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As part of Sustainable Sentosa strategic roadmap, Sentosa targets to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and become a globally recognised, certified sustainable tourism destination.
Singapore – Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) is committing to major goals in the next phase of the Sustainable Sentosa strategic roadmap, in support of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 to build a sustainable Singapore, and safeguard a greener world for future generations of Singaporeans and global visitors. Unveiled today, the landmark roadmap, which builds on the island’s past sustainability efforts and unique value proposition, will see the Sentosa community first focusing on six key areas1 to achieve the island’s dual goals of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 and becoming a globally recognised, certified sustainable tourism destination.
Ms Thien Kwee Eng, Chief Executive Officer, SDC, said, “As a prominent island destination that is home to an ecosystem of leisure experiences and businesses, Sentosa is a microcosm of Singapore, and provides a unique environment to trial and implement innovative solutions that can advance Singapore’s sustainability journey. This is a journey that requires a collective effort, and we are proud to be launching the Sustainable Sentosa strategic roadmap with strong support from our island businesses and partners. Through these efforts, we will strengthen Sentosa’s position as a beloved getaway for Singaporeans, and as a sustainable tourism destination. We look forward to implementing meaningful initiatives that inspire Singaporeans and businesses to take action towards a sustainable future.”
In line with Sentosa’s goals, guests and businesses will see the launch of various sustainability-focused initiatives and experiences, creating an important ecosystem for solutions, education, and ideas in the nation’s sustainability journey. The initiatives include:
Goal 1: Achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2030
Key Focus Areas:
Launch of Singapore’s First Carbon Neutrality-Focused Business Alliance, in tandem with Broadening of SDC’s Sustainability Partnerships
The Sentosa Carbon Neutral Network (SCNN) aims to collectively achieve Sentosa’s carbon neutrality by 2030. Comprising 17 founding members, the SCNN including SDC will collaborate to implement various initiatives, with the collective potential to reduce carbon emissions by up to 30%, compared to 2019 baselines. Through collaborations with other like-minded partners across public, private, and non-profit sectors, SDC will also be studying possibilities for carbon and waste reduction, as well as education and advocacy. (please see Annexes A & B).
Harnessing Renewable Energy
As part of SDC’s partnerships, SDC will implement new infrastructure solutions for carbon mitigation, with a focus on studying solutions to harness renewable energy, such as solar and tidal energy, as well as waste-to-energy generation. Waste-to-energy systems will facilitate a circular economy, as Sentosa moves towards becoming a zero-waste precinct. Collectively, these projects have the potential to generate sufficient renewable energy annually2 to offset the emissions of approximately 300,000 hotel room nights (please see Annex B).
Greening Transportation and Infrastructure
Transport: Come 2025, 100% of Sentosa’s on-island public transportation will be electric, with electric buses to be progressively deployed in Sentosa from 2022. As a start, Sentosa’s fleet of beach shuttles have been fully-electric since 2020, and an electric bus trial with ComfortDelGro Bus will begin in October 2021. All SDC-owned carparks will also be electric vehicle (EV) charging-enabled by 2030.
Infrastructure: All new SDC-owned buildings will be constructed to attain Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy (SLE) certification.
Goal 2: Become a Globally Recognised, Certified Sustainable Tourism Destination
Key Focus Areas:
Robust Sustainable Tourism Offerings
Sustainability-themed tours: Through a series of new sustainability-themed tours to be progressively launched from December 2021, guests will better understand the importance of sustainability through an immersion into the unique heritage, biodiversity and nature in Sentosa as well as neighbouring islands (please see Annex C).
Connecting Sentosa to the Southern Islands: SDC is launching a new gateway to the wider Southern Islands archipelago, with a new ferry jetty at Sentosa Cove Village offering ferry services from the fourth quarter of 2021. The jetty will extend the Sentosa getaway to its neighbouring islands by offering Sentosa’s guests convenient access to a rustic eco-destination. Together with partners, SDC will also launch new sustainability-focused leisure experiences at the Southern Islands.
Greening Businesses and Guest Experiences
In collaboration with island businesses, SDC will roll out guidelines by 2022 to encourage all Sentosa businesses to strengthen their sustainability practices through initiatives, such as reducing disposables, increasing locally-sourced produce, and adopting renewable energy solutions. Sentosa will also offer green options for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions (MICE) and wedding packages by 2022, which will include options to neutralise the events’ carbon footprints.
Achieving Global Accreditation by 2022
Sentosa will benchmark the island’s offerings against international standards, such as that of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC3). Sentosa targets to be certified by GSTC as a sustainable destination by its Golden Jubilee Year in 2022. Such benchmarking efforts will be supported by island policies and programmes that preserve and enhance Sentosa’s natural and heritage assets against developmental and leisure needs.
1. As SDC continues to build on the island’s sustainability efforts, additional areas of focus may be introduced to meet Sentosa’s long term goals.
2. Based on a study done by ENGIE Impact, a consulting firm helping organisations accelerate their sustainability transformation, these projects are estimated to have the potential of generating up to 19.5GWh of renewable energy annually, which can offset an estimated 8 ktCO2e.
3. The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) manages global standards for sustainable travel and tourism, and acts as the international accreditation body for sustainable tourism certification.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
