Sustainability has increasingly dominated discussions in recent years, often appearing in news cycles and workplace conversations. The biggest development in conversations has been the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

However, due to its ever-evolving nature, the opportunities and role of tech in sustainability are still vague and broad for many in Singapore’s tech industries. In particular, Singaporean small and medium tech enterprises (SMEs) and startups still perceive sustainability as intimidating and an additional burden on already lean resources.

Yet, unbeknownst to many, exciting horizons have been quietly opening up worldwide as businesses, organisations, and supply chains inexorably shift into sustainability-driven, digitalised operating models. Foreseeing an acceleration of this global sea-change, the Government has reaffirmed in the Singapore Budget 2024 its determination to achieve the targets of the Green Plan. 

Thus far, technology has been playing an oft-overlooked, yet critical role in enabling large organisations to spearhead this evolution. This role is set to escalate in importance over the next few years in Singapore, beginning as soon as next year when companies go into their FY2025.

Unravelling the tech-sustainability nexus

Entrepreneurs know well that with new challenges, new opportunities will soon ensue. SGTech, in our close collaboration with the Singapore Government, is steadily growing a pool of tech SMEs and startups that exemplify viable use cases of tech being deployed to improve the sustainability performances of organisations and supply chains.

Greater transparency and efficiencies in sustainability claims

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practice and reporting is highly relevant for technology applications. Increasingly sophisticated software is deployed in supply chains, especially large supply chains spread across countries, time zones, tech and internet access, and behavioural cultures. This has improved inefficiencies and accuracies in data compilation, accounting, analysis, forecasting, and reporting, aiding corporate decision makers with better data clarity to set targets and commit resources.

Today, data analysts and marketeers are learning to acquire sustainability know-how to provide their employers and clients with data-driven insights, balancing resource commitment, profit, and sustainability outcomes.

Also Read: As the demand for energy soars, climate tech is here to save the day

Improved accuracy and resource intensity of production planning

In manufacturing, the speed and accuracy of production planning for lesser footprints can mean the difference between achieving or missing output and cost projections.

During SGTech’s 2023 TechBlazer nominations, we saw how AI-driven digital twin tech could decrease production simulation times and resource consumption from months into a mere fortnight into zero resource input, or how deploying Internet of Things devices enabled real-time data collection, facilitating more accurate responses to environmental challenges.

If scaled up, such technologies can enable manufacturers to significantly improve the sustainability, productivity and resource consumptions of their production lines.

Technology: The unsung backbone of sustainability

These use cases are only the beginnings of the expanding horizons for the role of technology in an increasingly sustainability-driven and digitalised world. 

Today, technology is a ubiquitous tool and capability across all sectors from hardware to software, and the digital space. As technology is increasingly integrated into supply chains operations, tech will also be increasingly used to improve sustainability and profit performance.

Contrary to popular perceptions, data centres and tech equipment producers today have incorporated sustainability ahead of the game and are in the midst of aiming for net zero environmental impact in their operations and supply chains. A rising number of software and tech consulting companies are now acquiring sustainability know-how to augment their tech-enabled green offerings to clients, while the tech sector’s expertise and influence on data privacy and security are fast becoming a critical pillar of organisational governance.

Additionally with generative A.I. changing the technology game, untold opportunities are lying in wait for tech applications to drive more sustainable organisational decision-making and behaviours. 

Also Read: Why these startups focus on informal plastic waste workers in the fight against climate crisis

The Government is introducing changes at a measured and inclusive pace to enable our businesses to adjust and keep up. SGTech is also evolving along with industry shifts and regulatory developments, as we enable tech companies to achieve sustainability through our suite of SGTech Sustainability Programmes. 

Echelon X: Exposure and industry leadership for Singapore’s tech companies

In May, I attended e27’s 10th edition of Echelon X, a tech business conference that connects industry leaders and provides access to market insights, growth programmes, and other opportunities. This year’s conference focused on AI’s future, market expansion opportunities, and for the first time, explored the relationship between sustainability and tech.

