Sustainable Development Goals 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

How We Relate to Sustainable Development Goals 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Similar to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic growth), this goal consists of a wide array of subgoals. We will outline those and how Environmental Solutions (Asia) is related to this field of SDGs.

Aspects of this goal

The first subtarget is to develop reliable infrastructure for everyone. In relatively rich countries like Singapore, this goal seems to be fulfilled already. Still, infrastructure requires continuous improvement. Therefore, Singapore right now develops the mass rapid transportation system even further with the introduction of new MRT lines and connections. In other African Asian cities like Jakarta, people still lack sufficient infrastructure for transportation so air pollution, traffic congestion and negative ecological consequences are much higher there.

The second subtarget is to foster sustainable industrialization especially in developing countries. This, however, can also be seen from a critical point of view. Industrialization in its beginning is associated with a lot of environmental problems. The goal to double the share of industry in developing countries will heighten pollution levels even more and lead to increasing greenhouse gas emissions. The goals do not specify how sustainable industrialization can be conducted. But certainly, we need to take into account that there is not one “industry” but many different kinds of industries that have different impacts on the environment surrounding them. We should not overall see a higher GDP share of industry as a goal but consider which activities the respective industries pursue. For a sustainable industrialization and to support other SDGs, governmental and business policies should foster low carbon approaches and sustainable means of production.

Goal 9.4 emphasizes the importance of sustainable upgrading of industries as well as infrastructure, whilst goal 9.5 specifies the importance of research which enables innovation then. 

How SDG 9 is related to our business

As a medium-sized industrial company, we are directly included in the sub targets of this sustainable development goal. We do not conduct scientific research in university settings, however, we use our experimental lab in order to foster innovation and to develop new recycling solutions. For example, we conducted various experiments and test runs before establishing secondlife, our plastics-to-fuel pyrolysis project in order to test the technology for the various kinds of plastic waste we process.

Moreover, we enable industrial companies to conduct their businesses in more sustainable ways through our operations. Offering base and precious metal as well as catalytic converter recycling services, we give industries a simple opportunity to recycle metal waste in a safe and sustainable way. This in turn also has a beneficial impact on the company itself: Working with us, they can turn former costs into revenues and contribute to the development of a circular economic system.

Through our carbon credits that businesses, NGOs and individual customers can buy, we enable industries to lower their carbon footprint and to include emissions into the cost of their products. This enables companies to lower their carbon footprint in a fast way and provides them with enough time to implement a low carbon approach in their core business. 

If your company wants to be at the forefront of sustainability, and turn your waste to treasure where you can save money or potentially earn revenue from your waste, get in touch with us today.