Companies with Best Green Practices Recognised at Singapore Environmental Achievement Awards

At today’s Singapore Environmental Achievement Awards (SEAA) organised by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and the Singapore Manufacturers’ Federation (SMa), ten companies were recognised for their green practices and commitment towards sustainable development. The ten winning companies include:

SEAA Top Achievers Award

• Gammon Construction Limited – Promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the construction industry and committing to sustainability efforts at their project sites
• Samwoh – Pushing for the use of recycled aggregates in Singapore and using it for their new office building
• Siloso Beach Resort – Minimising the impact of the resort operations and preserving the natural environment

SEC-Senoko Energy Green Innovation Product Award

• Winrigo (S) Pte Ltd – Recycling of plastics and producing bio-composite made from polypropylene and rice husk fibre

SEAA Merit Award

• CDL; EnGro; Keppel Land; NatSteel; Panasonic; and ST Marine

At the award presentation ceremony, Ms Isabella Loh, Chairman of SEC, shared SEC’s new vision:

To be the preferred non-government organisation partner for communities, businesses and governments to achieve best-in-class sustainable city development in Singapore and beyond.

Global Green Awards 2010

September 30, 2010

Green Business Times is proud to be a media partner of the GLOBAL GREEN AWARDS 2010™.

The 5th Annual GLOBAL GREEN AWARDS 2010™ for Excellence in Communicating Sustainability are the leading industry awards for marketing and communications showcasing best practice and effectiveness in communicating environmental issues creatively.

The GLOBAL GREEN AWARDS™ recognises excellence in 16 categories ranging from Best Green Educational Project and Best Green Product Innovation to the Best Green Advertising Campaign Award. Entries are invited from all countries.

The deadline for the GLOBAL GREEN AWARDS™ is Thursday 30th September (12am) so it’s time to start preparing your entry. To enter, visit www.greenawards.com for all the details.

The winners will be announced at a glittering green gala reception in London on 25th November at the Dairy presented by celebrity co-host Jo Wood.

International Singapore Compact CSR Summit 2010

October 6, 2010

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October 7, 2010

International Singapore Compact CSR Summit 2010

This timely summit organized by the Singapore Compact for CSR brings together experts from various sectors to discuss on how to plan, measure, and implement CSR strategies for sustainable business success.

The Inaugural International Singapore Compact CSR Summit of last year was a great success, attracting about 400 delegates from multinational corporations, small and medium enterprises, unions, government, academia and the general public.

Let’s join other business leaders, CSR professionals and many other stakeholders to hear and learn from the experts, local and overseas, to address the following challenges:-

HOW TO PLAN     |     HOW TO MEASURE     |     HOW TO IMPLEMENT

• How can my organisation make CSR an effective strategy for sustainable business success?
• How can my organisation keep pace with the ever changing energy challenge?
• How government policies shape along with the global impetus?
• How can my organisation effectively respond to the global trends which affect my organisation?
• How can I measure my organisation’s response to the climate change challenge and sustainability developments?
• How is the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) relevant to my organisation and where shall I start with?
• How can I measure the social impact of my organsiation?
• How can I start with my first sustainability report with a universally accepted standard?
• What are the cost and time-effective ways to do sustainability reporting?

*Fees reflected above are based on per delegate.

Please visit www.singaporecsrsummit.org for more information about the International Singapore Compact CSR Summit 2010.

For registration, please download the form from http://www.singaporecsrsummit.org/registration.php and fax the completed form to 6471 1278.

Please feel free to contact Mr Cedric Miranda or Ms Fion Tsang at 6827 6825, or email to enquiry@singaporecsrsummit.org for any enquiries or the sponsorship opportunity for the International Singapore Compact CSR Summit 2010.

4 Simple Green Strategies for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) – Part Four

Continued from Part Three.

The third step to our 4 simple green strategies is to explore the demand for green products and services, be proactive to meet this need, and gain a competitive advantage by offering greener alternatives first, thus increasing your revenue.

Here, we present our fourth and final step:

4. Enhance Brand

After adopting the previous 3 strategies, SMEs will be in a better position to build up their reputation and enhance their brand as a sustainable company.

