2021 Water-Waste-Food Virtual Market Entry Programme: Week 1 & 2 Summary
In April 2021, Nordic Innovation House Singapore (NIH-SG) continues to build more opportunities for Nordic technology startups, scale-ups and growth companies operating under the Circular Economy theme. Together with our core partners, Innovation Norway, Embassy of Finland, Business Sweden, and Business Iceland – the Water-Waste-Food Virtual Market Entry Programme 2021 will provide 10 selected Nordic companies with opportunities to expand their foothold in Singapore and Southeast Asia. We also partnered with environmental key players, tech connectors and knowledge partners in Singapore and Southeast Asia to conduct a series of group showcase and knowledge sharing sessions. Enabling the Nordic companies to pitch their circular economy solutions to address problem areas in this region, gain key insights on the water-waste-foodwaste landscape in Southeast Asia, and foster co-creation and co-development opportunities with these partners.
In conclusion, we are pleased to connect almost 200 environmental government agencies, professionals, academics, investors and innovators with our 10 selected Nordic water-waste-foodwaste companies. The Nordic companies are ARTASFin, Dewaco, Flootech, N2 Applied-Reklima, Norsk Biogass, Riverrecycle, Scandinavian Water Technology (ScanWater), Sofi Filtration, Terramarine, and Valmet Automation. For more info about each company, click here: http://bit.ly/nihsg-wwf-selected-nordic-companies-21
Week 1: 19 April - 23 April 2021
19 APR: PUB & NEA
PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency (https://www.pub.gov.sg/) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. It manages the collection, production, distribution and reclamation of water in Singapore. Ensuring a diversified and sustainable supply of water for Singapore with the Four National Taps (Local Catchment Water, Imported Water, NEWater, Desalinated Water). Mark Wong (Senior Assistant Director Technology Department, PUB) further presented the new Singapore Water Challenges, Resource Challenges with Current Technology, and PUB’s R&D Direction leveraging on technological innovations to ensure an efficient, adequate and sustainable supply of water.
PUB Key Takeaways:
Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 21 June to 2 July 2021 - more info
PUB Global Innovation Challenge - more info
Singapore Water Exchange - linkedin
A specialised space that plugs start-ups and water companies into an international commercialisation ecosystem to incubate and accelerate the commercialisation of new technologies and spur business growth. Stay updated on the activities/webinars, keep abreast with the latest happenings in the water industry, connect with fellow water professionals in the ecosystem
NEA, National Environment Agency (https://www.nea.gov.sg/) is the leading public organisation responsible for ensuring a clean and sustainable environment for Singapore. Its key roles are to improve and sustain a clean environment, promote sustainability and resource efficiency, maintain high public health standards, provide timely and reliable meteorological information, and encourage a vibrant hawker culture. NEA is also the sector lead for Environmental Services (ES) Industry and we had Kwok Wai Choong (Deputy Director, Industry Development and Promote Divison, NEA) share more details about the current ES landscape in Singapore.
NEA Key Takeaways:
19 APR: SEMBCORP INDUSTRIES
Sembcorp Industries (https://www.sembcorp.com/en/) is a leading provider of sustainable solutions - supporting the development and creating value for our stakeholders and communities in Singapore. In this session, Daniel Wong (Vice President, Business Development (Waste to Resource), Renewables & Environment, Sembcorp) together with Tai Kee (Programme Manager (Water), Sembcorp) and Adrian Yeo (Senior Vice President (Water), Sembcorp), elaborated on Sembcorp Water Innovation Nanjing (SWING), an accelerator programme for emerging water technologies focus on building technology capabilities with water companies through stages of pilot projects, technology localisation, and commercialisation in Sembcorp’s green and brownfield projects. The identified key industries are Petrochemical, Textiles, Food & Beverages, Pharmaceuticals, and Power. The selected water companies will be invited to present their technology proposals at the SWING Technology Forum to Sembcorp Steering Committee and Program Advisory Committee.
