Ian Chew
GREENIE Web founder Ian Chew was recently recognised on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list Asia for his outstanding work in sustainability.
His Greenie Web platform helps companies reduce their digital carbon footprint, while his projects such as the “28 by 28” Campaign, aims to teach greener coding practices globally, further demonstrates his commitment to promoting sustainability in technology.
StarESG reached out to him to find out his company’s journey as well as his thoughts on how technology can foster sustainability.
Since starting Greenie Web in 2021, describe how Greenie Web’s journey has evolved over the years
By the time I had incorporated Greenie Web in 2021, I had already been working on digital sustainability for 12 years. A passionate project since 2009, my vision was to address the growing energy consumption in the digital space.
Initially, we focused on optimising website code to reduce carbon emissions, ensuring that every byte transferred over the web had a minimal environmental footprint. Over the years, Greenie Web has evolved beyond coding.
We now offer comprehensive digital sustainability solutions, including capacity building workshops for governments and international organisations and strategy consulting for corporates.
Our journey has been one of continuous growth, driven by a strong commitment to the planet and the support of a global community who share our values.
What are some of the challenges that you have had to overcome to emerge where you are today?
One of the biggest challenges we faced early on was convincing businesses that digital sustainability is an essential part of their ESG strategy.
Many organisations were focused on physical sustainability efforts, like reducing plastic or energy consumption in manufacturing, without realising that their online operations also contribute significantly to carbon emissions.
Educating the market and driving awareness took time, but as more data and case studies became available, companies began to see the long-term value of our solutions.
Another challenge has been staying at the forefront of technological advancements while maintaining our core mission. Balancing innovation with sustainability is a constant effort.
What is the “28 by 28” campaign that you launched ahead of COP28 about, and are you continuing that this year?
The “28 by 28” campaign was launched with the aim of raising awareness and building capacity on digital sustainability in 28 educational institutions, non-profits, ground-up communities, governments and corporates by COP28 in Dubai.
It was a call to action for all stakeholders to take meaningful steps toward decarbonising their digital presence. We organised masterclasses – in offline, online and hybrid formats – to reach out to as many organisations as possible.
The campaign was a great success allowing us to exceed 30 organisations in our inaugural run. The overwhelming response from the first run motivated us to continue the initiative this year as the “29 by 29” programme – with an aim to bring digital sustainability to 29 organisations before COP29 in Azerbaijan.
We’re planning to scale it up to include organisations from even more countries and across more industries, particularly in sectors that have significant online traffic but minimal sustainability practices.
While some technology like Greenie Web helps companies to decarbonise, others—such as data centres and artificial intelligence (AI) — consume a lot of energy. In your view, would these become even more sustainable in the future?
I’m optimistic that data centres and AI can become more sustainable. The awareness around the environmental impact of these technologies has increased significantly, which is already leading to innovations in energy efficiency.
For instance, we are seeing advancements in efficient cooling systems and data centre operations. AI itself has the potential to drive sustainability by enabling smarter energy grids, improving resource allocation, and identifying ways to cut emissions in industries.
The key will be ensuring that sustainability becomes a priority from the design phase of these technologies, not just an afterthought.
What are the upcoming technological innovations that can impact how ESG is practised within Asean and, in a wider scope, the world?
One of the most exciting areas is in AI-powered environmental monitoring, where machine learning can analyse vast amounts of data to predict environmental risks and measure corporate impacts more accurately.
For Asean, the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) in agriculture and urban development has great potential to reduce emissions and optimise resource use, aligning economic growth with sustainability.
Another innovation is the intersection of blockchain and ESG reporting. If built on low-carbon computer code and designed with sustainability first-principles in mind, the carbon footprint of blockchain can be greatly reduced from its current highs and it can then also play a role in sustainability.
Blockchain’s transparency and immutability can revolutionise how companies track and verify their sustainability efforts, making it easier to hold organisations accountable and increase trust with stakeholders.
Care to share what your future plans are for Greenie Web?
Our future plans for Greenie Web revolve around scaling our impact. We aim to expand our services globally, with a particular focus on emerging markets where digital transformation is happening rapidly but often without consideration for sustainability.
We also plan to push harder in creating even more efficient algorithms and tools that can drive digital sustainability.
Another key area is education—we want to empower more businesses, developers, and individuals to understand the carbon footprint of their digital activities and how they can make positive changes.
Ultimately, our goal is to transform digital sustainability from an isolated niche seated at the fringes of society to the mainstream conversation, something accessible to all.
