Singapore, 15 August 2023 – To celebrate and champion water conservation, PUB announced today that nominations are now open for the Singapore Watermark Awards (SWMA) – the nation’s pinnacle accolade that honours organisations for their exemplary leadership and outstanding achievements in advancing the water sustainability agenda. A new Projects category has also been introduced under the Water Efficiency Awards (WEA), to recognise innovative projects that demonstrate remarkable improvements in water efficiency and raise the industry benchmark.
Managing water demand growth for a sustainable water future
2. Singapore’s water demand is expected to double by 2065. The key driver of demand growth will be the non-domestic sector which is expected to account for two-thirds of our future water demand. Managing non-domestic water consumption is thus crucial for a sustainable water future for Singapore. It is important for all businesses and industries to do their part as responsible water stewards by using and conserving water in a sustainable and efficient way.
Boosting water efficiency in businesses and industries
3. PUB is supporting businesses and organisations in their journey to become more water efficient and has rolled out several initiatives this year to boost water efficiency. Earlier this year, PUB introduced mandatory recycling requirements on new and expansion projects in water-intensive industries with high potential for recycling. We have also enhanced our Water Efficiency Fund so that we can provide higher co-funding for water conservation or water recycling projects by businesses. The enhanced funding serves to incentivise more companies to adopt efficient and innovative ways of managing water demand. To date, 375 successful applications have received grants of varying amounts from PUB, which would result in water savings of around 70 million litres a day when implemented.
Recognising our water champions
4. For businesses and organisations who have been at the forefront of advancing water efficiency and promoting water conservation, the Singapore Watermark Awards (新加坡水源成就奖) and the Water Efficiency Awards (水效率奖) seek to honour their contributions and commitment to water excellence. By recognising our role models and profiling industry best practices, the awards serve to encourage and inspire all businesses and organisations to advance their own water sustainability agenda.
Previously known as the Watermark Awards, the Singapore Watermark Awards (SWMA) is the highest honour given only to the top organisations in Singapore which demonstrate a strong commitment to their water management, sustained efforts in efficient water use, innovation in water conservation initiatives, and active engagement of the community to advocate and catalyse action and support for the water cause.
The Water Efficiency Awards (WEA) recognises the top 10 percentile of water-efficient companies within their respective sectors. With data collected from the Water Efficient Management Plan submitted to PUB, winners will be identified based on the lowest Water Efficiency Index, or highest water recycling rate.
A new Water Efficiency Awards (Projects) category will be introduced to recognise projects that have demonstrated remarkable improvements in water efficiency performance and set the industry benchmark for best practices in water conservation. These include projects that have achieved exceptional water efficiency improvements and/or exceptional execution and delivery to overcome implementation challenges.
Since the inception of the awards in 2007, a total of 65 recipients from different sectors and the community have been recognised for their outstanding contributions towards water sustainability. Past award winners include United Microelectronics Corporation (Singapore Branch), Carlton City Hotel and Qifa Primary School.
5. Mr Goh Si Hou, Chief Executive of PUB said: “Promoting water conservation is integral to ensuring Singapore’s long term water security. Beyond providing financial and technical support for water-efficient initiatives, PUB also wants to recognise businesses and organisations who are taking impactful action on advancing water efficiency and raising the bar for the sustainable use of water. By recognising our water champions and role models, we hope that more businesses and the wider community will be inspired to do their part. The revamped Singapore Watermark Awards and Water Efficiency Awards are also timely, as more businesses and organisations are now pursuing responsible water management and water efficiency projects as an important pillar of their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals. We look forward to partnering more Water Stewards and recognising innovative water efficiency initiatives. Collectively, our efforts will contribute towards a more sustainable water future for Singapore.”
Call for nominations
6. Nominations are open from 15 August 2023 and will close on 30 September 2023. Organisations may submit nominations for SWMA and WEA (Projects) at https://go.gov.sg/swma.
7. Winners of the SWMA and WEA will be announced at an award ceremony in March 2024. This will be one of the highlights of the annual Singapore World Water Day celebrations in 2024, a platform to encourage community initiatives to celebrate water and raise awareness on water conservation in the month of March.
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