SWING Accelerator Programme
Info slides, problem statements and application form - download
Submit your application to sgp-swing.committee@sembcorp.com before 30 April 2021
20 APR: ALBA SINGAPORE
Presented by ALBA team Jakob Lambsdorff (CEO), Amirul Adil (Assistant Project Manager), and Sandra Sajen (Assistant Sustainability Manager) – ALBA Group is one of the leading recycling and environmental services companies as well as raw material providers worldwide, operates with its two brands – ALBA and Interseroh – within Germany, Europa and Asia. ALBA ventured into Singapore with local partner Wah&Hua Pte Ltd. The Joint-Venture was awarded a 7-year contract starting from April 1st 2020 until March 31st 2027 for both refuse and recyclables collection. Serves 156,000 premises – comprising 151,000 households and 5,000 trade premises, including hawker and market stalls, shops, places of worship, and government buildings. More info: https://www.alba-wh.sg/
ALBA Key Takeaways:
ALBA E-waste PRS Scheme: NEA appointed ALBA to operate as a Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS) in Singapore. The appointment of the PRS Operator is an integral part of Singapore’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for e-waste management. As the PRS Operator, ALBA will collect regulated consumer electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) across Singapore for proper treatment and recycling for a period of five years, from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2026. [Source]
ALBA STEP UP App: Digitalisation as a stepping stone to establishing EPR & take-back system. In response to the low recycling rates in Singapore, ALBA introduces a first-of-its-kind incentives app called STEP UP Sustainability. More info: https://www.alba-wh.sg/#step-up
ALBA Problem Statements
A. Develop an effective system to segregate food waste from non-food waste (e.g plastic cups, cutlery, plates) from the waste generated from Hawker Centres for further treatment.
B. Design an effective system to treat and revalorise food waste from Hawker Centres and other sources of mixed food waste at scale.
20 APR: VEOLIA SINGAPORE
Veolia Singapore provides solutions in Water Treatment & Reclamation, Hazardous Waste Management, and Energy Management & optimisation that promotes sustainability and the circular economy. In this session, Matt Stanelos (Director - Waste Business Line, Veolia Singapore) elaborated on three key onsite and offsite solutions:
Veolia Singapore Hazardous Waste Treatment Facility
Veolia’s state-of-the-art Hazardous Chemical Waste Treatment Facility (HCWTF) is able to process over 170,000 tonnes of toxic waste per annum with thermal incineration and evaporation, physico-chemical and biological treatment processes.
Veolia Singapore Energy Efficiency Performance
Veolia is specialised in the operation and maintenance of energy facilities (central utility building, co-generation, biomass, boiler, chiller plants) with a focus on delivering energy to our customers while reducing carbon emission and costs. Veolia manages: Steam production, Heating, Ventilation (HVAC), Cooling, Air-conditioning, Compress Air, Vacuum, Co-generation, Power networks
Veolia Singapore Water Cycle Management
Veolia has developed innovative, competitive solutions and top-level expertise that manage industries’ entire water cycle: From potabilisation, process water to producing USP utilities (PW, WFI, CS) through treating and valorisation of wastewater and sludge.
21 APR: ADB VENTURES & UNDP GLOBAL CENTRE SINGAPORE
In this session, we have invited Calum Handforth (Advisor, Smart Cities & Digitalisation, UNDP Global Centre Singapore) to elaborate on Smart Cities. UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development (https://sgtechcentre.undp.org/) is a joint initiative by the Government of Singapore and the United Nations Development Programme. They have offices in about 170 countries and territories around the world and tend to be the integrator or connector across the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). Calum also shared the importance of: Unique opportunities and challenges, Enabling better lives and livelihoods, Positioning for the 21st Century, Making Smart Cities Relevant
Presented by Jason Lusk (Partnership Manager), ADB Ventures (https://ventures.adb.org/) is a venture financing facility investing in bold technology startups solving the Asia Pacific’s biggest unsolved problems. The company is a relatively new venture arm of the Asian Development Bank (a multilateral development bank) focused on promoting inclusive prosperity across the Asia Pacific reducing poverty and addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a number of ways: by acting as a knowledge bank for the region, by providing technical assistance, and by making targeted investments in both projects public sector projects like infrastructure and in the private sector. ADB Ventures aims to catalyse over $1 billion venture capital into the SDGs by 2030. Their impact deals by markets include 50% Southeast Asia, 30% South Asia, and 20% Other Emerging Asia. They are investing in early-stage companies in 4 main verticals: Cleantech & Clean Energy, Sustainable Agriculture, Inclusive Fintech, Inclusive Healthcare.
The ADB Ventures Labs (https://ventures.adb.org/labs/) is a platform that helps entrepreneurs connect to customers and commercial opportunities in Asia by following a three-step process.
