Sweeping Statements with Samantha Thian
As we experience what’s likely to be the most profound change to have ever occured in our lifetime, we are delving deeper into concepts of time, space, home, style and cultures of urban living as they present themselves in more raw and stark forms.
We continue to be inspired by those who have carved out spaces within Southeast Asian cities, contributing towards building resilient and sustainable urban communities. We sat down (virtually) with Samantha Thian, founder of Seastainable, a social business that supports marine conservation in Singapore and around Southeast Asia through the sale of reusables such as straws, as she mused about how technology has revolutionised community-building, why being mindful and conscious is the key to not being “busy”, and why sustainability should be more than just an isolated goal for individuals and businesses.
Before you started Seastainable, what were you doing, and how did those experiences motivate you to start Seastainable?
Before Seastainable, I was studying at NUS Business School and I was also part of the NUS Dive Club. I spent a lot of my semesters diving and seeing more of the oceans. In my second year, I became really jaded with what I was learning in school and decided to take a semester off school to work in the Philippines where I did a lot of whale shark conservation research. When I returned to Singapore, I spent the remaining years in university building up the NUS Dive Club in terms of its conservation initiatives. This involved working with an NGO in the Philippines. That experience made me realise that there were a lot of Southeast Asian NGOs and companies doing really good work, but that lacked funding and support for business development. I therefore resolved to continue my passion in developing regional marine conservation by starting Seastainable. Seastainable was able to ride on the nascent plastic-free trend. It was only the second company in Singapore to produce reusable straws, so I saw this as a business opportunity as well.
In my penultimate year at NUS, I also participated as Singapore’s representative in the Young Southeast Asian Leaders’ Initiative (YSEALI) focussing on marine conservation. I modelled Seastainable after a Philippine initiative producing bamboo straws that was discussed during the conference. With the YSEALI network, I was also able to reach out, connect, and engage in information and experience sharing with a lot of projects in the region that were just getting started. Having done a few modules on social business in NUS also helped shape my view that businesses shouldn’t just be about sustaining my way of living, but also about giving back.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when you first started Seastainable, especially in ensuring its financial sustainability?
A common misconception among people is that it is very expensive to start a business. I was really careful that my company had to be financially sustainable so I did a lot of things myself at the start. I designed the website, logo, and managed the social media. The main challenge for me was time. I was fortunate that I had four months after graduation before my full-time job started. I was able to use those four months to build a foundation for Seastainable. Now, I have someone in the Philippines doing marketing for me, and that’s been a big help.
One concept that DDIY enjoys exploring is that of community. Our operations are currently expanding in Southeast Asia and similarly, Seastainable has its operations primarily in this region. Tell us a bit more about what the Southeast Asian community and space mean to Seastainable.
Southeast Asia is an archipelagic region with many islands. It is through the power of the internet that Seastainable has been able to connect. Technology has enabled information sharing. For example, I am partnering with a group called Sustainable Oceans Alliance that first approached me and asked if they could duplicate my business model. I was really happy to share this with them, and it truly demonstrated the importance of having a community and being able to share information within the community. Community doesn’t require physical proximity. You can create a community across oceans. Knowing this, and understanding the need for an easily accessible virtual community, is really important for the Southeast Asian region.
The difficulty in changing user habits towards sustainability, especially in a busy city like Singapore, is that people often choose the most convenient option or the path of least resistance, such as using disposables. What is your message to people who say that they simply have no time for sustainability?
One of the main reasons why I started Seastainable was to create a more positive platform to advance sustainability. I felt like there was a lot of negative noise where people would be really critical of others who didn’t use reusables. I can understand the challenge that people face in trying to reduce their use of single-use plastic, and I think it remains a very big challenge. For example, during this COVID-19 situation, there are some F&B stores which do not allow the use of reusables for hygiene purposes. It’s hard to get around such situations. For me, this whole journey is not about judging others, but really about advancing sustainability in a positive manner. I know that some people will also say that individual action does not matter. But I believe it does, and that the effects of such efforts are simply not immediate nor necessarily obvious. Of course, I believe there ultimately has to be systemic change at a global level. That’s part of the reason why I continue to hold down a corporate career and pursue change not just through Seastainable.
At DDIY, we believe in creating time and space for our members to pursue what they desire. When you’re not busy running Seastainable or working, how do you usually spend your time?
It’s very important to me that I spend my time wisely. When people ask me how I manage my various commitments and whether I’m very busy, I often remind them that we actually have a lot of time. We all have 24 hours in a day. The important thing is being sure and intentional about how one spends his/her time. I do think we need to stop saying “we’re busy” as if it’s a negative thing. I don’t see myself as a busy person. I just see myself as someone who sets aside a lot of time to dive down into the things I want and need to do.
But to answer your question, now that Seastainable is up and running, I’ve decided to “take time back” and focus more on myself this year. I am doing a part-time Masters in Environmental Management at NUS. I also play a lot of tennis on the weekends. That is literally all I do on the weekends! Unfortunately, with COVID, I can’t even do that anymore! But this season has been a good reminder that it is important to slow down and also rethink how we spend our time.
