Mr Sam Tan at the Singapore Sustainability Awards Gala Dinner & Awards Presentation, 5 May 2010

SPEECH BY Mr Sam Tan, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry & Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts AT THE SINGAPORE SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS GALA DINNER & AWARDS PRESENTATION, FAIRMONT INTERNATIONAL, 5 MAY 2010 AT 8.00 PM Mr. Teng Theng Dar, CEO, Singapore Business Federation 

Mr. Er Kwong Hwa, Chairman of ECO World Advisory Committee

Ms. Teresa Lim, Managing Director, IBM Singapore

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

Good evening.I am delighted to join you this evening to honour the winners of the inaugural Outstanding Sustainability Awards and Green IT Awards.

Increasingly, governments and businesses are paying more attention to issues such as climate change and sustainable development.The confluence of energy prices, technology solutions and consumer awareness has led many companies to put sustainability at the core of their business. For many, it now makes good business sense to do so. Resource efficiency can help manage cost in an increasingly competitive environment. More discerning consumers and investors are now also demanding sustainable business practices.

This is a sea change in thinking for many companies. Creating a sustainability-centered organizational structure across a range of operational and corporate planning functions is challenging. It also requires management buy-in, attention and follow-through.

The Singapore Sustainability Awards recognises this and assesses companies on a broad spectrum of criteria. It reflects the holistic approach that companies have taken to sustainable development. I am pleased to see that this evening’s award winners come from diverse sectors of the economy, such as property development, energy and heavy industry. This shows that the concept of sustainable development in business is gaining traction across the economy.

In this regard, I would like to highlight one economic sector which has the potential to make a major positive impact on sustainable development. This is the infocomm sector. It is widely known that the infocomm sector contributes about 2% of worldwide carbon emissions. This is not insignificant – it is equivalent to the carbon emissions attributed to the entire aviation industry. Hence, there is tremendous potential for this sector to do more, especially given that it is typically seen as being at the forefront of technological development.

I am therefore pleased that tonight’s Green IT Awards give due recognition to Singapore-based enterprises that have developed outstanding sustainable IT practices that meet the needs of business, the environment and society. The government on its part, is also providing support and collaborating with the IT industry to become more energy efficient, and reduce the environmental impact associated with IT. One example is the development of a Green Data Centre standard for use in Singapore.The standard will provide companies with a recognised framework and a methodology so that systems and processes can be established to improve the energy efficiency of their data centres. This standard, to be ready by the end of this year, will help boost the adoption of greener and more efficient data centres.

It should also be noted that IT itself can also be a key enabler in sustainable business. Frost & Sullivan, for example, estimates that ICT-enabled energy efficient products will bring about US$950 billion in savings for both businesses and households by 2020.

However, for us to succeed, our business leaders, our community leaders and our people, have to share a common vision, and work together to bring about changes needed in our households, our communities, our businesses and our country.

Conclusion

In this regard, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the Singapore Business Federation and various industry partners to promote the understanding and practice of sustainable development among the business community. The Awards being presented tonight are an important step in the right direction. They also show that there is much potential for Singapore to become a leading hub for sustainable development practices and innovative green business solutions.

To the winners of tonight’s awards, my heartiest congratulations. I hope that many more organisations will follow your lead in implementing the best practices of sustainable development

Thank you