Dr Sujit Ghosh, CEO, Holcim Singapore Pte Ltd
Mr Lee Thiam Seng, CEO, ecoWise Holdings Ltd
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

1      Thank you very much for inviting me to the opening of your new facility this morning. I am always happy to learn of new commitments from leading companies to develop and promote sustainable development practices in key industries.

2      One of the major factors in promoting sustainable development is to optimise the usage of resources for maximum efficiency. The tackling of resource constraints, in particular, has become increasingly important in the wake of the global financial turmoil and the volatility of commodity prices.

3      Alternative resources not only reduces volatility, it also ensures a more level playing field between producing countries and consuming countries. This is even more so for Singapore, which imports most of its resources and is thus vulnerable to the volatility of market prices. Furthermore, in Singapore, with our finite land area, further population and economic growth will exert even greater pressure on our limited resources and possibly put a strain on our environment.

4      Estimates from Shell suggest that after 2015, supplies of easy-to-access oil and gas can no longer keep up with demand. With the increasing pressure on resources and the environment, all countries, Singapore included, will stand to benefit even more from alternative resources and resource efficiency.

5      Over the last 40 years, in fact, Singapore has sought to achieve sustainable development by balancing economic growth and quality living environment. It is a core principle in our national development process. However, sustainable development cannot be achieved by regulation alone. It requires a good partnership between the public and private sectors.

6      The constant consultation and dialogue between the public and private sectors has led to greater awareness and action on the part of various industries. Many industries have also embarked on sustainable development drives with the support and encouragement of the government. Examples include the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark project, where many buildings introduce measures to lower overall energy usage.

7      On our part, we hope that industries will go beyond merely meeting environmental pollution standards, and seek to constantly improve the environmental performances of their operations where possible.

New Geocycle Facility in Singapore
8      Geocycle Singapore’s commitment to the R&D of natural resource efficiency, for one, is a good example of how industries can improve the environmental performances of their operations. It also demonstrates how business and economic success can be achieved through investments in sustainable development technologies. A few key R&D areas will include technologies to achieve greater energy efficiency in buildings, recycling construction waste, efficient building designs to optimize material usage, as well as tropical green architecture. These go hand-in-hand to realise our aim of a sustainable built environment.

9      Specifically on construction waste recycling, BCA is also exploring the use of other types of waste, with a focus on transforming waste into products of greater use and value. For example, concrete waste from demolition work can be processed into Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA) and used for higher-value structural grade concrete. Other waste such as dredged material, incineration ash and industrial wastes could also be processed into engineered aggregates for civil works and non-structural grade concrete. R&D in these areas should also be further explored.

10      By finding ways to reuse, reduce and repurpose waste materials, Holcim and ecoWise formalised a partnership to maximise resource efficiency with its alternative resource – used copper slag.

11      The partnership resulted in a joint venture and a new facility – Geocycle Singapore – which processes used copper slag for other uses. I followed with great interest the story of how used copper slag started as an industrial waste material to become a critical raw material of ready-mix concrete. This alternative resource helps to cut down on reliance of sand.

12      Indeed, environmental sustainability is a joint responsibility that both the public and private sectors must tackle. I am therefore gratified by the efforts of both companies in its sustainable development drive and for working in consultation with BCA towards setting standards for repurposing of new alternative resources. The future of sustainable development lies in such determined efforts.

13      Therefore, let me offer my heartiest congratulations to the management and staff of Holcim, ecoWise and Geocycle for achieving this significant milestone in your sustainability drive.

14      Thank you very much.

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