TCS Sustainathon – A Showcase of Tech as a Force for Good

This year’s World Food Day theme is to “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together.” – a timely and pertinent reminder to all of us to re-examine the fundamental relationship between how we consume our food and our collective future. If anything, the pandemic this year has brought our primary needs as a society back into sharp focus. A good example of this would be our food value chain, the scarcity of essential food items around the world, brought forth by hoarding on both individual and national levels, has rekindled an appreciation for something that some of us take for granted: food. 

In 2019, Singapore generated around 744,000 tonnes of food waste, equivalent to two bowls of rice per person a day. The amount of food waste generated in Singapore has increased by about 20 per cent over the past 10 years and will continue to surge with a growing population.

A city-state like Singapore relies heavily on imported food to meet the demands of a growing population; in a time where the pandemic continues to upend global food supply chains, avoiding food waste is even more critical.

Last week, we wrapped up #TCSSingapore’s first Sustainathon challenge – an initiative to inspire and empower young minds to solve real-world environmental problems through technology. Our first edition focused on food waste, one of the Sustainability Development Goals highlighted by the United Nations. Our inaugural #TCSSustainathon challenge could not have come at a better time to demonstrate the critical role sustainability plays in the creation of a better future for all of us.

At TCS, we believe in harnessing innovation for the greater good. I am heartened by the turnout of the competition – there were more than 180 participants and 40 final proposals – all of high caliber, and more importantly, exuded passion displayed by young minds who leveraged the power of technology to combat food waste issues.

My warmest congratulations to:

AORA Consultants: Aamod Mehrish, Ojus Sharma, Raghav Bhardwaj and Aditya Chand

Seeding: Karyn Tshua, Ellie Choun, Chiang Wen Hsin and Tiffani Chew

The Room Temperature People: Hannah Chia Kai Xin, Anna Low Ying Xin, Pyari Chopra and Shanyl Ong

We are honoured that Madam Halimah Yacob, President of Singapore, and Mr Desmond Tan, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment graced the Sustainathon and presented the awards to the deserving participants. It was a truly momentous occasion for TCS and Singapore, and we all hope that the Sustainathon challenge can spark off a greater awareness of food waste within the wider community and help deepen the conversation on how Singapore may continue to work towards a sustainable future.

The young minds of today will be the leaders of tomorrow and I hope the #TCSSustainathon serves as a conversation starter on how Singapore may march towards a sustainable future, and TCS will continue to support Asia Pacific’s ecosystem of young innovators through similar initiatives!

I’d like to thank our Strategic Partners: National Environment Agency, Global Compact Network Singapore and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Singapore. My good friend, Margriet Vonno, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Singapore, was one of our judges but was unable to join us at the event.

As well as our Challenge Partners: People’s Association Youth Movement, Singapore Airlines and Sodexo, whose support and participation brought the event to fruition.