Cheryl Tan
Jan 28, 20214 min
Updated: Aug 30, 2021
We speak to Daniel Yeow, Founder of The Social Space, on electric cars, sustainability as well as how organisations should approach it.
Yes, I think so. Maybe not immediately, but I think if electric cars are made more accessible. With electric cars that can cover all ranges, from a luxury high-performance car all the way to your family sedan and if it was a reasonable price, I think I would. But there would also be concerns with the availability of charging ports and if it wasn’t available, how then can we charge, and how long would it take to charge your car?
I think we’re improving, we’ve improved, there’s a lot more that can be done, but what the government is doing, what organisations are doing, there’s a lot more focus being placed on sustainability.
And when I say sustainability I don’t mean just caring for the environment, tackling climate change and environmental degradation, but things like poverty, improving the lives of people in general and helping communities.
I think a lot more is being done, for example, encouraging more individuals to use electric vehicles, for example, they have introduced things like lower tax rates or first-time owner grants to make it more accessible. This is really more than just talking the talk, it’s really walking the way.
If you think about how technology has evolved? That boom in technology led to certain climate changes, there were some quite negative consequences towards the climate with carbon emissions and the likes.
I think now that we are moving forward, the emphasis has to be placed on the environment. So for example, even things like how food waste is managed.
I do think that technology has a big, big part to play and needs to be developed in a very responsible manner but I think a lot of thought in this current day and age is being put in towards how technology is developed.
I think a lot of the demand is driven by consumers. So I think that in general, consumers are becoming more aware and a lot more conscious about what they’re buying, not just the product they’re buying, but the lifestyle that they’re buying.
It’s very important organisations and government bodies come on board to support the cause. I think fighting climate change is not just an individual responsibility, but a collective one.
It’s what we try and encourage with our store as well, it’s about making small consistent steps towards change, encouraging change.
I think sustainability is still quite niche, the idea of our business is built around all things sustainable. We contribute not just towards the betterment of environments, but even the community and social causes, so it’s a movement.
You start something small first, and when people notice and people see that, hey, there is some demand, hopefully, more come on board and small things, I believe, lead to much bigger things and yeah, that’s our dream, that’s our vision.
You mentioned a very important aspect of our business, which is education. To give you an example, if a corporation were to come up to me and say, hey, we want to buy 2000 straws. I would actually ask them what for, and if they were to tell me that, oh, it’s meant to be given as a door gift, I would actually refuse the sale.
The idea behind it is that I think it’s about end-users making that conscious choice to change their habits, whether it is to use a reusable straw or to stop taking plastic bags, but by giving it as a gift then it kind of defeats the purpose, right?
For me, I don’t even use a straw, but we sell straws because it’s an option for individuals. While giving an eco-friendly gift is better than the gift not being eco-friendly, but to what point and is gifting really that necessary, especially if it’s going to be, for example, a lucky draw. Do you want to give a metal straw as a lucky draw prize? I think those are opportunities for us to educate. We wouldn’t want to be supporting corporates that are giving it just because they want to appear green, right?
I think you hit the nail on the head, it’s a low impact lifestyle. I think the main thing is about living simply. As consumers, we have a choice in terms of choosing to support businesses that share the same values. It’s also a form of encouragement for smaller businesses trying to do their part for whether it’s the community or environment
This content is brought to you in collaboration with BMW Asia.