A business force for good

This article is contributed by Tania Ellis, author of The New Pioneers.

Although the concept of social entrepreneurship to many is much more appealing and sexy than mainstream commercial business, we need the power of both to push the field of socially responsible and socially innovative companies forward.

The new business revolution is, in fact, being driven both top-down from some of the world’s largest companies - and bottom-up from entrepreneurial activists and social changemakers. Because hardcore business people are realizing that they can increase their profits by incorporating social responsibility as a part of their business strategy, and heartcore idealists are recognizing that the use of market methods gives them the opportunity to create even more social value. Read more

Green Prints leads the way for affordable green printing in Singapore

Green Prints is not your regular printing company in Singapore, but one that believes in sustainability. The green business was started by Mark Cheng in April 2011, who took over his parents’ printing business and gave it a more eco-friendly twist. Green Prints is an environmental social enterprise that provides green printing solutions using environmentally friendly paper.

The company aims to provide the greenest and cheapest printing solution in Singapore, and operates 24 hours, 7 days week. It provides printing for products such as namecards, brochures, flyers, magazines, newsletters, greeting cards, certificates, books and publications.

There is no surprise to Mark’s desire to have a green business as he is an environmentalist at heart, having co-founded Avelife Foundation, a charity in Singapore dedicated to providing an educational platform for effective green innovation and imparting green values to the youth. Read more

The 4 C’s of Sustainable Business Success

This article is contributed by Tania Ellis, author of The New Pioneers.

There is no one formula for sustainable value creation, partly because it is a journey more than an end-state, but also because it depends on the company’s culture, ambitions, market challenges etc.

Reviewing many of the current guidelines, tools and practices of champions, there are, however, some enabling factors that recur. In The New Pioneers I have compiled them into four essential cornerstones: The Four Cs of Clear Purpose, Corporate Engagement, Collaborative Co-creation and Clear Communication. They can be used as overall guidelines on the road to sustainable business success. Read more

Leadership through Innovation in Sustainability – an opportunity for Asian businesses

This article is contributed by Jake Layes, Clean Tech Asia Pacific Lead, Autodesk.

Asia has developed from being the manufacturing plant of the world to becoming a major driver for global economic growth. The Asian growth trajectory is projected to continue, resulting in noteworthy economic, political, social, resource and environmental challenges. However, the burning question we need to address is – can Asia afford, for the next 50 years, to grow its level of consumption at the same rate as Western nations have done for the past 50 years?

Deloitte recently reported that that if every one of the new consuming middle class ‘were to adopt the historic consumption patterns of the average citizen in the United Kingdom, three planet Earths would be required to sustain them – five if they were to live like the average North American.’ Asian business leaders will have to face the consequent challenges. A lack of solutions to these challenges will have a devastating effect on the rest of the world. At the same time, Asian business leaders need to assess if the Anglo-American or European model is suitable for Asian countries, societies and businesses, and to find new ways to mitigate poverty as well as provide directions for a sustainable way of life. Read more

Social Entrepreneurship in an urban context

Whenever a narrative about development is written, the focus is usually on the rural poor. The narrator often selectively forgets that there are also the urban poor which live in the flavellas of Rio to the slums of Dharavi. Slums in global mega cities are sometimes the economic engine of those regions. The domestic staff, factory labor, and the minimum wage staff all live in urban shanty towns.

Social Enterprises (or SE) usually cater to the rural folks in selling artisan products or bringing skills training. The use of microfinance by SEs such as Grameen and BRAC in Bangladesh has helped many rural poor start their own businesses. Microfinance is not only for the rural poor but can also apply to the urban poor in providing them credit access to start their own businesses. For example, Singapore-based microfinance SE, Milaap, is helping the poor urban communities in southern India in their quest for a better life. Read more

Singapore Budget 2012 should provide results-based incentives to help companies reduce energy, water and waste

The Singapore Budget 2012 speech will be delivered by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, in Parliament next Friday. Singapore and the world is expected to face an economic slowdown over the next few years, thus this Singapore Budget is especially important in helping businesses prosper and not falter in the Year of the Dragon.

At Green Business Times, our top wish for this year’s Budget is to see the government help more companies reduce their environmental impacts and save on operating costs.

