Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore (APB Singapore) announced on Tuesday a pledge of S$300,000 to set up the first water education fund in Singapore.
The APB Singapore Water Education Fund - set up in partnership with the National University of Singapore (NUS) - will be hosted at the Van Kleef Centre to support water education, research and overall water conservation in the country for three years.
The centre, a research facility formerly known as the Aquatic Science Centre, was established by the Singapore-Delft Water Alliance, a joint partnership between leading Dutch applied research institute Deltares, PUB and NUS, to carry out research on intelligent strategies for sustainable solutions to urban freshwater management.
Singapore has been recognised for its successful water management policies around the world in recent decades. The island-nation is becoming the centre for global water affairs, due in part to local companies leading in water technologies.
APB Singapore, while a regional beer titan, is a staunch water advocate. The company has led several initiatives and the APB Singapore Water Education Fund is the latest in their corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts adding to their corporate sustainability strategy, “Brewing a Better Future”.
This masterplan zeroes in on four key areas where the firm can create the biggest impact: sourcing, responsible consumption, carbon emissions and water.
Their water education fund, which will be managed by NUS, plans to further engage the public on proper water management and encourage participation in community outreach programmes.
According to APB Singapore, one highlight of these future activities is sure to be the venue – Singapore’s first river classroom at Sungei Ulu Pandan.
The ‘classroom’, opened at the announcement of the fund, is more like a park that teaches the public how to achieve clean waterways through features such as a sedimentation basin and floating wetlands. This hands-on learning site is a project of the PUB’s ABC Waters Programme.
PUB is Singapore’s national water agency and their Active, Beautiful and Clean (ABC) water drive aims to turn the country into a city of gardens and water, on top of their main mission to have a sustainable supply of water for all.
The agency acknowledged APB Singapore’s efforts towards the same goal. They presented the company with a PUB ‘Our Waters Steward’ certificate to honour APB Singapore as an active water steward in the country.
Samson Wong, APB Singapore general manager, said, “We relate to the pressing global issue of water scarcity particularly in the context of being a water-intensive brewing company in Singapore. As such, we are eager to embark on our water stewardship strategy, which aims to use water efficiently and to redress the water balance through community or ecological programmes.”
“Through the fund, we hope to encourage more members of the public to join us as citizen water stewards by firstly raising awareness and educating them about urban water management and conservation, as well as, their role in this nationwide effort,” added Samson.