As the Head of Sustainability Strategic Programmes at SGTech, I spoke at a featured session about sustainability’s impact on the tech sector in both national and international contexts, especially on the impact and opportunities for Singapore tech SMEs and startups.

Echelon X has been a renowned platform in Singapore for tech companies to hold dialogue, network, find inspiration and synergise, and even co-create opportunities for developing new innovations to the benefit of the wider economy.

As e27 shifts to include addressing sustainability for the tech sector, I believe Echelon X can become the next big platform for tech companies to not only brainstorm and collaborate in solving Singapore’s sustainability problems with tech, but also to demonstrate industry leadership in leading change by becoming sustainable themselves.

Singapore has what it takes to lead sustainability in Asia – and I look forward to continued collaboration with platforms like e27 and Echelon X to intensify public-private collaborations for moving the needle of change for our national sustainability goals.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community.

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Secai Marche, a Japan-headquartered company that connects farmers directly with restaurants and retailers in Southeast Asia, has received JPY300 million (US$2.1 million) to bring the total funding raised towards the Series A round to US$3.5 million.

The investors include Beyond Next Ventures, Spiral Ventures Asia, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, Future Food Fund, Tsuneishi Shoji, Fukuoka Sonoriku, and Foodison co-CEO Toru Yamamoto.

The new tranche follows a US$1.6 million raise in January 2023 from The Agribusiness Investment & Consultation, Spiral Ventures Asia Fund I, and Beyond Next Ventures.

Also Read: How Secai Marche champions farm-fresh food in Southeast Asia

“In response to the rapid growth of the restaurant industry in Southeast Asia and the increasing demand for high-quality, cost-competitive services in Malaysia and Singapore, we will use the funds to expand our fulfilment centres, enhance the accuracy of demand forecasts using AI, and automate and optimise the last-mile deliveries,” Secai Marche co-founder and CEO Ami Sugiyama told e27.

“We also plan to allocate the funds for system development and marketing activities. This fundraising will serve as a starting point for rapidly expanding our market share in Southeast Asia,” she added.

Established in 2019 by Sugiyama and Shusaku Hayakawa, Secai Marche offers a platform for F&B businesses and retailers to purchase high-quality products directly from farmers and fishermen at competitive prices.

The online grocery platform sources over 4,000 items (fresh vegetables, fruit, eggs, and chilled seafood, etc.) directly from farmers in Southeast Asia and Japan. It has partnered with over 1,300 retailers and HORECA customers since its inception.

The startup claims to have achieved 200 per cent growth each year.

The Southeast Asian e-commerce market is projected to exceed US$240 billion by 2025. However, e-commerce has lagged in the fresh food sector due to underdeveloped refrigerated logistics networks (such as cold chains from producers to consumers and small-scale collection and delivery functions).

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, there have been more cases of producers selling directly to consumers via e-commerce, but this has been limited to those with their own refrigerated logistics capabilities.

“By providing a consistent fulfilment service with Japanese quality to many small and medium-sized businesses and producers having no refrigerated logistics capabilities, we are rapidly advancing the e-commerce of fresh food in Southeast Asia,” added Sugiyama.

Also Read: Malaysian B2B farm-to-table fulfilment platform Secai Marche bags US$1.6M in Series A

Fukuoka Sonoriku’s Executive VP, Yusuke Sonoda, said: “Secai Marche is a rapidly growing company that meets the needs of the times by providing a new supply chain in Southeast Asia, where refrigerated logistics networks are underdeveloped. We decided to invest in the company because their service will improve the entire food and agriculture industry by improving the ecosystem. Secai Marche’s end-to-end fulfillment service and Fukuoka Sonoriku’s logistic technologies and skills and agricultural production networks will lead to further development in Thailand and more in the future.”

Foodison CEO Toru Yamamoto said: “We expect that Secai Marche’s innovative approach with the Japanese quality and deep market knowledge will contribute significantly not only to Japanese fresh produce but also to building infrastructure for product distribution in Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia.”

In 2021, the agritech firm raised US$1.5 million in a pre-Series A funding round from Japanese VC firms Rakuten Ventures and Beyond Next Ventures.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the business landscape in Southeast Asia, opening up new opportunities and transforming traditional models. As AI technologies continue to advance, the region’s startups find themselves in a unique position to leverage these innovations.