The government can consider results-based incentives to motivate more companies in reducing their environmental impacts, such as water and energy consumption, and waste disposal. The incentives would be based on how much energy, water or waste is reduced by the company, and could include rental or cash rebates, and tax deductions. Read more

Nippon Paint’s Continuous Sustainability and Innovation Commitment

At the inaugural 2011 Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Green Excellence Awards, Nippon Paint was awarded with the product innovation award in decorative paints for its odour-less AirCare, an eco-friendly paint that absorbs harmful indoor air pollutant and results in clean fresh air. This award reaffirms Nippon Paint’s commitment to ecological sustainability and technological innovation.

To understand more about Nippon Paint’s sustainability and innovation commitment, Green Business Times recently met up with Mr Wee Siew Kim, the Group CEO of NIPSEA Group of Companies.

Continuous Sustainability and Innovation Commitment

Mr Wee shared that Nippon Paint has always been mindful of the context in which they make money through paint, and it is important to take into consideration their responsibility on the environmental, social, and economic aspects. The various aspects are all linked and is a continuous process in the company. Through leadership in being green, it helps to push the brand forward and makes business sense.

The award by Frost & Sullivan is a recognition of this continuous process, which is the result of long-term thinking and actions over many years. The continual commitment to research and innovation, and understanding what customers need, has helped the company introduce new innovative green products to the market. Read more

How a shopping mall in Singapore goes green

Singapore is well-known for its food and shopping experience, and this potent mix can be found at the ubiquitous shopping malls located at all major town centers in Singapore. In recent years, shopping malls are starting to look almost alike, with the major international and local brands infiltrating the malls and offering similar sales.

Are all shopping malls the same? To differentiate itself from other shopping malls, some malls are trying to target different groups of consumers, while others are starting to brand itself on a particular theme. One recent shopping mall, City Square Mall, developed and managed by City Developments Limited (CDL), decided to focus on the green theme and prides itself as the first eco-mall in Singapore. So how green is this shopping mall?

Green Business Times recently visited the mall for a site tour and to understand more about this unique shopping destination from the mall’s Environmental Officer. City Square Mall is located at the junction of Serangoon Road and Kitchener Road, and is opened since September 2009. Read more

Singapore’s Chief Negotiator for Climate Change expresses cautious optimism on global carbon market

Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, Singapore’s Chief Negotiator for Climate Change expresses cautious optimism on the global carbon market, during the opening ceremony of the annual Carbon Forum Asia 2011.

Held in Singapore again this year, Carbon Forum Asia 2011 brings together industry leaders, government agencies, policymakers, and emissions trading and CDM market experts to learn, network and discuss issues around climate change and carbon trading. This year, Carbon Forum Asia welcomes around 1,000 international participants from close to 50 countries.

In his opening speech, Ambassador Gafoor spoke about the bleak outlook for the global carbon market due to the uncertainty about the future of the Kyoto Protocol and the flexibility mechansims. However, he expressed cautious optimism about the global carbon market in the medium and longer term.

The reasons for the optimism include the start of a process of mitigation actions by both developed and developing countries under the Cancun Agreements, the majority of countries wanting the global carbon market to continue via the emissions trading and project-based mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol, and growing interest in the carbon market with several countries developing or exploring their own voluntary carbon markets. Read more

Clean energy takes center stage this week in Singapore

Clean energy discussions and solutions for the Asian region take center stage this week in Singapore as the annual Clean Energy Expo Asia (CEEA) 2011 Trade Fair and Conference begins today till 3 Nov, and is officially launched by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources.

Jointly organised by the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) and Koelnmesse, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), CEEA is the leading platform in Singapore that gathers clean energy industry players and government leaders from around the world together to share and discuss knowledge, issues, technologies and innovative solutions that will help shape the future of clean energy in Asia.

CEEA Trade Fair and Conference

This year’s CEEA Trade Fair hosts about 170 exhibiting companies from 26 countries, with 6 country pavilions from Canada, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Switzerland. Exhibitors showcase clean energy solutions including solar energy, energy efficiency, biomass, biogas, biofuel, and electric vehicles.

The CEEA Conference will see over 130 international speakers share their insights on the future of energy through discussion topics on clean energy outlook, renewable energy technologies and commercialization, sustainable mobility, clean energy financing, project case studies, and energy efficiency. Read more

Next Page »