School Sustainability Challenge

The Competition:
The competition encourages Polytechnic and ITE students to use and enhance their STEM knowledge by thinking of creative and problem-solving ideas around sustainability that can be applied to the manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries in Singapore.

The Background:
The manufacturing industry remains a mainstay of Singapore’s development and growth, contributing up to 25% of the country’s GDP. Within manufacturing, the pharmaceutical and bio-technology sector plays a vital role in the country’s vision of developing innovative pharmaceuticals.
 
The manufacturing industry is however changing, with technology innovation growing and production activities becoming increasingly intertwined with sustainability. Globally, issues around resource scarcity, pollution, environment as well as social and governance issues are impacting how industries and organisations are viewed.
 
Singapore has recently set forth a ‘whole-of-nation’ sustainable movement and a green plan for the next 10 years for industries to commit and develop responsibly around the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Agenda – among the initiatives include using cleaner energy, reducing carbon emissions, keeping the environment clean and saving precious resources.
 
Objectives: 
This competition aims to:

• interest, excite and provide students a unique platform to stretch their imagination and push their boundaries to learn to think global, innovate, create and pitch an idea or concept by making use of STEM and technology.
• provide an opportunity for students to display their innovative ideas and passion while being mentored by volunteers to complement their learning journeys.
• Help increase students’ knowledge and understanding of STEM. Get them excited about STEM
• Enable students to by applying their STEM knowledge to real-life issues in the business world
• Provide students with insights of the work environment in a pharmaceutical organisation

Student Learning Journey:

• Encourage students to apply technology & STEM to their solutions.
• Develop innovation, creativity, design thinking, entrepreneurship, pitching and presentation skills.
• Empower students to be problem finders and change makers.
• Provide training and mentorship from industry leaders.
• Learn to create a prototype to demonstrate their solution to the problem.
• The student teams are to develop an innovative STEM idea or solution that will enable manufacturing facilities in Singapore to be sustainable in their operations and development of products and services.

The Challenge: 
The student teams are to develop an innovative STEM idea or solution that will enable manufacturing facilities in Singapore to be sustainable in their operations and development of products and services.
 
The idea or solution can address one of the following areas:

• Reduction or recycling of Plastics
• Reduction and reuse of Water
• Reduction, recovery or recycling of Waste
• Reduction of energy use
• Sustainable Packaging for pharmaceuticals
• Sustainable Manufacturing Processes