The Jurong Town Corporation (JTC), in collaboration with Enterprise Singapore, has initiated a substantial innovation call aimed at bolstering the decarbonization efforts of tenants and lessees within the Jurong Innovation District (JID). Announced on June 19, this initiative allocates approximately S$4 million to support innovative solutions focused on minimizing energy and water consumption, reducing waste, and lowering the overall carbon footprint of the district.

The initiative will establish the Decarbonisation Living Lab @ JID, where tenants, public-sector agencies, and private-sector solution providers will collaborate to co-develop, test, and implement carbon-saving innovations. By crowdsourcing proposals through this innovation call, JTC aims to trial new technologies and methods that can later be replicated and scaled for broader implementation.

A multi-agency panel, comprising members from JTC and Enterprise Singapore, will evaluate the submitted proposals, with plans to award projects by early 2025. JTC highlighted that a significant portion of its total carbon emissions is categorized as Scope 3, which arises from sources not owned or directly controlled by the corporation, particularly emissions linked to its tenants and lessees.

To effectively reduce Scope 3 emissions, collaboration with upstream and downstream supply-chain vendors and service providers is crucial. The Living Lab and innovation call will leverage insights from JTC’s customers, who possess valuable knowledge regarding their own sustainability challenges and consumption behaviors.

John Kiong, acting director of JTC’s sustainability department, emphasized that this initiative positions JID as a testing ground for innovative concepts, which can be implemented on both building and district scales before advancing to commercialization. Should the program prove successful, JTC intends to replicate this model in other estates to further reduce Scope 3 emissions across its operations.