Singapore – The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and Singapore Business Federation (SBF) have joined forces to establish a CEO-led Sustainable Development Platform in Singapore.
The organizations signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) at Asia Pacific Sustainability Leadership Forum to jointly create an independent organization. It would consist of a group of leading local companies and foreign subsidiaries to provide businesses in Singapore with access to international best practices and collaboration opportunities. The organization would be part of the WBCSD’s Regional Network.
WBCSD was one of the official supporting organizations at the Asia Pacific Sustainability Leadership Forum and was represented by its Special Advisor on Singapore, Constant Van Aerschot, who also signed the LoI with SBF. The event brought together business, government and civil society leaders from around the world to discuss the latest sustainability trends and opportunities.
Other executives from the WBCSD’s Regional Network neighboring partner’s organizations actively contributed to the various panel discussions, including Neil Franklin from the Indonesian BCSD, Niven Huang from BCSD Taiwan and Tay Kay Luan from the Malaysian BCSD.
In his welcoming remarks, Mr. S. Iswaran, Minister of Singapore’s Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade and Industry, highlighted that sustainability is an imperative for global business, and is emerging as a market driver that presents opportunities for value creation and profit. He also welcomed the establishment of a Business Council for Sustainable Development Singapore (BCSD-S).
The Forum also featured an opening address via video by WBCSD President Björn Stigson, who underlined that the world is becoming increasingly resource and carbon constrained. Countries and companies are, therefore, competing in a “Green Race” to become the leading suppliers of resource and energy efficient solutions. He added that Singapore – as a business, technology and financing hub – is particularly well positioned in this race. Stigson concluded by expressing his hopes for a close cooperation between the WBCSD and SBF in engaging and supporting businesses in Singapore in this race.
Source: WBCSD.
