Republished from Asia Pacific Food Online: Original article here.
The Liveability Challenge Tackles The Triple Threat Facing AsianCities Of The Future
The Liveability Challenge—anew, global call for game-changing solutions to grow food, package products,and reduce carbon emissions in cities located in the world’s tropical belt waslaunched in Singapore. The best proposals stand a chance of securing the grandprize of up to S$1 million in funding, as well as other resources andopportunities to further develop their solutions. The Liveability Challenge ispresented by Temasek Foundation, organised by Eco-Business, and convened byClosed Loop Partners, in partnership with Ecosperity Week 2020.
The third edition of the Challenge is inviting project proposalsin the areas of Urban Food Production, Circular Packaging and Decarbonisation,where the critical need for innovation reflects the size of the businessopportunity available. Proposals are welcome from 14 January to 17 April 2020and can be submitted via the official website of The Liveability Challenge(www.theliveabilitychallenge.org).
The chosen themes support the United Nations’ SustainableDevelopment Goals 2 (Zero Hunger), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure),12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action).
Mr Lim Hock Chuan, Chief Executive, Temasek FoundationEcosperity said: “Global hunger is on the rise; and the past four years havebeen the hottest on record, with carbon dioxide concentration levels continuingto rise. We hope The Liveability Challenge 2020 will highlight the valuableopportunities present in these areas of need and catalyse impactful solutionsthat can accelerate the transition to a more food secure, resource-efficientand decarbonised future.”
Since the first edition in 2018, The Liveability Challenge hasseen rapid growth in interest among the business, government and civil societyand has become an annual highlight in Singapore’s calendar of sustainabilityevents.
“The Liveability Challenge has grown to become a highlight forAsia’s sustainability community, and is now fast expanding to folks in thescience and technology space. As businesses and governments continue to work onsocietal solutions around climate change, we welcome participation frompotential partners, especially from the food, packaging and energy sectors tojoin us in supporting this year’s challenge,” said Ms Junice Yeo, Deputy ManagingDirector of Eco-Business, who added that the third edition of the Challengeaims to walk the talk of sustainability.
Carbon emissions resulting from this year’s event will be offsetand recorded in an impact report to be published after July.
Mr Limsaid: “There is growing momentum to adopt sustainable practices and innovationsto build a more liveable environment. With the support of our partners, TheLiveability Challenge has attracted many applicants with high-quality proposalsleveraging science to exploit potential business opportunities. As a championof sustainability and liveability, Temasek Foundation has provided support tothe winner of last year’s Challenge, Sophie’s Kitchen, to develop itsplant-based protein that can be produced in a more economically viable, urbansetting.”
Through The Liveability Challenge and other channels, TemasekFoundation seeks to bring together an ecosystem of innovators, funders,investors, platform providers and professionals, and excite them to source,catalyse and advance impactful solutions towards eventual successfulcommercialisation, as a first step to making a positive difference to theeveryday lives of city dwellers in Singapore and beyond
