Minister Grace Fu congratulates ‘sustainability trailblazers’ at the 2023 Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards
Singapore, November 04, 2023: The UN Global Compact Network Singapore (GCNS) recently hosted an impactful two-day event in Singapore, starting with the 15th GCNS Summit on the 2nd of November, followed by the 8th Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards Ceremony 2023 on the 3rd of November.
15th GCNS Summit Highlights
Kicking off the two-day event, the 15th edition of the GCNS Summit welcomed over 300 business leaders, policymakers and academia working to advance corporate sustainability. Themed “The Decade to Deliver: Raising the Bar on Sustainability Ambition”, the Summit underscored the need for urgent action in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Mr Heng Swee Keat, the Guest of Honour participated in a fireside chat titled “Sustainability in Uncertain Times: Bridging Complexity with Uncertainty” with Dr. Bicky Bhangu, President, GCNS.
Diverse topics were discussed by prominent speakers, such as ‘Transition Pathways and their Critical Contribution in Delivering Net Zero Ambition’ and ‘The Role of AI in Business Sustainability’. Some of the speakers included Melissa Moi, Head of Sustainable Business, UOB, Ted Howland, Vice President of Group Sustainability at CapitaLand Investment, Yuki Yasui, Managing Director, Asia Pacific Network, Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), Professor Lynn Loo, Chief Executive Officer, Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) and various experts from organisations like the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation and NCS Group.
The three breakout sessions were supported by our partners Accenture Singapore, CDP and Wealth Management Institute (WMI), while other event partners were Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Enterprise SG.
For more information about the speakers at this year’s event, please click here.
The event also featured the 2023 CDL-GCNS Young SDG Leaders Award, offering young people a platform to champion sustainable development and SDG integration into business for positive change. The Champion this year was team Green Phenomena from Nanyang Technological University.
Speaking at this year’s event, Dr Bicky Bhangu, President, GCNS, “We must act more urgently and boldly to address global challenges. We share the responsibility for a better future and must take action now. Collaboration between regulators, financial actors, businesses, and the public sector is essential to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. GCNS advocates a comprehensive approach to corporate sustainability, emphasising the importance of partnerships and collaborations.”
“Companies have a leading role to play in sustainability. Sustainability is also a company’s passport to operate, succeed and attract in the future. The UN Global Compact is the only common grammar shared by companies to work together on a more sustainable world and represents a powerful collective effort by companies to advance human and labour rights, gender equality, environmental protection, and ethical business practices, all anchored in the Ten Principles and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals”, Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Board Member, UNGC, stated.
8th Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards
The Summit was followed by the 8th Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards Ceremony 2023. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Ms Grace Fu, the Guest of Honour, shared insights into the critical role of businesses in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 in a fireside chat titled “Forward Faster Corporate Sustainability”.
The inaugural by-invite-only LowCarbonSG award category recognises businesses that have made outstanding improvements in their carbon emissions (at least 5% reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions) over a 24-month period through a commendable level of effort and / or investment.
Other Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards categories include Sustainable Business – companies that demonstrate excellence in implementing sustainable business practices within the core operations, and Sustainable Solutions – companies that excel in developing products or services that address the sustainability needs of other businesses.
Apex Awards entries are independently assessed by our knowledge partners, Engie Impact (Sustainable Business), Frost & Sullivan (Sustainable Solutions) and the Newcastle Australia Institute of Higher Education (LowCarbonSG), who shortlist companies which meet the winning criteria. Following this, site visits or in-depth interviews are carried out with the shortlisted companies.The finalists present their case to a panel of experienced judges to decide the final winners via scoring and unanimous vote.
For more details on the complete list of judges, please click here.
The coveted ‘Apex Winner’ title is awarded upon a unanimous agreement amongst the judges. In the Sustainable Business category, Apex Award Winner Daikin Airconditioning (Singapore) Pte Ltd won with its R32 Air Conditioning Inverter unit, the first to provide these in residential applications.
In the Sustainable Solutions category, the Apex Award Winner Rimm Sustainability Pte Ltd for its innovative SaaS platform that enables users to collect and analyse their ESG data, as well as benchmark against all of their peers, and then make sure they are in compliance with various sustainability standards.
Maxeon Solar Technologies Ltd was the other winner in the Sustainable Business category and Sembcorp Industries Ltd, Keppel Corporation Ltd, Matex Holdings Pte Ltd and Keppel Corporation Ltd in the Sustainable Solutions category.
In the inaugural LowCarbonSG category, Tru-Marine Pte Ltd stood out with its sustainable and decarbonisation training programme, while Ovol Singapore Pte Ltd was awarded for its fuel and emissions savings. Containers Printers Pte Ltd was awarded for its comprehensive range of green initiatives.
Applicants are invited to apply for the 2024 Awards as registrations will open via the website on 06 November.
Reflecting on the event, Esther Chang, Executive Director of GCNS, expressed gratitude to the speakers and attendees for their commitment to accelerating sustainability efforts and addressing global challenges collectively. “Tonight, our award recipients serve as prime examples of businesses thinking boldly and innovatively to help us make significant strides toward the SDGs. They are achieving this by collaborating with ecosystem partners to come up with new solutions and to amplify their impact.”
PRNewswire is the official media distribution partner for the 15th GCNS Summit and 8th Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards.
About UN Global Compact Network Singapore (GCNS)
UN Global Compact Network Singapore (GCNS) is the local chapter of the United Nations Global Compact. As the leading voice on corporate sustainability, GCNS drives multi-stakeholder action to forge a more sustainable future, founded on the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals. Through various platforms and partnerships, GCNS advances the stewardship of sustainable business practices and Singapore’s national agenda of becoming a regional sustainable business hub.
For more information about GCNS, please visit: https://unglobalcompact.sg/
About the UN Global Compact Network Singapore Summit 2023
Despite being halfway to 2030, we are still not delivering on the SDGs ambition at the necessary pace and scale. Themed “The Decade to Deliver: Raising the Bar on Sustainability Ambition”, the event hosted Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat as the Guest of Honour, alongside distinguished industry leaders and sustainability experts.
For more information about the GCNS Summit 2023, please visit: https://summit.unglobalcompact.sg/
About Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards 2023
Organised by GCNS, the Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards is the most prestigious form of recognition for companies in Singapore on corporate sustainability. The Awards recognise companies whose business operations or solutions have demonstrated excellence in embodying the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact, in the areas of environment, human rights, labour and anti-corruption. The Awards also recognise companies attaining the triple bottom line.
To learn more about the Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards, please visit: https://apexawards.unglobalcompact.sg/
About the CDL-GCNS Young SDG Leader’s Award
Jointly organised by City Developments Limited (CDL) and Global Compact Network Singapore (GCNS), this annual case competition offers young people a platform to champion sustainable development and SDG integration into business for positive change. Previously known as the CDLGCNS Young CSR Leaders Award, the competition has nurtured over 2,400 young leaders since inception in 2011. By aligning with the global goals for sustainable development, the Award seeks to educate and empower young leaders with SDG knowledge and skills, while inspiring companies in Singapore to take concrete actions for the SDGs.
To find out more about the CDL and GCNS Young SDG Leader’s Award, please visit: https://cdlsustainability.com/sdg-stakeholder-partnerships/cdl-gcns-young-sdg-leadersaward/
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