Press Release - ITE and NYAA Collaborate in SME Sustainability Drive

NYAA ropes in ITE students to show companies how going green makes better business sense.

         It was a simple solution but the result was an almost 14 per cent reduction in electricity consumption and 20.5 per cent reduction in water consumption. A team of three students (Budi Kurniawan Bin Ismail, Nurul Ernisah Lydiawati, and Amber Chong Huey Huey) from ITE College East’s Nitec in Chemical Process Technology course helped a drinks stall achieve this by cutting the amount of ice given for chilled drinks by 50 per cent. This amount was derived from a survey they did to identify how much ice was needed to satisfy the majority of customers. The simplicity of this solution means that drinks stalls across Singapore can quickly and easily replicate and implement this to enjoy the savings.

Everyone’s a Winner in Sustainability Drive

         This project is part of a Climate Change Mitigation Project that was mooted by National Youth Achievement Award Council’s (NYAA) Executive Director, Mr James Soh, in early 2020, and is sponsored by HSBC Singapore. “Carbon emissions, which are caused by industrial and economic activities, lead to climate change. The challenge for countries, Singapore included, is how we can stem climate change and lower carbon emissions without affecting economic activities. That’s where this project comes in,” explained Mr Soh. [See attached Fact Sheet for Project Synopsis for most innovative and impactful projects]

          In line with its mission to nurture and develop youths, NYAA decided to train ITE students to help conduct environmental reviews for businesses in a bid to reduce carbon emissions. In this pilot project, a total of 15 teams of ITE students were paired with 15 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) across various industries. Over the next one-and-a-half years, the students worked with the companies to come up with eco-solutions that improved sustainability without affecting profit margins.

          Under the guidance of NYAA’s Climate Change Advisor, Professor Jeff Obbard, the 15 teams conducted environmental reviews for the 15 SMEs with the aim of reducing carbon emissions and enhancing sustainability. They found that many companies were consuming more electricity and water than necessary. The teams then brainstormed for ideas and came up with small, but innovative, interventions, to solve this. And the outcome was encouraging.

          Overall, the ITE teams helped identify a total reduction of 144 tonnes in carbon emissions per year, with an associated business cost savings of $76,000. When extrapolated to all 219,000 SMEs in Singapore, this represents a total potential reduction of over 2 million tons of carbon emissions per year, and a business cost saving of over $1.1 billion. Said Professor Obbard of this outcome, “What has been made very clear from the project is that reducing carbon emissions at SMEs in Singapore does not come at a cost to business. In fact, the opposite is true! In every case, we significantly improved environmental performance and reduced business costs – a true win-win situation for the environment and Singapore’s growing green economy.”

Towards a Better Tomorrow

          The success of this project highlighted how running a greener business makes good environmental and business sense. In addition, it was an enriching experience for the ITE students. They not only picked up new skills, they also experienced first-hand how they can play a part in mitigating climate change in the workplace.

          The ITE College Central team summed this up best. “[This project] provided an authentic learning opportunity to bridge what we have learned in school to industry needs. It has helped us understand that small ideas can amount to big contributions to environmental protection. We never thought that our simple ideas could reduce carbon emissions and at the same time, save costs for the company, thereby improving profitability.” The team members are Technical Engineer Diploma in Machine Technology students, Maria Ulfah Bte Mohd Jamil, Ahmad Ghazi Nasiruddin Bin Jamiat, and Raden Zulfiqkar Bin Zulkifri.

Fact Sheet

SYNOPSIS FOR TEAMS WITH MOST INNOVATIVE AND IMPACTFUL PROJECTS