ASSESS: Work with leading partners like Nordic Innovation House to identify a pool of high-quality technology solutions, high quality technology entrepreneurs
SOURCE: Work with leading corporates to understand their unmet innovation gates and then map the entrepreneurs that were identified to those innovation needs
MATCH: Connect the two parties together to establish pilot projects that could develop commercial relationships and a better understanding of how the companies can scale in the regions
22 APR: SINGAPORE BUSINESS FEDERATION (SBF) & SINGAPORE WATER ASSOCIATION (SWA)
A combined session with Singapore Business Federation, Singapore Water Association and their respective network of individuals, corporates, professionals, and partners. Shared by Amelia Yeo (Deputy Director, Africa, Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia, SBF) – The Singapore Business Federation (SBF) https://www.sbf.org.sg/ is the apex business chamber championing the interests of the Singapore business community in the areas of trade, investment and industrial relations. The Federation was established in 2002, with the aim of representing the business community’s interests both locally and overseas.
Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) https://www.sbf.org.sg/business-expansion/fta-education-outreach: SBF also provides FTA education & advisory as part of its capability-building initiatives & services for Singapore businesses. SBF is Singapore’s sole educator on FTAs with a structured training programme developed in partnership with the Ministry of Trade & Industry Singapore and EnterpriseSingapore. Since the programme was launched in April 2020, SBF has educated, outreached and advised more than 200 Singapore businesses on how to benefit from Singapore’s wide network of more than 20 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) across the world, including the EU Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) and EFTA-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (ESFTA).
GlobalConnect@SBF https://globalconnect.sbf.org.sg/: An initiative by SBF in partnership with Enterprise Singapore launched in November 2019 to help Singapore businesses expand and deepen their presence in overseas markets.
Singapore Water Association (SWA) https://www.swa.org.sg/ presented by Vinod Singh (SWA Council Member, Director, Growth & Sales (Asia), Director, Digital, Data & Cyber (Asia)) – Established since 2004, SWA has been instrumental in profiling and promoting Singapore as a pivotal regional hub for all water-related services and technologies. SWA provides a platform to build effective networking, facilitate opportunities for collaboration, and foster the exchange of ideas and knowledge amongst member companies. Some SWA initiatives include:
SWA Marketplace Assist Platform (SWA-MAP): This platform is for members to step up or seek help from fellow members or value chain supply partners. The aim is to facilitate business continuity and to tide over the challenges during these economic uncertainties
SWAtch!: Watch Webinars organised by SWA with affiliated local institutes and consortiums. These are knowledge base sharing sessions with members on current and future trends in the water ecosystem - technology and business opportunities.
22 APR: IPI & ENTERPRISE SINGAPORE
Lynne Loh (Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships, IPI) unfolding valuable information on IPI (https://www.ipi-singapore.org/), an innovation catalyst that creates opportunities for enterprises to grow beyond boundaries. As a subsidiary of Enterprise Singapore, IPI accelerates the innovation process of enterprises through access to its global innovation ecosystem and advisory services. IPI also engage actively with partners from different industries to explore innovation opportunities - industry needs include Healthcare, Electronics, Manufacturing, Energy, Food & Nutrition, Environment, Logistics & Transportation, Materials & Chemicals, Infocomm, and Personal Care. Sourcing for innovative technologies locally and overseas, from both public and private sectors; and facilitating partnerships to bring new products and services to the market. So, how does IPI facilitate innovation partnerships?
IPI Key Takeaways:
IPI’s Innovation Marketplace - https://www.ipi-singapore.org/marketplace
A matching platform for tech seekers & providers: A self-service online platform that connects technology seekers with technology providers and technical experts to find collaboration opportunities through IPI’s global network.
Facilitating Innovation Partnerships through Open Innovation Challenges - https://www.ipi-singapore.org/innovation-calls
Working with various organisations, IPI innovation challenges crowdsource innovative solutions for different problem statements.
Global Network of Innovation Partners
Diverse network of technology partners enable IPI to bring forth the best options available to enterprises in expanding their innovation capacity. Including Local & Overseas Academic Partners, Local & Overseas SMEs & Startups, Trade Association & Chambers, Government Agencies, and Commercial IP Intermediaries.
Singapore Week of Innovation & TeCHnology (SWITCH) 8 - 12 Nov 2021 - https://www.switchsg.org/
A platform where scientific discoveries and advancements are transformed into disruptive technology applications that will redefine the way we live. It focuses on deep tech applications in the areas of manufacturing, urban solutions, health and biomedical sciences and digital services.
