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Advocating an ABC World
In September 2015, Singapore and 192 other members of the United Nations signed up to deliver the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, by 2030.
Our collective action – governments, businesses, civil societies and individuals working together – is required to translate the SDG ideals into the reality of a better and more sustainable world – an ABC World of Active economies, Beautiful societies and a Clean Earth.
Investing for a Sustainable World
The DNA of Temasek is a commitment towards Ecosperity, twinning prosperity with ecology.
We take a long view of our investments. We succeed if the broader community succeeds. Thus, we seek to safeguard the intergenerational interests of our communities through innovative solutions and sustainable systems, science and technologies.
Proteins from plants, laboratories and aqua-farming are some innovative solutions to meet growing global food demand more sustainably.
Calysta is one investment example which converts methane gas into edible, natural proteins as a sustainable food source for fish, livestock and pets. Another example is our investment in the TPG Rise Fund for impact investing.
From Ideas to Impact
Our fifth Ecosperity conference for turning ideas into impact, explored new business models and ideas around the topics of food, education and healthcare. It was held on 5 June 2018 in conjunction with the United Nations World Environment Day.
We took the opportunity to partner UNLEASH, a global innovation lab for 1,000 young talents from around the world to co-create solutions for the SDGs. The vibrant exchange at Ecosperity and UNLEASH will bring various stakeholders closer to translating the SDGs into reality.
Forest Whitaker, CEO of Whitaker Peace &
Development Initiative, on working towards a
sustainable future.
An UNLEASH participant engaging in a virtual reality
experience. Photo: UNLEASH
Sustainability at Work
Our staff champion sustainability causes for a Green Office under our GO! project.
This year, we partnered Singtel to raise awareness on electronic waste, and collected 320kg of e-waste for deconstructing and recycling. We also supported EcoBank to collect pre-loved clothing, toys, books, and homeware for charity.
Our staff disposing a used modem at an e-waste
collection point.
Volunteers sorting out donated items for sale at the
EcoBank Bazaar.
Active economy
Productive jobs
Sustainable cities
Fulfilling lives
Beautiful Society
Resilient individuals
Inclusive communities
Just societies
Clean earth
Fresh air
Clean water
Cool world
An active, robust economy delivers good jobs and creates opportunities.
It is the foundation of stable, secure and sustainable societies. Productive workers have a sense of pride and dignity, provide for their loved ones and themselves, and look to the future with confidence.
A beautiful and inclusive society fosters peace and justice, and enables individuals to reach their fullest potential.
Shared values that embrace justice and equality, and expand our common spaces, will strengthen our tolerance, mutual respect, and the ties that bind us together.
A clean, cool Earth is our home, a common space and heritage.
We must act today to preserve our living space for ourselves and our future generations. Fresh air, clean water and a cool world are Earth’s natural gifts, which we must treasure and protect as our legacy.
An active, robust economy delivers good jobs and creates opportunities.
It is the foundation of stable, secure and sustainable societies. Productive workers have a sense of pride and dignity, provide for their loved ones and themselves, and look to the future with confidence.
A beautiful and inclusive society fosters peace and justice, and enables individuals to reach their fullest potential.
Shared values that embrace justice and equality, and expand our common spaces, will strengthen our tolerance, mutual respect, and the ties that bind us together.
A clean, cool Earth is our home, a common space and heritage.
We must act today to preserve our living space for ourselves and our future generations. Fresh air, clean water and a cool world are Earth’s natural gifts, which we must treasure and protect as our legacy.
Doing our part for an ABC World
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Organisations that manage Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors effectively are more likely to create sustainable value over the long term. As we carry out our investment analysis, we work to understand how sustainability-related factors may impact a company’s long term ability to generate sustainable returns and its standing.
As an owner, we are committed to encouraging companies to adopt policies and practices that safeguard and enhance long term performance. We regularly engage and share sustainability best practices and trends with our portfolio companies.
We continuously evolve ESG integration efforts across our investment process. To deepen our capability, we make use of relevant data sources and tools to enable robust decision-making. We take part in domestic and international discussions about definitions, priorities, standards and best practices. We also monitor sustainability-related trends relating to issues that may significantly impact our portfolio and our investment activities, such as climate change.
Climate change, resource scarcity and social inequality form the sustainability issues that confront us globally. While these macro trends appear challenging, they also offer new opportunities to make a difference. The rise of the “green” and socially conscious consumer, climate change, sustainability-related regulations and technological advances have fostered the growth of new businesses and business models.
We work to understand these trends in order to position our portfolio for the future, and to seek new investible areas to capture sustainable value for Temasek and our portfolio companies.
To realise our vision of an ABC World, we need to address long term challenges affecting Singapore and the region. Challenges include demographic issues such as ageing, developing affordable solutions to feed a growing population, and mitigating the environmental impact from increasing urbanisation. We have supported long term capability building in these areas, especially when there is a lack of existing support or an under-appreciation of the need. This includes funding the development of innovative solutions and approaches by leveraging innovative technologies, research, trials and pilot programmes.
The Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory rears
faster-growing and more resilient sea bass to
improve farming productivity.
District Cooling and Airbitat for NDP
A hybrid system that cools outdoor air to as low as 24°C was introduced at the National Day Parade (NDP) 2017. Spectators at the floating platform, security screening areas and fun pack collection areas welcomed the streams of cool air that helped to reduce the heat that would otherwise be built up. This was made possible by tapping SP Group’s underground district cooling network at Marina Bay to provide chilled water for ST Engineering’s cooling unit – the Airbitat Smart Cooler.
A family enjoying the breeze from the Airbitat Smart Cooler.
Sustainable Financing & Impact Investing Course
In partnership with Singapore Management University, a new course on "Impact Investing – Risks & Opportunities Arising from Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues” was held in March 2018, to improve knowledge and skills in the integration of ESG considerations into investment decisions. This education initiative aligns with strong growth trends in impact investing.
