Driving sustainability

As part of the Top Ten Innovators event in Kuching, the nine entrepreneurs visited a Shell Retail station to collaborate and co-create innovative ideas with Shell operations and marketing employees to enhance the sustainability of the Retail business and support local communities.

Taking the form of a ‘Sustainability Hunt’, the entrepreneurs split into three groups to investigate the sustainability of all aspects of Shell Station Matang’s operations, from energy efficiency and water treatment, to recycling and food products.

Presentations from Shell Station Matang’s manager set the scene regarding the current approach to sustainability, and Shell’s Retail Social Cause Manager, Flavia Ribeiro Pessanha provided an insight about what is being implemented around the world.

Outlining the rationale for the Sustainability Hunt, Joerg Weinke, VP Global Retail Marketing, Shell, said, “It is increasingly important in times of the energy transition to improve the sustainability of our business, but we can’t do this on our own.

“We used the opportunity of being here in Kuching to take the innovators to one of the retail sites we have here, to use their areas of expertise to find new ways to deal with that better sustainability going forward.

“Achieving a truly sustainable business will only be possible by doing things differently. We want to partner with creative thinkers like those in this year’s Top Ten Innovators so that we can leverage their innovative mindset to improve the sustainability of our business whilst supporting them to turn their enterprising ideas into viable and long-term businesses.”

Following a thorough investigation at the site, the entrepreneurs presented their ideas to enhance the sustainability of the retail station to Shell managers at TEGAS Digital Innovation Hub.

The ideas presented by the LiveWIRE entrepreneurs ranged from simple ones such as replacing the existing halogen lights with LED lighting to reduce energy costs, to more complex innovations to make the retail site carbon neutral. The range of innovations suggested, from implementing a new waste management system to harvesting rainwater to flush toilets, and refining power usage by using the in-store refrigeration to decarbonise the incoming electricity while providing an additional source of revenue, provided much food for thought. Joerg Weinke summed up the value of the feedback saying, “It is really great to work together with these highly energised young individuals, to really improve our sustainability moving forward.”

Jeff Wee of WormingUp, the Global Winner of the Top Ten Innovators Retail Supply Chain category, who uses insect farming to recycle organic waste, reflected the appreciation of all nine entrepreneurs in having the opportunity to contribute to improving sustainability in Shell’s retail operation, saying, “We are thankful at being given the opportunity to work with the Shell retail station on the recyclables project to further enhance the greening of the sustainability effort.”