Circular Textile Standardisation for Indonesia
Indonesia’s textile sector is a priority for circular economy transition, yet many industry actors lack practical knowledge of circular economy standards, life-cycle thinking, eco-design, and credible measurement. Without shared frameworks, firms and policymakers struggle to translate sustainability ambition into measurable action. The challenge is to build common understanding across businesses, government agencies, and implementation partners so circularity can be assessed and adopted across textile value chains.
Working with the United Nations Environment Programme and Indonesia's Ministry of National Development Planning, with support USD400,000 from the Danish government, Prof. Adrian Kuah, JCU Professor of Strategy and Sustainability, applies his international standards expertise to Indonesia’s circular economy priorities. The InTEX Indonesia programme supports capacity-building for textile industry actors, policy makers and pilot organisations across six regions. It introduces ISO 59000 standards, life-cycle assessment, eco-design, and textile-relevant measurement practices, equipping participants with practical tools to improve environmental performance, align business decisions with credible sustainability frameworks, and support circular transition across textile value chains.
Prof. Kuah's ongoing work supports Indonesia’s Circular Economy Roadmap and National Action Plan 2025-2045, where textiles are a priority sector. By helping around 200 textile actors, 30 policy makers and 10 pilot organisations across six Indonesian regions gain standards-based circular economy knowledge, he strengthens industry capability, builds institutional readiness, and supports more credible implementation. His work creates wider societal impact by encouraging better resource use, reduced textile waste, and practical movement from policy ambition toward circular adoption across Indonesia’s textile ecosystem.
Blind Boxes Consumer Risks in Singapore
Blind boxes are increasingly popular across Asia, especially among youths and collectors attracted to surprise-based purchasing. Yet these retail practices raise concerns about excessive spending, compulsive buying, and gambling-like psychological triggers linked to uncertainty, reward anticipation, and repeated purchases. In Singapore, public debate on blind box regulation has highlighted the need for clearer understanding of where entertainment-driven consumption may become harmful, particularly for younger or more vulnerable consumers.Dr. Nurhafihz Noor, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, translated consumer behaviour and marketing research into accessible public insights through several national media engagements. In an interview on MoneyFM 89.3, he explained how blind box strategies use uncertainty and reward anticipation to encourage repeat purchasing. Through Channel NewsAsia, he further introduced concepts such as demarketing, ethical marketing, and responsible retail practice into mainstream discussion. His work helps policymakers, businesses, educators, parents, and consumers better understand the behavioural risks behind emerging pop culture retail trends.
His engagement translates academic knowledge into accessible public insight for consumers, parents, educators, and wider society. His ongoing discussion contributes to policy-relevant debate on whether blind boxes require greater regulatory attention. By positioning his marketing expertise within a live public issue, he helps shape understanding of ethical marketing, demarketing, youth vulnerability, consumer well-being, and responsible retail practices. This strengthens public awareness and supports more informed conversations among regulators, businesses, and consumers.
Navigating Talent Management in Singapore
Organisations in Singapore face growing challenges in attracting, developing, and retaining talent amid shifting workforce expectations, skills shortages, and changing workplace dynamics. Yet there remains limited industry-focused evidence on how Australian businesses in Singapore are responding to these workforce pressures and preparing for future talent needs.
Led by Dr Tan Sook Rei, Senior Lecturer in Economics, together with A/Prof Pengji Wang, Dr Tan Kim Lim, Dr Ratna Devi Pillai, Mr Sun Ren Jie, A/Prof K Thirumaran, and A/Prof Jacob Wood, in collaboration with AustCham Singapore and the Centre for International Trade and Business in Asia, the project produced the 2025 AustCham Singapore Business Sentiments Report, Decoding the D.N.A.S. of Australian Businesses in Singapore. The report examines talent attraction, development, retention, and future-proofing, offering practical recommendations for businesses operating in Singapore.
The report demonstrates applied industry impact by translating workforce research into practical insights for Australian businesses operating in Singapore. Presented at an industry launch attended by business leaders, practitioners, and academics, the report supported knowledge exchange on talent attraction, development, retention, and future-proofing. The project strengthens industry-academic collaboration between James Cook University Singapore, AustCham Singapore, and the wider business community by addressing real-world organisational challenges through applied research.
Empowering Women in MSMEs with AI
Women entrepreneurs leading micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) often face barriers to AI adoption, including limited digital skills, constrained resources, lack of accessible guidance, and uncertainty about how AI can create practical business value. As Singapore accelerates SME digital transformation, women-led MSMEs risk being left behind if support remains too technical, generic, or difficult to apply. There is a need for a practical, confidence-building framework that helps women entrepreneurs understand AI, identify relevant use cases, and apply AI tools to improve productivity, resilience, and sustainable business growth.
A research team from the Centre for International Trade and Business in Asia, led by Dr Tan Kim Lim with A/Prof Wang Pengji, Dr Nurhafihz Noor, Mr Sun Renjie, and Dr Leigh-Ann Onnis, collaborated with Connected Women Singapore to develop EMPOWER: AI Playbook for Women Entrepreneurs in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. Based on in-depth interviews with 22 women MSME entrepreneurs, the playbook introduces the EMPOWER framework: a structured, practical roadmap that combines strategic insight with hands-on guidance to help women-led MSMEs adopt AI for business growth, operational efficiency, and long-term resilience.
The EMPOWER playbook demonstrates emerging societal impact by supporting women MSME entrepreneurs to participate more confidently in Singapore’s AI-driven digital transformation. As women-owned companies in Singapore have grown significantly, the playbook addresses a timely need for accessible, practical, and confidence-building guidance on AI adoption. By translating interview insights from women entrepreneurs into a structured framework, the project addresses digital capability gaps, supports inclusive enterprise development, and enables women-led MSMEs to explore AI for productivity. Its collaboration with Connected Women Singapore also strengthens community-based knowledge transfer and widens access to practical AI guidance.
Sustainability In Action: Balancing Business Costs & Growth
The Singapore Manufacturing Federation convened 98 SME leaders for a 2.5-hour workshop on translating sustainability into structured business strategies. Prof. Adrian Kuah shared his work on circular economy standards, sustainable change, and trade harmonisation, alongside speakers Clara Kwan of SMF, Sheena Ang of Evercomm, and Bhanu Pratap Rai of SME Centre.