In light of this, e27‘s flagship conference, Echelon X, hosted a fireside chat titled ‘How AI will Transform Business Models from Transactional to Relational and Why Southeast Asia Startups are Well-Positioned to Take Advantage of This’. The session took a retrospective look at the growth of AI and investing in Southeast Asia.

Moderated by Mohan Belani, Co-Founder and CEO of e27, and featuring Peng Ong, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Monk’s Hill Ventures, the discussion highlighted key milestones, trends, and insights that have shaped the region’s landscape over the past few decades. From early developments in AI research to the emergence of innovative startups and the expansion of a vibrant investment ecosystem, the conversation explored factors that have contributed to the region’s transformation into a budding hub for AI innovation and investment.

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Artificial Intelligence ecosystem provider AI Singapore has released SEA-LION v2, the latest in its family of open-source language models specifically designed to understand and represent Southeast Asia’s linguistic and cultural diversity.

This enhanced model aims to provide more accurate and contextually relevant language processing capabilities tailored to the unique needs of the region, Dr. Leslie Teo, Senior Director at AI Singapore and the project lead, said in a LinkedIn post.

SEA-LION v2 is part of AI Singapore’s mission to develop AI capabilities, create social and economic impacts, nurture local talent, build an AI ecosystem, and position the island nation as a global AI leader. This model leverages a state-of-the-art open-source framework with continued pre-training and fine-tuning for Southeast Asia.

Unlike the original SEA-LION, which was trained from scratch, the second version is built on Meta’s Llama 3.

The original model was trained using 8x Nvidia A100 GPUs and created by a lean team of 20 Singaporeans. It outperformed other large language models (LLMs) on Southeast Asian tasks.

On the other hand, Version 2 was trained using 64x Nvidia H100 GPUs in just two days for each run. This excludes the numerous experimentations with hyperparameters and data mixes. Dr. Teo mentioned that the main challenge with continued pre-training (CPT) lies in maintaining existing knowledge while integrating new information.

Also Read: These Artificial Intelligence startups are proving to be industry game-changers

The project is now part of the National Multimodal LLM Programme (NMLP), which sees the Singapore government setting aside SG$70 million (US$51.8 million) to develop AI talent.

AI Singapore reports that SEA-LION v2 demonstrates superior performance on tasks in regional languages while retaining Llama 3’s general capabilities. According to Teo, SEA-LION v2 includes the following key features:

• Continued pre-training and fine-tuning: Built on the Llama 3 architecture.
• Multilingual capabilities: Instruction-tuned in English, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Vietnamese, and Tamil.
• SEA training data: Trained with approximately 50 billion tokens from Southeast Asian languages.
• Open source: Licensed under the Meta Llama 3 Community License.

For now, SEA-LION v2 is available for download on HuggingFace as a base model, an instruction-tuned model, or quantised models. While there is no online demo, the instruction-tuned model supports basic “chats” when properly deployed in a suitable environment.

Plans are also underway to build on Google’s Gemma 2 and AI startup Reka’s models next.

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Fundraising or preparing your startup for fundraising? Build your investor network, search from 400+ SEA investors on e27, and get connected or get insights regarding fundraising. Try e27 Pro for free today.

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In today’s business landscape, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives are no longer the domain of large corporations alone. Increasingly, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are recognising the importance of incorporating ESG principles into their operations.

For these smaller businesses, the benefits of embracing ESG are manifold, from enhancing brand reputation to attracting conscious consumers and investors.

Here’s how SMEs can champion ESG initiatives, even with limited resources, and make a meaningful impact.

Start with sustainable practices

SMEs can begin their ESG journey by adopting sustainable practices within their operations. This might include reducing energy consumption, minimising waste, and sourcing materials responsibly. Simple measures like switching to energy-efficient lighting, implementing recycling programs, or choosing suppliers with sustainable credentials can significantly reduce environmental impact.

For instance, a small café could opt for biodegradable packaging or a local clothing store could stock sustainably produced apparel. These changes may seem minor, but collectively, they contribute to a healthier planet.

