To ensure that Sentosa Island in Singapore continues to develop as a sustainable leisure destination, Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) will transform the resort island into a carbon-neutral destination by 2030 as a key goal in its long-term sustainability plan. It is possible for Sentosa to lead the way in reducing its carbon emissions and trialling new solutions, given the unique island environment and SDC being a single precinct operator working hand in hand with the community on Sentosa.
SDC will identify and work with technology partners to testbed sustainable technologies and concepts on Sentosa, while also bringing on board some 200 businesses within Sentosa to work towards the aspiration of island carbon neutrality.
Sustainability is a key priority and integral design principle in SDC’s journey to create great guest experiences and safeguard Sentosa’s value proposition for generations to come
Thien Kwee Eng, SDC’s chief executive
The ambitious carbon neutrality goal builds on the achievements of past SDC’s sustainability efforts, including technology testbeds, such as Singapore’s first on-demand autonomous shuttle public trial, and engagement of local enterprises through the Sentosa x Enterprise scheme and Enterprise Singapore’s (ESG) Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge. In 2020, Sentosa Golf Club was also the first golf club in the world to join the United Nation’s Sports for Climate Action Initiative, and named “World’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility” at the World Golf Awards.
As the next phase of Sentosa’s sustainability efforts, SDC will focus on key priorities such as:
- Working with businesses in Sentosa to establish an island-wide baseline carbon profile
- Decarbonising energy systems in Sentosa
- Closing the waste loop, such as reducing food waste
- Greening travel options in Sentosa
- Enhancing Sentosa’s digital architecture to optimise and control resources
- Increasing awareness on sustainability and sustainable practices amongst Sentosa’s visitors.
1. Partnership with Temasek
As part of SDC’s collaboration with various partners, SDC and Temasek have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to harness Temasek’s expertise and network of companies in studying and testbedding sustainability solutions.
SDC and Temasek will identify opportunities for sustainability testbeds in Sentosa to lower the resort island’s carbon footprint. These solutions will leverage smart infrastructure to first detect and analyse energy usage, before using the data to engage users and influence consumption patterns, with the goal of reducing wastage.
The partnership will also explore new ways to deploy cooling solutions on Sentosa island and minimise waste going into Singapore’s incineration plants. To achieve these outcomes, SDC and Temasek will jointly engage various island stakeholders, including businesses in Sentosa and guests to seek participation and support to achieve these outcomes.
2. Sentosa’s carbon profiling
As part of the initial steps towards Sentosa’s carbon-neutrality goal, SDC is also engaging the island’s businesses, including hotels, dining establishments, attractions, and other offerings such as its marina club and golf club, on a whole-of-Sentosa carbon profiling initiative. The insights on carbon emissions will set the island-wide carbon profile baseline and guide future carbon mitigation and abatement efforts by various stakeholders on Sentosa.
“Over the last few years, Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa has been focused on reducing our carbon footprint through investments in smart design to reduce the consumption of energy, and tapping on alternative sustainable energy sources such as solar-powered air-conditioning,” said Gavin Weightman, General Manager, Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa. “We are also focused on food waste management and have adopted technology to track, analyse and effectively minimise food waste through our food preparation process.”
