in the high-tech agriculture and aquaculture industry, as Singapore looks to local production to increase its food security in the face of global food supply shocks. Read the report from Audrey Tan in Straits Times.
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A crisis is a terrible thing to waste. So said Nobel Laureate Paul Romer and Singapore's Eden Strategy Institute is looking to a sustainable recovery from Covid-19: “While the pandemic has led to an upswell of Covid-19-related waste, masked illegal logging and poaching, and delayed Cop26 climate talks, it has also shown the world that what may have been perceived as remote consequences of a global catastrophe can in fact be very real, and that widespread behavioral change such as to travel less by accepting telecommuting and videoconferencing as a way of life, though painful, can be possible." Read the rest here.
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What's Kaia up to? This Singapore eco-startup, with its Plastic Recycling Model, is pairing up with wood craft specialists Roger&Sons. What can we expect from this unique collaboration? Maybe the most environmentally-friendly furniture known to man! We don't know anyone else who has tried to bring together recycled plastic waste with wood salvaged from trees felled for urban development. Learn more about Kaia.
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While SusGain is excited to see a growing number of green businesses and ecopreneurships in Singapore, the local sustainability movement is still far from hitting the critical masses. In order to drive real change and make an impact, SusGain strongly believe that it requires a large number of stakeholders across all domains to come together and work on it collectively. See what it's doing for starters.
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Singapore’s SP Group, a leading energy utility, has announced a strategic investment in The Mobility House AG (TMH) to explore smart charging and vehicle-to-grid feasibility in Singapore. SP will leverage TMH’s expertise and technology in Europe and the United States to boost Singapore’s electric mobility capabilities, enabling its energy system to integrate more renewable energy and ultimately mitigate climate change. Read more.
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Plug and Play with Plastic! |
The Alliance to End Plastic Waste - with its global headquarters in Singapore - and Plug and Play have announced the 11 finalists for the Asia Pacific hub of the End Plastic Waste Innovation Platform – a 90-day accelerator programme that supports startups on their innovations in ending plastic waste. The competitive pitch via a virtual Selection Day was organised from Singapore. This is the organisers’ third selection hub, following successful programmes in Silicon Valley and Paris. Read all about it.
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Let’s be NTUitive! A nationwide start-up challenge that grooms promising ideas into viable businesses addressing real market needs. Started in 2009, ideasinc by NTUitive evolved from a business plan competition for Nanyang Technological University (NTU) students, to a start-up challenge program which is open to anyone aged 18 and above in Singapore with at least one team member as a Singapore citizen or a Permanent Resident. What is unique about this year's competition is that it focuses on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, seeking solutions in the areas of crisis prevention, building a city of resilience and environmental sustainability. There are nine challenges revolving around these themes, including zero waste, sustainable buildings, transportation systems and even mental health. Click on this link to learn more.
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An exhibition by the Singapore Press Holdings Foundation is on at the Sustainable Singapore Gallery at Marina Barrage. The six-part series on climate change and its impact on life showcases news stories and features by The Straits Times climate change team. The first part, about proper waste management and recycling, runs till 28 September. See it and read all about it.
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Future Food Circle and Padang & Co |
Future Food Circle is a community event launched by Future Food Institute - a global ecosystem focused on sustainable food innovation and SIGMAXYZ Inc - founder of Smart Kitchen Summit Japan to share knowledge and visions with food innovators from around the world and to take action together. At a recent edition, Adam Lyle attended and spoke about Singapore's vibrant food scene, including the state-of-the-art food innovation taking place here. He also touched on Padang & Co's role as a fundamental innovation enabler working with private and public partners in Singapore. Go for more here.
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Books to Guide you Out of Lockdown |
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Q.What follows the Climate Emergency as the World's Greatest Risk?
A. This book has the answer to this and other important questions.
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Imagine the world having US$6 trillion every year, without the need to borrow from future generations or dig into reserves. Imagine what the world could do with that money in its fight against the coronavirus and the disease it causes, Covid-19.
What is he talking about? Cybercrime, of course. Because that’s what the global economy will lose from cybercrime next year, 2021.
He’s not alone in making this assertion. Cybercrime is such a growing threat to individuals, businesses and institutions - and the global community - that the World Economic Forum Global Risk Report 2019 rates cyberattacks second only to the climate emergency. Read all about it.
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Three research groups from Vital Ocean/SYSTEMIQ, TriCiclos and Hasiru Dala, travelled to four countries: India, Indonesia, Brazil and Chile to interview 45 pioneering waste and recycling organisations. Read how they overcame the most difficult and universal challenges facing all frontline waste and recycling programmes working in fund-constrained environments. Their insights are synthesised in a new book, Leave No Trace, by Joi Danielson, along with TriCiclos and Hasiru Dala. There's more.
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Pandemics: What Everyone Needs to Know by Peter Doherty. He won the Nobel Prize for his work on how the immune system recognises virus-infected cells, and here offers an essential guide to one of the truly life-or-death issues of our age. In concise, question-and-answer format, he explains the causes of pandemics, how they can be counteracted with vaccines and drugs, and how we can better prepare for them in the future. It might be seven years old, but this book is as relevant as ever. Go to Oxford University Press for more.
