Singapore serves up scoops with a side of climate talk

Singapore has brought a renewable ice cream parlour to Climate Week NYC, serving up scoops alongside conversations on some of the world's biggest climate challenges.

Called "The Zero Parlour", the experience was created by Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and independent creative agency The Secret Little Agency as the first physical expression of Singapore's refreshed "When you're ready" global brand campaign.

Running from 21 to 23 September at Madison Square Park, the parlour invites visitors to use ice cream as a starting point for conversations around the climate issues they care about.

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Visitors first choose a coloured spoon based on the climate challenge they are most passionate or curious about. They are then encouraged to connect with others who have selected the same topic, with conversations taking place around modular benches within the space.

The experience also features an exclusive Singapore-inspired flavour created with Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream. The Rojak flavour combines pineapple custard with fermented shrimp paste and is served alongside some of the New York ice cream brand's signature flavours.

Designed in collaboration with installation artist Sebastian Kite, the circular parlour is built predominantly from cork, a renewable material harvested by removing the bark from cork oak trees. Locally sourced wood is also used throughout the space.

The sustainability concept extends to the servingware, with both the cups and spoons made to be edible, helping the experience minimise waste.

"The Zero Parlour" is intended to bring Singapore's approach to problem-solving into a physical setting, reflecting how the country has had to navigate constraints while pursuing sustainable growth.

"'The Zero Parlour' is what 'When you're ready' looks like when you can taste it. A space that brings people from all over the world together and turns a hard conversation about climate into one people actually want to have," said Nicholas Ye and Mavis Neo, co-chief creative officers at The Secret Little Agency.

The refreshed platform was developed with global brand practice Anak, alongside a year-long global campaign led by The Secret Little Agency. It shifts Singapore's positioning from a welcoming hub towards a destination for businesses ready to tackle ambitious challenges, with the platform aimed at C-suite leaders.

"The Zero Parlour" comes amid a growing use of physical experiences to make sustainability more tangible for Singapore audiences. In July, Lendlease Malls expanded its "You won't believe it's trash" campaign into a year-round platform, "A new lease of life", bringing retailers, students and shoppers together across its four Singapore malls to explore how discarded materials can be repurposed.

The initiative kicked off with a design competition challenging students to turn waste materials into commercially viable products, with the resulting work set to travel across the malls.

Elsewhere, Singapore Oceanarium has also used immersive storytelling to bring environmental issues into consumer experiences. Its 2025 "Hangyodon marine discovery" activation combined Sanrio's character IP with interactive installations and educational activities around marine conservation and ocean pollution, positioning entertainment as a way to make environmental education more engaging.

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