TechInnovation 28 Sep - 30 Sep 2021 - https://www.techinnovation.com.sg/
IPI flagship technology brokerage event that brings together international technology seekers and providers to network, explore commercialisation and initiate business collaboration. It focuses on matching industry needs to ready-to-market technologies in the areas of: Services & Digital Economy, Urban Solutions & Sustainability, Health & Personal Care, Food & Nutrition, Materials and Advanced Manufacturing
Eureka Clusters AI Call 2021. Apply before 28 Jun 2021. - https://eureka-clusters-ai.eu/
Promoting Singapore-Nordic Partnerships through EUREKA & bi-lateral funding calls
Terence Teoh (Senior Development Partner, Western Europe, Enterprise Singapore) spotlight presentation on Enterprise Singapore (https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/) mission to grow stronger Singapore enterprises by building capabilities and accessing global opportunities, thereby creating good jobs for Singaporeans; and vision to build a vibrant economy with globally competitive Singapore enterprises. Marking Singapore as the Gateway to Asia markets in Global Connectivity, International Trading Community, Financial Hub, Multicultural Workforce, and Business-friendly Environment.
“Singapore is well-known for our international airport. Besides that we are also recognised for strong IP governance, business-friendly legislations, stable political environment, highly educated and skilled workforce. And our strategic location, being at the centre, being at the hub of Asia Pacific places Singapore in a strategic advantage. Allowing our Singapore companies to have deep networks and familiarity to the rest of Southeast Asia region. At Enterprise Singapore, business matching is part of our DNA, and when you are ready for Asia Pacific - Singapore can serve as your business launchpad.”, says Terence Teoh, Enterprise Singapore in 2020
Enterprise Singapore Key Takeaways:
Under Circular Economy & Sustainability, Singapore solution providers are active and available across 5 key domains:
ENERGY: Generation – Renewables (e.g. solar, wind, bioenergy etc.), Storage, Transmission & Distribution / smart grid, Energy efficiency and management, Green building solution
WATER: Water treatment / desalination, Water quality & leakage monitoring, Wastewater treatment, Sludge treatment
WASTE MANAGEMENT & CIRCULAR ECONOMY: Municipal waste management & waste-to-energy, Recycling & resource management (e.g. e-waste recovery, food waste valorization), Specialized waste treatment (organic, hazardous), Environmental remediation, Sustainable packaging
URBAN MOBILITY: Public transport (e.g. rail, bus, taxi), Electric vehicles, Mobility tech, Sharing vehicles
AGRI-FOOD TECH: Precision agriculture, Farming inputs, Farms (e.g. agriculture, insects, aquaculture), Alternative protein, Functional food / novel ingredients
Singapore Green Plan 2030 (https://www.greenplan.gov.sg/), a whole-of-nation Sustainability Movement spearheaded by five ministries Ministry of Sustainability & the Environment (MSE), Ministry of National Development (MND), Ministry of Trade & Industry (MOT), Ministry of Transport (MTI), and Ministry of Education (MOE).
Enterprise Singapore’s sustainability initiatives under the Green Plan include efforts to:
▪ Support local enterprises to adopt sustainability practices/ solutions/ standards, enhance their resource
(including energy) efficiency, and capture new business opportunities in sustainability
▪ Groom a strong pool of local enterprises to capture sustainability opportunities
Open Innovation Network (https://www.openinnovationnetwork.sg/): Crowdsourcing for problem solvers within and beyond Singapore
Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge 2021 (Coming Soon!)
23 APR: KNOWLEDGE SHARING SESSION - KPMG IMPACT
Corrado Forcellati (Director Sustainability Services, KPMG IMPACT) lively presentation and discussion on the Singapore Green Plan 2030, the Singapore key players involved in the movement, roadmaps of PUB Singapore’s National Water Agency, National Environment Agency (NEA), Green Finance Action Plan, and Zero Waste Masterplan.
SMART PUB Roadmap - Credit: https://www.pub.gov.sg/watersupply/singaporewaterstory
Singapore Green Plan 2030 - Credit: https://www.greenplan.gov.sg/cos/
Singapore Zero Waste Masterplan - Credit: https://www.towardszerowaste.gov.sg/zero-waste-masterplan/
23 APR: Zero Waste City & Singapore Management University (SMU) Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE)
Zero Waste City (https://zerowastecity.com/) is an engineering consulting business, based in Singapore, helping large commercial and industrial facilities to save money by reducing waste and energy, and to achieve Zero Waste goals. It has over 7 years of consulting experience in Australia and Singapore, for a wide range of industries, and covering energy, waste management, and packaging. In this session, Remi Cesaro (Director, Zero Waste City Consultant (Material and Energy Efficiency)) shared valuable information surrounding the waste landscape in Singapore.
