Four Questions on Sustainability: In Conversation
Corporate Responsibility and Diversity & Inclusion Lead, Malaysia & Singapore
In celebration of World Environment Day, Qi Ni Lee, Corporate Responsibility and Diversity & Inclusion Lead for Malaysia & Singapore, shares some challenges and opportunities she sees in sustainable development.
What does sustainability mean to you?
Sustainability is balancing between meeting our current needs and ensuring future generations continue to have the ability to meet their needs.
To be sustainable also means to be responsible for the environment and communities we live and do business in. From choosing environment-friendlier options to supporting local businesses, sustainability in action is to minimise the impact and maximise the benefits we bring to those around us.
What are the biggest environmental challenges you see in Malaysia and Singapore today?
With Malaysia and Singapore being nations of food lovers, the first challenge that comes to mind is food waste. Malaysia and Singapore generate substantial food waste, where food thrown away on a daily basis can feed over 17 million people1 2 . Reducing food waste is one of Sodexo’s top priorities, where Sodexo runs a data-driven food waste prevention program, WasteWatch. WasteWatch enables Sodexo’s food service sites to track how much food is discarded. Our chefs, supply chain experts, site managers and frontline teams are trained and encouraged to think creatively and innovate in the way we plan, use, and serve food to reduce avoidable waste.
Another challenge is the heavy utilisation of single-use plastics, where we come across single-use plastics such as product packaging, takeaway food boxes and utensils in Malaysia and Singapore almost every day. Sodexo recognises that disposables are a complex trade-off for our food services business, where Sodexo balances between ensuring food security, reducing product damage and waste whilst being aware of the issue of waste. To this end, Sodexo in Malaysia and Singapore has started identifying opportunities to eliminate or reduce single-use plastics from operations, such as eliminating single-use plastic straws and stirrers at all sites. We have also piloted alternatives such as incentivising customers to bring their own reusable mugs.
Has COVID-19 changed the role of sustainability?
Although COVID-19 has led to some setbacks in the reduction of single-use plastics worldwide due to hygiene and safety concerns, sustainability fortunately remains as one of the top emerging priorities. Governments are legislating sustainability-related regulations, businesses are starting sustainability teams and reporting, and individuals are encouraging the adoption of a more sustainable lifestyle. For example, Sodexo continues to work towards its target of 34% reduction in carbon emission globally by 2025.
While sustainability has traditionally been seen as a “nice-to-have”, the speed of climate change and the accelerating scarcity of landfill space mean that time is running out. Just like how mask-wearing and remote working arrangements have become the new normal amidst COVID-19, there is an opportunity for sustainability to gradually become like second nature to individuals and businesses.
What are some opportunities you see our the new normal?
On an individual level, each of us can continue to impact the environment. This World Environment Day, we can start taking small steps to make more sustainable choices in our daily lives. For example, when we are deciding what to eat, we can choose to purchase fair-trade coffee such as Sodexo’s socially responsible house brand Aspretto, and incorporate more plant-based options into our meals. For those of us that are cooking more often while working from home, we can do a quick internet search for wasteless recipes and reduce our individual food waste.
On an organisation level, COVID-19 has accelerated the tech transformation for many companies. Similarly, organisations can take this opportunity to proactively begin their sustainability transformation, by embedding sustainable practices into business processes. For example, Sodexo is embedding the practice of measuring and reducing food waste into food preparation processes, through the rollout of WasteWatch.
2 https://www.towardszerowaste.gov.sg/foodwaste/
Check out Sodexo’s new Sustainability White Paper for tips on how we can build a collective, purposeful future, or learn more about our sustainability commitments: