Ecosperity Conversations
Environmental Impact of Food Consumption in Singapore
Globally, food is responsible for almost a third of the planet-warming greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that humans produce in a year. The growing, processing and transporting of food also takes up significant water and energy resources. As existing studies do not fully consider local consumption or import patterns in Singapore, it has been difficult to understand the environmental impact of food that the country consumes.
Dr Jonathan Low, Group Manager and Scientist at the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), will share key findings from a study by A*STAR and Deloitte that quantifies the global environmental impact of 13 key food items consumed in Singapore.
Using a Life Cycle Assessment approach, Dr Low will talk about the environmental impact of food consumption in Singapore, using three key indicators: GHG emissions, water consumption and energy consumption. He will also touch on possible pathways which could meaningfully reduce the environmental impact of food consumed in Singapore.
Programme
Dr Jonathan Low
Group Manager and Scientist, Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Soh Hui Qing
Associate Director, Sustainability & Stewardship Group, Temasek
About the speaker
Dr Jonathan Low S.C.
Group Manager and Scientist, Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech),
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Dr Jonathan Low S.C. received his B.Eng. (Hons) and M.Sc. from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, and his Ph.D. from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Prior to his graduate studies, Jonathan spent his early career honing his technical skills at one of the largest multinational electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company in Singapore.
Over the years, Jonathan has been involved in research covering the scope of life cycle analysis (LCA) and data science approaches in the application domains of waste management, industrial symbiosis and circular economy. He is also a certified trainer under Singapore’s Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) framework who has trained over 100 participants from the industry to conduct carbon footprint assessment.
Jonathan is currently leading the Sustainability and Life Cycle Management Group and is responsible for the research direction as well as capabilities development of the group. He is also the Industry Initiative Lead for Life Cycle Management under the Sustainable Manufacturing Centre and through this role, engages the industry and develop strategies to drive industry adoption of sustainable manufacturing technologies.
Attendance to Ecosperity Conversations is by invitation. For more information, contact us at ecosperity.convo@temasek.com.sg.