Zero Waste City Key Takeaways:
Semakau Landfill – One of Singapore’s key waste management infrastructure.
Four Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Plants – Tuas, Senoko, Tuas South and Keppel Seghers Tuas Waste-To-Energy Plant (KSTP), as well as the Semakau Landfill.
NEWSand: Efforts to reduce waste directed to Semakau Landfill in a bid to expand its lifespan beyond 2035. One of the strategies includes project NEWSand™, where treated Incineration Bottom Ash (IBA) and slag can be transformed into literal building blocks of life.
Newoil: Transforming waste plastics to alternative fuel.
Deep Tunnel Sewage System: A cost-efficient and sustainable solution conceived by PUB to meet Singapore’s long-term needs for used water collection, treatment, reclamation and disposal.
Followed by Susan Tan (Assistant Director, SMU IIE) elaboration on SMU IIE (https://iie.smu.edu.sg/) as the preferred knowledge partner and convening platform for catalysing Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) in Asia. It has also developed experiential learning programmes on three pillars: Culture, Capability, Community.
SMU IIE Key Takeaways:
Culture: Nurturing Future Leaders
Global Innovation Immersion Programme – Where Diversity Meets Innovation (3-month internship)
Protégé Ventures – Southeast Asia’s First Student-led Venture Fund
Capability: Grooming Changemakers
Business Innovations Generator (BIG) – World-class incubator to take your ideas from Ground Zero to Reality (intensive 4-month equity-free incubation programme)
SMU-Wavemaker Venture Building Programme (SMU-Wavemaker VB) – A three-month training programme to groom aspiring entrepreneurs with no/minimal business experience to build and scale innovative startups.
Lean Launchpad – Commercialise your research
Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition – Reimagine Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Cities
VC Office Hours – Aims to engage regional innovation and entrepreneurship to sign up for consultation sessions with the VCs.
Community: Nexus of Innovation Communities & Home to Changemakers
The Greenhouse @ SMU Connexion – Located at the heart of the downtown city centre, The Greenhouse is IIE’s new 700sqm innovation hub. Dubbed as the Sandhill of Southeast Asia, The Greenhouse is at the heart of multiple VC funds, co-working spaces and government bodies.
Week 2: 26 April - 30 April 2021
26 APR: KNOWLEDGE SHARING SESSION ON VIETNAM MARKET
Market insights on waste and water management in the Vietnam landscape, and how we can solve waste together.
Dr Kasia Weina, Director and Co-Founder, Evergreen Labs (https://evergreenlabs.org/) - A social and environmental consulting and project development organisation headquartered in Danang, Vietnam since 2016. It has been creating impact through three main approaches: Sustainable Advisory, Experimentation, Solution Portfolio. Dr Kasia covered key areas on Vietnam waste status quo: focus on plastics, and Vietnam value chain, informal sector and opportunities.
Dr Tine Rørvik, Global Director Circular Economy, Siam Cement Group (SCG) (https://www.scg.com/) - A Southeast Asian industry company based in Bangkok and the three key business include Cement-Building Materials, Chemicals, Packaging.
Focus on Circular Economy in Vietnam
SCG waste value chain business operations in Vietnam
Arne-Kjetil Lian, Director, Innovation Norway Hanoi & Commercial Counsellor, Royal Norwegian Embassy Hanoi
Vietnam facts and figures, focus areas: Renewable Energy, Aquaculture, LNG, Circular Economy
Siam Cement Group Norway - Vung Tau Zero Plastic Waste Project supporting Vietnam to improve municipal solid waste management
Kinh Pham, Senior Advisor, Business Finland Vietnam
Vietnam Water Market Overview & Opportunities
Process of Clean Water Supply & Wastewater Treatment
26 Apr: CIRCULAR WASTE ECONOMY OPPORTUNITIES IN SINGAPORE AND IN THE NORDICS
A collaboration with SGInnovate (https://www.sginnovate.com/) to discuss the opportunities for bridging Nordic solutions to Singapore and Southeast Asia problem statements within the circular waste economy. Find out more about the state of waste management in Singapore and Nordics, and the current Singaporean and Nordic solutions that are contributing to our circular economy future with the panel!