Foster a positive workplace culture

The social aspect of ESG focuses on how businesses manage relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where they operate. For SMEs, this can translate into fostering a positive workplace culture, ensuring fair wages, promoting diversity and inclusion, and supporting employee well-being.

A small business can implement flexible working arrangements, provide professional development opportunities, or establish an open-door policy for employee concerns. By prioritising their workforce’s needs, SMEs not only improve employee satisfaction and retention but also build a strong reputation as an ethical employer.

Engage with the community

Community engagement is another vital component of the social aspect of ESG. SMEs can make a positive social impact by supporting local communities, whether through charitable donations, volunteer initiatives, or partnerships with local organisations. For example, a neighbourhood bakery might donate unsold goods to a local shelter or sponsor a local sports team. These actions help build strong community ties and demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility.

Implement ethical governance practices

Governance refers to the systems and processes that ensure a company’s operations are ethical and transparent. SMEs can champion good governance by establishing clear policies and procedures, maintaining accurate financial records, and ensuring transparency in their business dealings.

Also Read: Why GoImpact believes that education is the key to promoting ESG investment

Even a small business can benefit from creating a code of ethics, conducting regular audits, and providing training on compliance and ethical conduct. Such practices not only mitigate risks but also enhance trust among stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, and investors.

Communicate your ESG efforts

Transparency is key when it comes to ESG. SMEs should communicate their ESG efforts to customers, employees, and other stakeholders. This can be done through regular updates on the company’s website, social media channels, or annual reports. By sharing their progress and challenges, SMEs can build trust and demonstrate their commitment to ESG values. Moreover, open communication can inspire others to adopt similar practices, amplifying the positive impact.

Seek collaboration and support

SMEs don’t have to go it alone. Many organisations and networks offer support and resources for businesses looking to implement ESG initiatives. For instance, SMEs can join industry associations that promote sustainable practices, participate in certification programs, or collaborate with other businesses on joint ESG projects. By leveraging these resources, SMEs can gain valuable insights, share best practices, and collectively work towards a more sustainable and equitable future.

How to champion ESG initiatives as a service business

If you are a service based business like ours and have no idea how you can champion ESG initiatives, even with limited resources, and make a meaningful impact, here’s how:

• Adopting sustainable practices: Service businesses or agencies like ours can reduce their carbon footprint by promoting remote work, using green web hosting, and prioritising digital over print materials to minimise waste.
• Fostering an inclusive workplace culture: Create an inclusive work environment through unbiased hiring, diversity training, and flexible work policies, ensuring employee well-being and a positive culture.
• Engaging with the community: Support local communities by offering pro bono services, participating in charitable activities, and collaborating with clients to promote social causes.
• Implementing ethical governance practices: Good governance involves establishing clear ethical policies, maintaining transparency in business practices, and prioritising data privacy and security.
• Promoting ESG in client campaigns: Encourage clients to incorporate ESG values in their marketing, highlighting sustainability initiatives and advocating for social responsibility.
• Continuous improvement and innovation: Stay informed about ESG trends, invest in training, and explore innovative solutions to continuously enhance their ESG alignment.

Also Read: ESG frameworks and standards: Cutting through the complexity for private markets

Continuously seek to improve and innovate. Stay informed about ESG trends and invest in relevant training. Remember, even small steps can lead to significant positive change.

Conclusion

For SMEs, embracing ESG initiatives is not just a trend but a strategic move that can lead to long-term success. While the challenges may seem daunting, especially with limited resources, small businesses can start with manageable steps that align with their values and capabilities.

By prioritising sustainability, fostering a positive workplace culture, engaging with the community, implementing ethical governance, and communicating their efforts, SMEs can make a big impact. Ultimately, these efforts contribute not only to the business’s success but also to the well-being of the wider community and the planet.

In a world where consumers and investors are increasingly looking for businesses that align with their values, SMEs that champion ESG initiatives will stand out. The journey may require time and effort, but the rewards—both tangible and intangible—are well worth it.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community.

Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographicJoin our e27 Telegram group, FB community, or like the e27 Facebook page.

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