BT, UOB extend deadline for Sustainability Impact Awards to Apr 30

INDIVIDUALS and companies have till Apr 30 to submit their nominations for the inaugural Sustainability Impact Awards organised by UOB and The Business Times (BT).

The award seeks to recognise people and businesses who have had a positive impact on the environment and community.

On Thursday (Mar 23), BT editor Chen Huifen said: “We received feedback that the deadline for submissions may be too tight for potential participants, some of whom are also in the midst of preparing the sustainability reports for their organisations.

“After consulting with the judges, the organisers have decided to extend the deadline by another month.”

To identify and assess impact, the award will look at core attributes of significance – how well and how far needs are addressed – and leadership, which speaks of the influence that nominees have had. Achievements will also be weighed based on advocacy, scope, duration and depth of impact. 

Professor Lawrence Loh, director of the National University of Singapore’s Centre for Governance and Sustainability, which developed the assessment framework, said that it is important for companies to go beyond measuring output and outcome. 

Giving an example of a bottle recycling campaign run by a mall, Prof Loh said that looking at output would entail measuring how many retailers offer that option to return.

But measuring outcome could involve counting how many customers participate in returning bottles for recycling. 

In the same vein, measuring impact would require companies to calculate how much in carbon dioxide has been reduced or how often customers recycle after the campaign ends, the professor added.

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The panel of judges, which include Chen and Prof Loh, may also conduct site visits and interviews with shortlisted candidates to better assess the impact they have made. 

Besides Chen and Prof Loh, the other judges are City Developments group general manager Chia Ngiang Hong, Enterprise Singapore managing director and chief operating officer Jeffrey Siow, Singapore Exchange Regulation head of listing policy and product admission Michael Tang and 360 Dynamics managing founder Theresa Goh. The judging panel is led by Lee Chuan Seng, chairman of the National Environment Agency.

Individuals applying should display attributes of good governance in terms of leadership, stakeholder engagement and compliance with rules. They should be based in Singapore and come from entities with a clear purpose such as businesses, social enterprises, charities and non-governmental organisations.

For enterprises, having environmental, social and governance practices are prerequisites, while their achievements in collaborations and innovations can earn them bonus marks.

Nominations can be submitted at https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/events-awards/sustainability-impact-awards/submit-now.