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Sustainable Development The Singapore Way

Source: Government of Singapore
Posted on: 4th November 2009

Minister Yaacob said that sustainable manufacturing will help us achieve our goal of improving our resource efficiency.

He added that sustainable development cannot be just government-centred. It should involve various stakeholders, playing their part and driving initiatives.

Speech by Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water resources, at the launch of the sustainable Manufacturing Centre 4 November 2009

Ms Yena Lim – Managing Director, A*STAR

Dr Lim Ser Yong – Executive Director, SIMTech

Ladies & Gentlemen

A very good morning to all of you. I am very pleased to be here this morning to launch the Sustainable Manufacturing Centre, or SMC in short.

Sustainable development is the responsible approach towards ensuring the survival of our planet. More and more countries are looking at ways of promoting sustainable development in the face of mounting environment concerns. Major MNCs that traditionally value strategic forward-thinking to ensure the sustainability of their business interests, have also begun to pay greater attention to the environmental impact of their operations and are starting to green their supply chain.

For example, Wal-Mart, a major retailer in the United States, has launched an initiative to have all the products sold through its stores labeled with a Sustainability Index that covers the products’ entire lifecycles, from raw material to how it is made and finally disposed. To continue doing business with such companies, our local suppliers, especially the SMEs, will need to build up their competence in this area or risk being sidelined as companies begin to ‘green source’.

Indeed, sustainable manufacturing is particularly important and relevant as we steer our manufacturing sector towards higher-value production. The establishment of this one-stop centre is therefore timely, as the manufacturing industry is now able to access a wide spectrum of support from government agencies and industry associations to develop and adopt eco-friendly practices in their business.

Sustainable Development – The Singapore way

Singapore is doing its part to ensure that we, as a nation, move in the right direction in this aspect. We launched the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint in April. This blueprint maps out our strategy to continue developing Singapore in a manner that will sustain and not degrade the high standards of living environment that we are enjoying today.

Boosting our resource efficiency has been identified as a key priority, in light of the greater needs of our growing population and economy, growing global resource constraints as well as climate change. Our goal is to improve our energy use per dollar GDP by 35% from 2005 levels by 2030, and to this end, NEA and PUB have in place several schemes to incentivise companies to improve their resource efficiency. Examples of such schemes include the Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme (EASe), Singapore Certified Energy Manager (SCEM) Training Grant and the Water Efficiency Fund.

Resource efficiency is especially relevant for the industrial sector, as it is the largest energy consumer and therefore where one of the greatest potential for sustainability and environmentally-friendly efforts lies.

Sustainable Manufacturing Centre complements MEWR’s efforts

For the past 16 years, SIMTech has been assisting the local manufacturing sector upgrade technology capabilities and improve 1 58% of energy used in 2008 is due to industry. competitiveness in various sectors, including electronics, precision engineering and aerospace. SIMTech has been helping local industries be more environmentally sustainable in the course of their business. The launch of the SMC today by SIMTech is an important extension of these sustained efforts.

8 SMC – as a dedicated centre promoting sustainable manufacturing – will go a long way towards helping us achieve our goal of improving our resource efficiency. I am pleased to note that NEA will be working closely with SIMTech in its efforts to build capability and competency in the industrial sector, particularly in the area of resource efficiency. Another way that the centre can help encourage more companies to go green is by showcasing how some companies are benefitting from their initiatives on sustainable packaging, energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. I am thus pleased to note that SIMTech is also looking into this area.

I see a good fit between SIMTech’s efforts on deriving more sustainable manufacturing methods with our drive to increasing the recycling rate and minimize waste. An area that I hope that the SMC could work towards is getting more businesses to take back the goods (when they are already used or no longer needed) or packaging materials from their customers for recycling. Currently, there are already some efforts to recycle handphones and ink cartridges for printers. There is also an opportunity to turn used materials into new products. Local company Nanyang Optical, for example, has successfully launched an eco-friendly line of spectacle frames made out of recycled materials. I would like to see more of such initiatives as these would help us in extending the lifespan of our only landfill in Singapore.

The SMC has brought together a number of agencies such as NEA, BCA, EDB, SEC and WMRAS. I am also pleased to note that an MOU will be inked today between SMC and four companies, namely, Cadbury Enterprises, LHT Holdings, Prima Limited and Screentech Display in various aspects of sustainable manufacturing R&D. Such collaborations exemplify one of the key tenets of the Sustainable Blueprint – that sustainable development cannot be justgovernment-centred. The various stakeholders must play their part and drive initiatives that promote appreciation for and greater take-up of eco-friendly practices and processes.

Conclusion

Sustainable manufacturing is a win-win concept for all, because it is not just about being socially responsible. It also makes good business sense as it allows companies to maintain their edge in an increasingly competitive global market. In our quest for sustainable development, we cannot see ourselves as different parties with different interests. We have to see ourselves as parts of a whole. Without an environment, there is no development, and without development we cannot sustain the environment. It becomes a question of taking responsibility for what is within our means. Each of us must look at sustainable development from a perspective of how we can contribute towards common ends and to set out to do our part even if the returns are not immediately apparent.

I believe SMC will be an important provider and promoter of sustainable manufacturing solutions over time. In building up our sustainable manufacturing technologies and capabilities, the centre will also greatly enhance the sustainability of our manufacturing sector and play a crucial role in helping us achieve our national sustainable development targets. In addition to spurring economic growth, the expertise that we gain and develop in this field can also subsequently be exported to benefit other countries.

I urge all companies to continue to explore ways to improve the sustainability of their operations, in order to achieve a better future for all. I understand that over the next five years, SIMTech will be spending S$ 10 million for the development of sustainable manufacturing technology and that together with WDA, it has also developed the Process Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Manufacturing. These are indeed laudable inroads and I am confident that the Sustainable Manufacturing Centre will make a positive difference to how our local industries conduct their businesses. I wish you all the best for the future – for all our future.

Thank you.

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