However, in your green marketing, it is important to avoid being accused of greenwashing – a term to describe the perception of consumers being misled by a company on its environmental practices or the environmental benefits of its products or services.

To avoid being accused of greenwashing and prevent negative feedback from consumers and environmentalists, it is important to ensure that the green claims of your business are true. Acknowledge the areas of your business that are not yet green and commit to work on it.

Engage your stakeholders, both internal and external, in a dialogue on your green marketing, and gather feedback from them on whether you’re on the right track or seen to be greenwashing.

SMEs can enhance their brand as a sustainable company only after implementing the previous 3 strategies, and also have to ensure that their green marketing is free of greenwashing.

We hope that the 4 simple green strategies will give SMEs some ideas on how to be more sustainable and help them start greening their businesses.

Image credit: weatherbox via stock.xchng

Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green: Winning Strategies to Improve Your Profits and Your Planet

Authors: Jay Conrad Levinson and Shel Horowitz

ISBN: 978-0-470-40951-0

Paperback; 236 pages

Published in Jan 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Recommended Retail Price: S$38.47 incl. GST

Available at all major bookstores

Book Review

Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green is a practical book on marketing strategies for companies that wish to be green and ethical. The authors emphasise that success in business is based on ethics, social and environmental responsibility, providing value to others, and people-centered marketing.

The book discusses the new marketing mindset, which includes:

• The effectiveness of marketing messages depends on relevance and quality (and not only on frequency)
• Think in terms of abundance (the pie is infinite and helping others is helping yourself)
• Build alliances with competitors, customers, suppliers, non-profits, and businesses in different markets
• Be the early movers in green marketing and make the message believable and genuine (avoid greenwashing)

The authors also offer some hands-on marketing tools using a range of traditional and social media (including social media press releases and social networking), developing creative partnerships with retailers, and being a writer and speaker.

Promotion for Green Business Times Readers

Readers in Singapore can now buy the book from John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd at a 20% discount from 6 Apr 2010 to 6 May 2010.

1. Place your order to this email address: csd_ord@wiley.com or call: +65 6463 4604

2. Quote the ISBN of the book title

3. Quote the 4 digit promotion code to be entitled to the 20% discount – Promo Code 2479

The Sustainable MBA: The Manager’s Guide to Green Business

Author: Giselle Weybrecht

ISBN: 978-0-470-74114-6

Hardcover; 416 pages

Published in November 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Recommended Retail Price: US$34.95 / S$62.01

Available at all major bookstores

Book Review

The Sustainable MBA is for managers and business leaders who wish to learn and apply sustainable practices in their business. The author introduces green trends, explains various aspects of greening businesses, and shares a wide range of concepts, tools and guidelines.

The book is organized like a typical MBA programme with the coverage of core topics such as:

• Accounting
• Economics
• Entrepreneurship
• Ethics and corporate governance
• Finance
• Marketing
• Operations
• Organizational behaviour
• Strategy

This is a comprehensive book that would give you a good overview of sustainability practices and tips on how to green your business.

Promotion for Green Business Times Readers

Readers in Singapore can now buy the book from John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd at a 20% discount from 9 Feb 2010 to 9 Mar 2010.

1. Place your order to this email address: csd_ord@wiley.com or call: +65 6463 4604

2. Quote the ISBN of the book title

3. Quote the 4 digit promotion code to be entitled to the 20% discount – Promo Code 2465

Some Banks Just Don’t Get It

It is amazing how some banks waste resources in their marketing campaigns. One example is when banks send pre-approved credit cards to their customers, even though their customers never ask for those cards.

The photo above shows all the material inside a single envelope by DBS, including the letter, pre-approved credit card, brochures, card agreement, and discount vouchers. Customers who are not interested in the credit cards offered by the banks simply throw them away, hopefully into recycling bags or bins.

Imagine the envelopes, letters, brochures and credit cards that go to waste, just because the banks simply chose to throw them at their customers without asking them if they want the credit cards in the first place. These banks are not only wasting resources and money but also ending up irritating their customers.

Are you one of those banks? It’s time to rethink and do things differently (hint: read Seth Godin’s books for help).

