09 Oct 2025

At the 2025 Apex Gala Dinner & Awards Ceremony on 9 October, we were reminded of why sustainability matters and how powerfully it can move people. As a knowledge partner, the team at the Sustainable and Green Finance Institute at NUS – Deputy Director Prof Zhang Weina, Researchers Tian Sheng, Allan Loi and Fanny Xueqi Or, had a ringside view of some of the finest sustainability practices for businesses to emulate. It wasn’t just a ceremony; it felt like a glimpse of the future we can build together.

To this year’s six winners: congratulations! We feel very privileged to be the knowledge partner of the UNGCNS Apex Awards. Throughout the entire judging process from January to October 2025, we saw a consistent thread: sustainability wasn’t a side project. It was embedded in strategy, leadership priorities, and daily operations – backed by measurable decarbonisation, strong social commitments, and responsible supply chains. Most of all, we saw unwavering resolve from the leadership teams.

Some practices stood out. In the Large Enterprises category, APRIL linked operations to conservation by contributing one dollar to a conservation fund for every tonne of plantation fibre used. Frasers Hospitality invited their guests to cook with ingredients grown in-house, showing how sustainability can be practical and shared.

The Apex Award Winner - Mandai Wildlife Group, built the Eco-Link bridge to give animals safe passage and removed beef from Mandai-operated outlets to reduce carbon footprints. More remarkably, it’s scaling the Owa Coffee – a wildlife-friendly brew that protects Javan gibbons –

Among SMEs, Seven Clean Seas tackles ocean plastic at scale, and issues tradable plastic credits. Constellar tracks carbon footprints across MICE events at Singapore EXPO and adopts on-site solar. Profoto Digital Services Pte Ltd recycles and reuses materials while continuously sourcing more sustainable inputs, proving circularity can be a standard.

These organisations aren’t just reducing harm; they’re building a more sustainable ecosystem. Sustainability isn’t a constraint on business ambitions; it provides the foundation for it

Still, the award night felt more like a beginning. The winners offer both inspiration and invitation. Progress requires many more hands, with consistency and perseverance.

In Singapore, policymakers, experts, financiers, and business partners are aligned to support action. Our hope after the Apex Awards: more companies will step forward, not with perfect plans, but with dedication towards creating responsible enterprises. Measure what matters. Engage stakeholders with empathy. Form coalitions and alliances. Commit for the long haul. 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐨𝐧𝐞-𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧; 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦.

To the winners, thank you for leading with integrity and imagination. To the main organiser, UN Global Compact Network Singapore, Yanni Goh, and the partners who make this ecosystem possible, your role is vital. And to businesses watching from the sidelines, the time to act is now. We look forward to celebrating even more sustainable businesses in the years and decades to come!