SINGAPORE, 03 Oct 2023 – The Alliance for Sustainability Innovation (ASI) was launched today 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 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 percent 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 knowhow 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