Companies praised for green initiatives

Brandon Chew, Business Times 29 Jul 09;

COMPANIES from a range of industries were lauded for innovative, sustainable and green initiatives at the third annual Singapore Green Summit (SGS) yesterday.

Leading the pack in terms of awards won was energy group Power- Seraya.

Organised by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), the summit featured three award categories.

PowerSeraya clinched two awards - for best sustainability report and best first-time report at SGS - and a B+ from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the global standard for sustainability reporting. This is the highest level obtained by a local company so far.

Such achievements augur well for sustainability reporting here. KPMG Singapore's joint head of advisory services Tan Way Yeow said 'few Asian companies have taken up sustainability reporting', especially in Singapore.

In contrast, 80 per cent of companies worldwide included corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their reporting in 2008, according to a KPMG survey.

Mr Tan said companies that adopt GRI guidelines 'pave the way for greater confidence in their business conduct and ethics, and, in turn, their long-term shareholder value'.

ACCA's Singapore country head Penelope Phoon echoed this sentiment. 'In the future, accountants will likely be involved in the preparation of information on companies' carbon emissions and in auditing these disclosures,' she said.

In support of this, the ACCA released the second edition of its Sustainability Reporting Handbook at SGS. The handbook guides organisations through the reporting process based on the GRI's framework.

Other SGS award recipients hail from many sectors.

Packaging supplier Greenpac's Revolutionary Systems-Concept Packaging - nail-free, collapsible wooden packaging - won it the SEC-Senoko Power Green Innovation award.

SMRT and building materials supplier Holcim Singapore won Top Achiever honours in the Singapore Environmental Achievement Awards category.

SMRT won for its approach to promoting environmental sustainability, cutting water consumption and carbon emissions.

Holcim won for developing five concrete products with a significantly lower carbon footprint than other products, as well as for its other initiatives.

Other winners included the Keppel Club and pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Asia-Pacific.

PowerSeraya chief executive John Ng said the awards validate the company's commitment to CSR.

'CSR is not about winning an award. What the company is doing in the long term is more important,' he said.

SMRT wins top award for green efforts
Initiatives - like its drive to get commuters to think green - help it win big at local summit
Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times 29 Jul 09;

A YEAR ago, public transport operator SMRT became the first in South-east Asia to replace some of its fleet of fuel-guzzling buses and taxis with cleaner vehicles.

With a $50 million investment, the firm purchased 67 Euro V buses that emit less greenhouse gases than standard buses; and 200 new Hyundai Azera taxis that run on compressed natural gas, which is cleaner than diesel.

It also put more energy-saving chillers in MRT stations, saving $241,000 last year in energy costs.

But it was not just for transforming its fleet that won SMRT the top prize yesterday at the Singapore Green Summit awards.

Also in its favour was its push to get passengers to think green, according to the summit's judging panel, which looked for community outreach in the winner.

The 'Go Green with SMRT' campaign, for example, saw 50,000 public commuters pledging to be more environmentally conscious in their choice of travel.

SMRT won the Singapore Environmental Achievement Award, recognising management commitment in tackling environmental issues such as waste minimisation and pollution.

It was one of 12 companies which received awards from Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim.

Other winners included home-grown firm Greenpac, which scooped the SEC-Senoko Power Green Innovation Award, cement manufacturer Holcim, Pfizer Asia Pacific and Keppel Club.

Now in its third year, the summit is organised by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Singapore.

SMRT chief executive officer Saw Phaik Hwa said: 'As a transport company, we are constantly on the lookout for the most energy-efficient way of transporting the most number of people.'

She added that it had a role to play in public education, with more than two million riders on its network every day.

Marketing executive Kossy Wong, 25, for one, a regular public transport rider, would choose to travel in more environmentally friendly vehicles.

She said: 'We are living in a dying world, with the threat of global warming, so we need to play our part.'

SEC executive director Howard Shaw highlighted the importance of corporations in spreading the green message.

He said: 'One of SEC's objectives is to reach out to the community through social organisations such as schools. Big corporations such as SMRT are an avenue into the broader community for us.'

Greenpac won for its internationally patented packaging solution - The Revolutionary Systems-Concept Packaging - a lightweight, nail-free wooden packaging that does away with expensive tooling.

The design allows for savings of up to 60 per cent in materials and freight costs.

Keppel Club received a merit prize for its conservation efforts in maintaining flora and fauna at its 43ha facility - a natural habitat to 58 species of birds. This is about 16 per cent of the 364 bird species known to exist in Singapore.

ComfortDelGro first transport firm to get 'green' label
Straits Times 29 Jul 09;

COMFORTDELGRO has become the first transport company to be certified 'green' by the Singapore Environment Council.

The company was awarded the Green Office Label for introducing a number of environmentally friendly initiatives on its premises, which helped it save $330,000 annually.

These 'green' practices include:

# Using water-saving devices in all of its operations.

# Installing motion sensors so that lights are only switched on when needed.

# Linking its office lights to the staff security access system so that clusters of lights are switched off automatically when staff working in those areas leave the office.

# Programming all personal computers to switch to the power-saving mode when not in use.

# Asking staff to recycle paper, computers, printer cartridges and electronic equipment, and to bring their own lunch boxes when buying food from the canteen.