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Harnessing Innovation and Digital Tools to Boost Sustainability

Tech For Good Institute (TFGI) participated in a panel, “Harnessing Innovation and Digital Tools to Boost Sustainability,” as part of the second annual Sustainability Week Asia organised by Economist Impact. The panel was broadcasted on February 9, 2023.

Top: Charles Ross, Principal of Policy and Insights at Economist Impact
Bottom left to right: Dr. Ming Tan, Executive Director of TFGI; Jamie Azzopardi, Sustainability Sales Leader at IBM

Digitalisation and sustainability are basic operating assumptions for all businesses, big or small, established or startup. This is particularly important in Southeast Asia where it is home to over 71 million micro, small and medium sized enterprises operating in some of the fastest growing economies in the world. As the region recovers from the pandemic and enters the next phase of growth, it faces the dual challenge of driving sustainable development while responding to the effects of climate change. Innovative digital technologies can drive sustainable growth in the region but governments, industries, and civil societies will have to work together.

Successful implementation of sustainability initiatives require actionable insights and practical solutions. Sustainability Week Asia, organised by Economist Impact, convened leaders and experts from the public, private and civil sectors to explore new models for translating sustainability commitments into effective action. This panel focused on the potential of innovation and digital tools to accelerate sustainability.

Moderator and panelists:

  • Charles Ross, Principal of Policy and Insights at Economist Impact
  • Jamie Azzopardi, Sustainability Sales Leader at IBM
  • Dr. Ming Tan, Founding Executive Director of TFGI

Key insights from the panel:

  • Digital economy companies (DECs) can drive sustainability and sustainable development in the region An upcoming study by TFGI and the Center for Governance and Sustainability (CGS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) found that DECs operating in the region are keen to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. However, there appears to be a “say-do” gap when it comes to intention and action. This is likely to shift as consumer and regulatory demands for sustainability are expected to increase in the coming years so there is an urgent need for companies to take action before it’s too late.
  • Sustainability initiatives are not one-size-fit-all Industries and companies have different business models and operations with varying needs and challenges. As a result, the sustainability goals of these companies will also differ depending on the reporting and compliance requirements and expectations of their stakeholders. Based on these needs and requirements, companies will have a clearer view of their sustainability objectives and goals which will help companies accurately track, measure, and manage their progress on an ongoing basis.
  • Data-driven digital solutions are integral in the sustainability journey of companies Sustainability reporting is a data-intensive exercise. Digital solutions can help companies effectively manage data, measure progress and facilitate decision making.
  • Digitalisation has both positive and negative impacts on greenhouse gas emissions Digital technologies can support greenhouse gas emissions in supporting decision making and through sensing and control for real time data and calibration of processes. In addition, carbon markets rely on trusted and verifiable data. Digitally-enabled technologies, such as light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors, can monitor forests digitally for carbon stock monitoring, supporting the generation and trusted trading of carbon credits. Yet, the digital economy itself has a huge carbon footprint. It has been estimated that a single data centre can consume the equivalent electricity of 50,000 American homes. Not only should digital technologies enable sustainability, the digital economy needs to improve its own sustainability record.
  • Ensuring digital inclusion is important in a technology-enabled and data-driven world In Southeast Asia, 65 million people do not have access to electricity while 150 million people still lack access to digital technologies. The lack of access to these vital needs is likely to further inhibit the ability to avail crucial services and information in areas like healthcare and education. Failing to address the digital divide and social inequality is likely to jeopardise the promise of innovative digital technologies in advancing sustainable development in the region.

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Mouna Aouri

Programme Fellow

Mouna Aouri is an Institute Fellow at the Tech For Good Institute. As a social entrepreneur, impact investor, and engineer, her experience spans over two decades in the MENA region, South East Asia, and Japan. She is founder of Woomentum, a Singapore-based platform dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs in APAC through skill development and access to growth capital through strategic collaborations with corporate entities, investors and government partners.

Dr Ming Tan

Founding Executive Director

Dr Ming Tan is founding Executive Director for the Tech for Good Institute, a non-profit founded to catalyse research and collaboration on social, economic and policy trends accelerated by the digital economy in Southeast Asia. She is concurrently a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at the National University of Singapore and Advisor to the Founder of the COMO Group, a Singaporean portfolio of lifestyle companies operating in 15 countries worldwide.  Her research interests lie at the intersection of technology, business and society, including sustainability and innovation.

 

Ming was previously Managing Director of IPOS International, part of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, which supports Singapore’s future growth as a global innovation hub for intellectual property creation, commercialisation and management. Prior to joining the public sector, she was Head of Stewardship of the COMO Group and the founding Executive Director of COMO Foundation, a grantmaker focused on gender equity that has served over 47 million women and girls since 2003.

 

As a company director, she lends brand and strategic guidance to several companies within the COMO Group. Ming also serves as a Council Member of the Council for Board Diversity, on the boards of COMO Foundation and Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC), and on the Digital and Technology Advisory Panel for Esplanade–Theatres on the Bay, Singapore’s national performing arts centre.

 

In the non-profit, educational and government spheres, Ming is a director of COMO Foundation and Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC) and chairs the Asia Advisory board for Swiss hospitality business and management school EHL. She also serves on  the Council for Board Diversity and the Digital and Technology Advisory Panel for Esplanade–Theatres on the Bay, Singapore’s national performing arts centre.

 

Ming was educated in Singapore, the United States, and England. She obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University and her doctorate from Oxford.