Team behind watchdog app and regulatory body tackling greenwashing wins inaugural NUS Law competition

In Singapore, the demand for sustainable products by climate-conscious consumers has led to the growing prevalence of corporate greenwashing – the act of conveying a false impression or misleading information about how a company’s products are environmentally sound.

Brainstorming ways to tackle this worrying practice was the focus of the inaugural Linklaters Social Impact Competition which saw a multidisciplinary team of NUS students claim the top prize of S$5,000 for their winning proposal “Project Greenify” – a web application to easily verify environmental claims and a specialised regulatory body to conduct investigations into greenwashing cases.

Organised annually by NUS Law’s Centre for Pro Bono and Clinical Legal Education (CPBCLE) and supported by renowned law firm Linklaters Singapore, this inaugural run of the Linklaters Social Impact Competition offers a unique opportunity for NUS students who are passionate about addressing social challenges and sustainability to come together to develop a unique and workable solution to a pressing eco-social challenge. Focusing on the topic of “Corporate Greenwashing and Consumer Decision-Making”, the competition was open to all NUS students, with each team comprising at least one NUS Law and one non-Law student – a competition prerequisite.

The Centre’s Co-Director, Associate Professor Sonita Jeyapathy, said, “We were really heartened by the healthy response the competition had garnered – 13 teams registered to participate and students from various programmes of study registered their interest, including environmental studies, computer science, business, industrial design, data science and mechanical engineering. We are also grateful to Linklaters’ support of this Competition through the Linklaters Social Impact Grant, which is also supporting pro bono activities at NUS Law.”

To kickstart the competition, participants were given the opportunity to network with Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) associates from Linklaters Singapore to better understand the type of ESG issues they typically encounter. Teams were then tasked to develop video trailers to pitch a tool or framework to help consumers identify genuine environmentally friendly products and services, and to recommend a recourse and/or remedy that might be available to consumers to support the same tool or framework.

Seven teams shortlisted for the finals went on to develop a full video pitch and a written report to elaborate on their ideas; impressing the judges with their innovative solutions to tackle the problem.

Taking home third place and S$2,000 was Team Capycheck for their e-commerce solution that taps on the power of large language models to develop a mobile solution for consumers to protect against greenwashing. Second place, along with the prize money of S$3,000, went to Team Green Scale for their proposal to redesign the Singapore Green Label, develop an AI helpdesk on the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) website and for consumers to have direct legal recourse through the Small Claims Tribunal.

The standout pitch, however, belonged to Team Project Greenify, who impressed the judges with their proposal for a web application that acts as a digital watchdog for consumers to identify and report deceptive eco-claims in store, while advocating for a specialised body within the CCCS to focus on investigating greenwashing claims, with punitive jurisdiction.

Linklaters Singapore representative Mr Gary Beh, who was also part of the judging panel, noted the multidisciplinary nature of the teams, emphasising that the problem of greenwashing “is a multi-faceted one which requires a multidisciplinary approach.”

He remarked, “The competition brought together bright minds across diverse backgrounds, with each team presenting insightful solutions aimed at combating greenwashing. It was a difficult decision to pick a winner from the seven finalists, but Project Greenify distinguished itself with a high-quality proposal demonstrating a combination of innovative thinking, practical solutions and potential for real-world impact. Linklaters remains committed to supporting meaningful initiatives such as this competition, and look forward to its future iterations.”

Year 4 NUS Law student Tay Teck Hong who was part of the winning team, said, “Through this experience, we learnt how to collaborate effectively with individuals from different academic backgrounds and adapt as a team to various challenges faced to form a comprehensive solution to a complex multi-faceted problem. The award is a reflection of our collective hard work, dedication, and the valuable lessons we have learnt along the way.”

In keeping with the competition’s ethos, the Centre’s Co-Director Associate Professor Eleanor Wong (who was also one of the judges for the competition) urged the teams against treating the ideas they submitted as “one-use products” and to continue developing them post-competition.

“All the submissions had interesting aspects and all of them can be improved. The reality is that there is a lot more that needs to be thought through to bring these ideas to fruition. Keep re-thinking, re-working and re-tooling them. Years from now I hope to read about some greenwashing initiative in the news…and know that it started in this inaugural run of the Linklaters Social Impact Competition.”

Click here to view the videos that the winning teams and other finalist teams submitted for the competition.

This story was first published on 3 June 2024 on NUS News. Click here for more NUS News stories.