UBS, Ho Bee Land launch campaign using art to spread sustainability message

A SCULPTURE of the endangered Sumatran Tiger made entirely out of trash was unveiled at Gardens by the Bay on Monday (Aug 1) as part of Trash-Sure, a new campaign that uses art to narrate sustainability.

The sculpture - one of the largest upcycled art sculptures in Asia - was done by street artist Bordalo II, a 35-year-old from Portugal whose real name is Artur Bordalo. He has over 240 art pieces in over 20 countries, some of which are used to highlight the global wastage of scarce resources and the need to reduce, reuse and recycle.

The event was presented by UBS and enterprise partner Ho Bee Land, with support from Gardens by the Bay, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, the Singapore Tourism Board, Adplanet Group and various non-governmental organisations.

UBS Asia-Pacific president Edmund Koh said the Trash-Sure campaign is in line with the Singapore Green Plan 2030, a roadmap that charts the country towards a more sustainable future.

“We work with our clients globally on this sustainability agenda and have seen a rise in our sustainability focus and impact investments by 78 per cent, reaching US$251 billion at the end of last year. Collectively, we can achieve so much more. Let’s ride on this strong momentum and position Singapore as a bright green spark to the world,” he said.

The trash collected by the Adplanet Group, UBS employees and Ho Bee Land’s construction partner include end-of-life materials such as plastic hoses, doors, road dividers, traffic cones, trash bins, trolleys, toys and even parts of children’s playgrounds.

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Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, who was at the launch ceremony, said: “(Singapore has) made some progress in waste reduction and recycling, but we have to go a lot further to create a circular economy so that we can make use, reduce, reuse, and also recycle the waste that we have. In this way, we can be a more sustainable city.”