CapitaLand has unveiled the six finalists from the hotly contested CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge (CSXC) that will vie for the two top awards at the inaugural Grand Finale on 11 June 2021. The finalists will get a chance to pilot their greentech innovations at selected CapitaLand properties worldwide. The six innovations, comprising a mix of greentech startups and companies from Singapore, China, and the United States of America, stood out from over 270 entries received from more than 25 countries. Four of the companies will be showcasing their innovations for the first time in Singapore.
The six innovations[1] are:
- A portable, self-powered energy generator cum chiller which can generate clean energy and cool air affordably for buildings using ambient heat or waste heat[2].
- A water treatment process utilising photon vibration frequency technology to treat cooling tower water without the use of chemicals or power, achieving 60% to over 90% water savings and 1% to over 5% energy savings.
- An insulating glass retrofit technology that reduces heat gain inside a building, reducing the energy consumption used to heat or cool the building by up to 40%[2].
- The use of innovative construction materials for curtain wall with around 10 times less embodied carbon, and enhanced heat and wind resistance[2].
- A smart waste bin which uses artificial intelligence, robotics and multiple sensors to sort waste with around 90% accuracy to facilitate better recycling efforts[2].
- An indoor air disinfection solution that reduces virus survivability by over 99% within seconds.
The winners of the top two awards will each receive S$50,000 to fund their pilot at CapitaLand properties. Other suitable cleantech and sustainability innovations received among the entries will also be considered for future pilots with CapitaLand. For more information on the six finalists, please see Annex A.
Ms Lynette Leong, Chief Sustainability Officer for CapitaLand Group said: “As a world-class sustainable real estate leader, CapitaLand plays an active role in not only shaping a greener built environment, but to also support sustainability innovations in the ecosystem. As part of CapitaLand’s 2030 Sustainability Master Plan to elevate our sustainability commitments, the CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge provides a global platform for CapitaLand to uncover burgeoning innovations from across the world that could contribute to our sustainability efforts. We are giving these finalists the opportunity to realise their full potential in making a positive impact on the environment. From the provision of funding, connecting them with industry experts, and offering a real-world sandbox to stress-test their inventions, the finalists can iterate faster and accelerate towards commercialisation. Through innovation and collaboration, we aim to step up our sustainability efforts including increasing the use of clean energy while greening our global portfolio, meeting our science-based targets to significantly reduce our carbon emissions intensity, improving portfolio resilience and resource efficiency, and enhancing the indoor environmental health and safety of our building occupants.”
“As a world-class sustainable real estate leader, CapitaLand plays an active role in not only shaping a greener built environment, but to also support sustainability innovations in the ecosystem. As part of CapitaLand’s 2030 Sustainability Master Plan to elevate our sustainability commitments, the CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge provides a global platform for CapitaLand to uncover burgeoning innovations from across the world that could contribute to our sustainability efforts.”
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Watch the CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge Grand Finale Online – Live global broadcast on 11 June 2021, 4pm (Singapore time) or GMT+8
The six innovations will compete in the Grand Finale of the CSXC for the ‘High Impact Award’ and the ‘Most Innovative Award’ on 11 June 2021. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore, Ms Grace Fu will attend the finale as the guest-of-honour.
Each finalist will deliver their pitch, showcasing their value proposition and potential scale of their innovations. They will also address questions from CSXC’s judging panel, which comprises CapitaLand’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Lee Chee Koon and a global line-up of experts from Temasek, The Centre for Liveable Cities, Rocky Mountain Institute and ETH Zurich.
To prepare the six finalists for the finale, they have been paired with CapitaLand executives as well as strategic partners of the CSXC for a mentorship and coaching programme. For more information on the judging panel and the mentorship and coaching programme, please see Annex B.
The Grand Finale and the finalists’ pitches will be globally broadcast live on 11 June 2021 from 4pm (Singapore time) or GMT+8. The broadcast will be available on CSXC’s website and CapitaLand’s Facebook channel.
Winners of the two awards will each receive S$50,000 to fund their pilot at CapitaLand properties. The CSXC will also offer winners and finalists access to its partners’ global innovation programmes, where they get to connect with more potential investors and business partners, receive expert advice and be exposed to potential business opportunities to accelerate the growth of their businesses. Winners will have the chance to showcase their innovations to senior global business leaders, investors and policymakers at the annual Ecosperity Week[3], organised by Temasek, the lead partner of the CSXC.
During the finale, there will be a plenary session titled “Is Sustainability The ‘New Gold’ In Real Estate Investments?”. The plenary session will feature Mr Ben Powell, Chief Investment Strategist for APAC, BlackRock Investment Institute and Mr Steve Melhuish, Founder of PropertyGuru & CEO, Planet Rise, and will be moderated by CapitaLand’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Ms Lynette Leong.
For more information on the CSXC and CapitaLand’s 2030 Sustainability Master Plan, please visit: https://www.capitaland.com/international/en/about-capitaland/sustainability.html and www.capitalandsustainabilityxchallenge.com.
[1] Data provided by CSXC finalists.
[2] Innovations that will be showcased for the first time in Singapore.
[3] Ecosperity Week will take place from 28-30 September 2021 in Singapore.