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Search on for Brands for Good Champions |
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Brands for Good goes into its third year in Singapore. Brands for Good #EmergeStronger webinar series aims to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Asia to become resilient in face of the new world challenges and to grow stronger through this Covid-19 crisis. SMEs are the lifeblood of the global economy and as we face the "new abnormal", we at Brands for Good are taking proactive steps to bring together the SME community and various thought leaders, to generate new ideas and create opportunities for businesses to emerge stronger. All EmergeStronger programmes are free but recordings will only be available to ARIBA members and Brands for Good recipients. Brands for Good has been strongly supported by Sustain Ability Showcase Asia (SASA) and ABC Carbon Express. Ken Hickson is once again one of the judges in the Environmental Group category.
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Winning the Liveability Challenge 2020 |
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An alternative to milk produced by cows has won the 2020 edition of The Liveability Challenge, an annual search for solutions to some of the biggest problems Southeast Asia’s cities face, organised by Eco-Business. The innovative lab-grown milk concept, developed by Singapore-based biotechnology company TurtleTree Labs, emerged the winner in a field of six finalists from a field of more than 400 entries from 60 countries. The company’s cell-based milk avoids the climate impact and animal welfare issues the $700 billion industrial dairy industry is associated with. TurtleTree Labs will receive up to S$1 million (US$734,000) in funding for their project from the backer of The Liveability Challenge, Temasek Foundation, the philanthropic arm of government investment company Temasek.
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Ken Hickson heard about this first from Anupam Yog in Singapore, but here's the full story:
Resonance Consultancy, a leading advisor in real estate, tourism, and economic development for countries, cities and communities, is excited to announce WRLDCTY, a first-of-its-kind virtual event that will unite 10,000 citizens, city lovers and urbanists on 22-24 October under one virtual roof. For three exciting days broadcasting from cities around the world, including official host cities London, Singapore, Los Angeles, Toronto, New York and Hong Kong, WRLDCTY will stream non-stop from three stages, consisting of keynotes by coveted urban visionaries, workshops and live Q&A sessions to connect you with the innovation, the big ideas and the work being done in the world’s top cities, even though you’re unable to visit them. Read all about it here.
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Last Word: For Global Good |
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2010 Startup: Sustain Ability Showcase Asia (SASA) |
2010 was when it all started for sustainability, as far as Ken Hickson is concerned. He was intimately involved in the National Sustainability Conference - behind the scenes and as a speaker - in Singapore in July. It was none other than Dr Amy Khor - who was Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources at the time - who encouraged him to return to Singapore and set up what would be the first home-grown sustainability consultancy in the city state. Consequently, SASA was formally established on 8 September 2010, when a number of Australian businesses in the sustainability sector wanted him to help them make their presence felt in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Continue to read about three Australian businesses which are making their mark at home and aboard. We're pleased to be able to say that we support and promote them in any way we can. If you'd like to read a little more about the evolution and work of SASA, read "The Art of Sustainability".
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Profile of a CleanTech Pioneer: Ray Wills. |
Ray is a True Blue Leader. He runs Blue by Design - an Australian company represented in Singapore by SASA/Ken Hickson - which seeks to implement the vision of the Blue and Circular Economy. Future Smart Strategies is an alliance partner with Blue by Design, which aims to help businesses connect with national and global leaders in systems thinking, complexity theory, biomimicry and integrative design. Ray's other roles: Board Member of Horizon Power; Partner and Director of Sun Brilliance Power, building Australia's largest solar farm; Director of the bioenergy startup BioTek Fuels Pty Ltd; and, Principal Strategic Advisor Careers Australia. He also partners with SASA/ABC Carbon to produce and distribute the Express and other climate friendly news to readers worldwide. There's more.
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Get Ready for Blue Asia Capital |
Expect to hear more in the very near future on and about Blue Asia Capital. This business, run by David Hunt in Brisbane, Australia and represented in Singapore by Ken Hickson/SASA, believes in connecting investors, companies, suppliers and customers to empower stakeholders to better manage resource consumption, compliance and impact management. A shared value process. Combining non-financial data (environmental, social, governance) with fiscal information, provides deeper insight and better predictability on leadership behaviour, risks and opportunities. Blue Asia Capital's investment objective is to facilitate transparency, profit and common well-being as the partnership to sustaining commercial, ecological and social objectives. Read more.
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Envizi is a market leader in data and analytics software |
Envizi puts data to work, delivering the insights you need to optimise resource use across your buildings and businesses. Envizi helps build sustainable businesses that are fit for the future, and has a proven track record across more than 180 enterprise clients whose operations span over 180,000 locations in 150 countries. SASA and its associated businesses are pleased to have been involved with, promoted the work of, and represented Envizi in Singapore, over the past ten years. Learn more about Envizi.
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