Adrian Yeo, Senior Vice President, (Innovation, Water), Sembcorp Industries (https://www.sembcorp.com/en/)
Dr Mohammad Sherafatmand, CEO & Founder, Hydroleap (https://www.hydroleap.com/)
Kristine Laake, Innovation Manager, Norsk Gjenvinning (https://www.norskgjenvinning.no/)
Moderator: Remi Cesaro, Director, Zero Waste Consultant (Material and Energy Efficiency) (https://zerowastecity.com/)
27 APR: KNOWLEDGE SHARING SESSION ON THAILAND MARKET
Market insights on waste and water management in the Thailand landscape, and how we can solve waste together.
Patarapol Tularak, Secretary-General, Solid Waste Management Association (http://www.swat.or.th/) - Addressing waste management situation in Thailand: (1) Current status and statistics figures, (2) Related policies, laws and institutions, (3) Example of waste management practices, (4) Challenges and opportunities.
Peram Prasada Rao, CEO - TechnoBiz (International Resource Centre for Polymer Industries & Process Technologies) tapped on Thailand’s water and wastewater market potentials. Diving into major industry segments and industrial estates in Thailand, active search for solutions in water recycling technologies, sludge treatment, boiler water treatment, food processing, and what pragmatic strategies needed to explore the Thailand market.
Further valuable insights were shared by Axel Blom, Founder, Norway Connect (A Norwegian Business Advisory Network in Asia) https://norway-connect.com/ and Kimmo Pekari, Special Advisor, Trade & Economic Affairs, Embassy of Finland in Bangkok.
28 APR: TOMRA
Annupa Mattu Ahi, Vice-President Business Development APAC, TOMRA (https://www.tomra.com/) introducing TOMRA’s background, operations and solutions tackling challenges in the circular waste economy. TOMRA was founded on an innovation in 1972 that began with the design, manufacturing and sale of reverse vending machines (RVMs) for automated collection of used beverage containers. Today TOMRA provides technology-led solutions that enable the circular economy with the advanced collection and sorting systems that optimise resource recovery and minimise waste in the food, recycling and mining industries.
30 APR: CLOSING EVENT
As part of the NIH-SG Water-Waste-Food Virtual Market Entry Programme 2021 towards Singapore and Southeast Asia, we have also organised a closing event webinar on the ‘Circular Economy Opportunities in Southeast Asia and the Nordics’. Starting with H.E. Anita Nergaard (Ambassador of Norway to Singapore, Norwegian Embassy in Singapore) sharing her thoughts on Circular Economy and fostering cooperations between the Nordics, Singapore and the wider region.
“Encouragingly across the ASEAN, we see sustainability at the top of the agenda, and we know the clear will to act. In Singapore, the government is both ambitious and very clear about its objectives. Moving from linear to circular economy is a profound transition and we need to redesign systems to ensure that waste becomes the resource and that all resources are reused as many times as possible. This clearly requires us to work together across regions, and countries which call for collaboration between governments, academia, and the private sector. It is very encouraging to see the interest in the Nordic experience and the solutions offered by the Nordic companies and I believe sustainability and the circular economy will be the key areas of cooperation between the Nordics, Singapore and the wider region going forward. Together, we will develop smart solutions for the green economy, we will build back better!”, says H.E. Anita Nergaard, Ambassador of Norway to Singapore, Norwegian Embassy in Singapore.
Joining the panel discussion on ‘Circular Economy Opportunities in Southeast Asia and the Nordics’, we have invited speakers both representing the Nordics and Singapore to elaborate on each current efforts addressing challenges in water-waste-foodwaste, and building a sustainable future together.
Bing Zhao, VP Head of Collection Solutions Asia, TOMRA (https://www.tomra.com/en): “Beverage container refund and recycle schemes in the Nordics"
Thomas Chhoa, Senior Advisor, Alliance To End Plastic Waste (https://endplasticwaste.org/): “Alliance to end plastic waste and its activities in SEA”
Dr Tine Rorvik, Global Director for Circular Economy, Siam Cement Group (https://www.scg.com/en/01corporate_profile/): “Drivers for circular economy in SEA”
Dalson Chung, Director (Industry Development and Promotion Division), National Environment Agency (https://www.nea.gov.sg/), and Managing Director of the CleanEnviro Summit Singapore (https://www.cleanenvirosummit.gov.sg/): “Singapore Green Plan 2030 (https://www.greenplan.gov.sg/) –opportunities for Southeast Asia”
Moderator: Per Christer Lund, Counsellor, Innovation Norway Singapore
Our 10 selected Nordic companies also presented a 2-minute pitch on their solutions tackling wastewater, organic waste, and river cleaning. If you are interested to connect with the Nordic companies, email team NIH-SG at sg@nordicinnovationhouse.com!