Interview with Thomas Thomas, Executive Director, Singapore Compact for CSR

This interview with Thomas Thomas, Executive Director, Singapore Compact for CSR, is submitted by the organisers of the International Singapore Compact CSR Summit.

1. What are your hopes for International Singapore Compact CSR Summit that will be taking place from 6-7 October 2009 at Orchard Hotel?

I hope that there will be a surge in CSR awareness and implementation in Singapore and this will in turn act as an impetus for the region. The ideas and discussions leading from the Summit will motivate and ingrain the values and principles of CSR. It will result in better managed companies that take into account the interest of stakeholders and a better world for all. Read more

The Green Marketing Manifesto

Author: John Grant

ISBN: 978-0-470-72324-1

Hardcover: 320 pages

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Recommended Retail Price: SGD 52.38 (including GST)

Available at all major bookstores

Book Review

John Grant is the co-founder of the St Luke ad agency and has worked with clients such as IKEA, LEGO, Body Shop and innocent on green marketing and sustainability. His experience and thoughts can be summarised in The Green Marketing Manifesto, which articulates a green marketing strategy grid  with 9 different approaches to green marketing.

The green marketing strategy grid is made up of three marketing objectives:

A. Green: Setting new standards in responsible products, policies and processes

B. Greener: Sharing responsibility with customers

C. Greenest: Supporting innovation – new habits, services, business models

And three levels at which marketing can operate:

1. Personal: Product/benefits/individual

2. Social: Brand meanings/herd instincts/tribes/communities

3. Public: Company as credible source, as cultural leader or partner

This 3 x 3 grid results in nine strategies that companies can adopt for their green marketing:

A1: Set an Example (Framing vs Pointing)

A2: Credible Partners (Eco-label vs Cause-related)

A3: Market a Benefit (Less vs More)

B1: Develop the Market (Educate vs Evangelise)

B2: Tribal Brands (Exclusive vs Inclusive)

B3: Change Usage (Switch vs Cut)

C1: New Business Concepts (Social Production vs Property)

C2: Trojan Horse Ideas (Tradition vs New Cool)

C3: Challenging Consuming (Treasuring vs Sharing)

Besides the green marketing approaches, John explains that companies need to go beyond image marketing to create sustainable brands. Companies should not make normal products seem green (greenwashing), instead they should make green products seem normal and acceptable. His vision is:

Green (and sustainable) products are not just responsible. They are better: more durable, cheaper, nicer, healthier, more thoughtful, offering extensions into social communities, belonging to something. The green products, services and businesses of the future are creative, in a sparky, thrilling way.

The Green Marketing Manifesto is an essential guide on green marketing for companies with green products and services, marketing executives and CSR professionals.

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Promotion for Green Business Times Readers

Readers in Singapore can now buy the book from John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd at a 20% discount from 20 Apr 09 to 20 May 09.

1. Place your order to this email address: csd_ord@wiley.com or call: +65 6463 4604
2. Quote the ISBN of the book title
3. Quote the 4 digit promotion code to be entitled to the 20% discount – Promo Code 2400.

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Nokia Virtual Eco-Rountable

Nokia held its first Virtual Eco-Roundtable in Singapore last week and we were invited to attend the event and hear Nokia’s global and Southeast Asia Pacific (SEAP) executives speak on environmental sustainability and its commitment to the environment. The discussion was held in Nokia’s videoconference room, the Halo Room, as some speakers were presenting from the Nokia HQ in Finland.

The presentations and speakers include:

• Introduction by Chris Carr, Vice President, Sales, SEAP
• Nokia Environmental Strategy by Markus Terho, Director, Environmental Affairs, Markets
• SEAP Environmental Programs by Francis Cheong, Regional Manager, Environmental Affairs, SEAP
• Environmental Design by Tiina Karhu, Senior Specialist, Design Strategy, Nokia Design
• Packaging Design by Ulla Uimonen, Head of Packaging Design, Nokia Design

We learned 2 key points from the Nokia Virtual Eco-Roundtable: 1) Nokia is Integrating Sustainability into the Business and 2) Nokia is Advocating Sustainable Choices. Read more

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