“We are fighting to keep our oceans clean for the generations to come”
plastic-free,” pledged Malaysian businessman Daryl Foong, general manager of aquarium operator Aquawalk, on behalf of himself and his wife, Melissa Lam, general manager of property developer Senja Aman. “We are fighting to keep our oceans clean for our children and for the generations to come.” Philippine pearl farmers Jacques Christophe Branellec and Mia Arcenas-branellec made a similar pledge. Hong Kong-based William Davies, head of sustainability at Swire Beverages, the world’s fifth-largest Coca-cola bottler, promised that “by 2025, 100 per cent of Swire Beverages’ packaging will be recyclable”. Since the forum, Swire Beverages has announced that it is working with Alba Group Asia and Baguio Waste Management and Recycling to open a state-of-the-art plastic recycling facility in Hong Kong. Scheduled to open in 2020, this new plant should be able to recycle all of the PET and HDPE plastic used in the city. Thailand’s Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, executive vice-president of Sukosol Hotels, pledged that by 2020, the use of single-use plastics would be reduced by 20 per cent in 20 of the group’s hotels. “Sustainability is a big part of our company DNA,” she said. Kent and Emily pledged to help sustainable and socially responsible companies get the investment backing they need to compete in a world that expects more from its entrepreneurs. Emily, who as the mother of two, said she was driven by a desire to make the world a better place for the next generation, adding that she would like to see more women lead companies. Goalblue’s May pledged to work with 5,000 restaurants in Beijing and Shanghai to reduce their use of plastic and red meat. The production of meat, whose consumption is rapidly rising around the globe, is a big contributor to greenhouse gases and requires vast tracts of land and volumes of water. These are just a few of the inspiring pledges made at the end of the inaugural forum. And the exchanges didn’t stop when the curtain came down. The conversations that started at the think tank are continuing, with delegates keeping in touch and bouncing ideas off one another on an almost daily basis. We look forward to seeing what they come up with next.
To see the pledges made by the participants of the Asia Tatler Sustainability Forum at Soneva Kiri, go to singaporetatler.com