Sustainability

Our Sustainability Programme began in 1997 when we organised Singapore’s first haze dialogue with the Singapore Environment Council on the critical haze problem. The programme has evolved to address a broader range of sustainability issues like agribusiness and forestry supply chains as well as the leveraging of green finance to advance ASEAN’s climate action and carbon neutrality goals. Since 2014, the Singapore Dialogue on Sustainable World Resources (SWR), our annual flagship conference, provides a platform for discussion in the region about key sustainability challenges including the haze.

Within the region, the recurring transboundary haze is a stark concern for ASEAN, affecting the very air we breathe. The SIIA engages industry players and thought leaders to share best practices and galvanise action towards sustainable practices. We work closely with governments, corporations, NGOs, financial institutions, and others. For example, the recurring haze in Southeast Asia demonstrates the need for companies and smallholder farmers to recognise that fires are not only illegal in most areas but also against their interest.

Consumers are also beginning to push for sustainable criteria in their purchasing, while banks, regulators, and policymakers are increasingly taking the lead in ensuring that development of the region’s resource and agriculture sectors is conducted in a safe and sustainable manner. This underscores the need for an integrated approach that fosters collaboration across different stakeholder groups to achieve a sustainable future.

ASEAN Climate Community

As part of the Sustainability Programme, our ASEAN Climate Community initiative focuses on the transition of the region towards carbon neutrality and the generation and trading of carbon credits to support ecosystem restoration and emissions reduction projects. We work on climate action and carbon goals with key stakeholders from governments, private sectors, academic institutes, and NGOs.