Not too long ago, running a successful company used to centre on beating the competition at all costs. And many companies, while recognising the need to respond to the dangers of climate change and other related sustainability challenges, believed they could act on their own.

Without realising the breadth of the climate issues at hand, these companies were bound by an old mindset where businesses shied away from non-business related collaborations. However, having taken basic steps to tackle climate challenges such as improving energy efficiency and recycling materials, they are slowly realising the limits of their ability to change things individually.

Driven by the increased awareness of the urgency of the climate crisis and a desire to reduce their environmental footprint, many companies have come to realise that they need each other if they want to take on the challenges of sustainability seriously.

When tackling some of the toughest global challenges, companies and industrial sectors working in partnership can often lead to greater impact through developing more integrated solutions to global challenges together.

Partnerships to benefit the Earth



Procter & Gamble is a prime example of a large global corporation which has taken that step beyond its comfort zone towards sustainable collaboration. The company’s global head of sustainability Len Sauers once told the media that the company has done a lot of work to reduce its own footprint but realised that the work of a single company cannot solve these challenges. Scaling up to drive big changes in order to tackle the world’s pressing climate issues will mean working with competitors, governments and customers.

Examples of sustainable partnerships P&G engaged in include the Plant PET Technology Collaborative - a collaboration between Coca-Cola, Ford, Heinz and Nike aiming to accelerate development of 100% plant-based PET materials and fibres.

Formula One racing also partnered with UK's supermarkets and convenience stores to drastically reduce the energy needed for cooling its refrigerators. Motor racing aerodynamic technology is at the core of a device that redirects the cold air in supermarket fridges to stop it filling the air into the aisles. Williams Advanced Engineering teamed up with a firm called Aerofoil Energy to invent the gadget that attaches to each shelf inside the fridge, redirecting the cold air that is pumped in from above and pushing it back inside. This saves energy that is wasted when cold air from the fridge spills into the store.

Singapore companies are also joining the collaboration bandwagon. A study by WWF and Accenture on sustainability published in March 2021 reported that local companies viewed external partnerships as the key to accelerating sustainability impact in Singapore.

Mikkel Larsen, Chief Sustainability Officer at DBS Bank, was quoted in the study saying, “We believe the largest positive impact we can have in terms of bringing about a low-carbon economy is to actively work with our customers to support their transition to low-carbon business models. This is how we make real impact to the real economy.”

SMEs partner for sustainability

And it’s not just the large corporations who understand the importance of partnerships for sustainability. Mamashop, an eco-living supplier, is mooting the #SupportLocalSG movement by working with other local businesses with similar sustainability goals during this pandemic season.

Through this collaboration, music cafe One Bar Cafe, Japanese eatery Tatsuya SG as well as catering company The Plattering Co are offering some of its deliveries and takeaway orders in Mamashop’sEcoHusk lunch boxes so as to reduce the use of single-use plastics when more customers are packing food due to COVID-19 dining out restrictions.

The collaboration between partners, who share a vision to make the world a better place, is a big leap forward to improving our challenging climate situation.