The Matcha Initiative
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Net-zero ambitions require short-term (2030) and long-term (2050) goals fully integrated in your business strategy. Make sure that each of your goals is SMART: Specific, Measurable, Ambitious, Realistic and Timed.
Once you have a better understanding of your company's carbon footprint, define a strategy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions with interim (2030) and long-term (2050) targets in line with your industry's 1.5°C roadmap. Now that you know which part of your business (including upstream and downstream) has the greatest impact on climate change, you can work on your reduction strategy and prioritise actions based on the level of impact and difficulty of implementation.
Benchmarking against peers can provide suggestions for realistic reduction targets to drive your company's strategy in line with the state of the art in your sector.
According to the Science-based Targets Initiative - SBTi, two conditions must be met for companies to reach a state of net-zero emissions:
To increase the likelihood of success,
You can browse The Matcha Initiative's Carbon Reduction Strategy overview and The Matcha Initiative's carbon reductions solutions for a specific topic. Get support! For example, the Matcha Initiative Team and The Matcha Initiative Buddies can provide advice, guidance and support in implementing your sustainability strategy.
Remember, reducing your greenhouse gas emissions is not only good for the environment, it can also help you save money and improve your competitiveness.
An easy tool to use: The Net Zero Roadmap Tracking Template. (download it here in excel format)
Note: Your carbon management roadmap needs to be fully integrated into your overall business strategy, so you need to build your commitments accordingly.
You can show leadership by promoting your achievements and sharing your challenges internally and externally. A more sustainable company has a better image and attracts more talent and partners, including investors. It is also an opportunity to influence your peers and suppliers.
Share your best practices to encourage others to follow your path and become a leader and role model.
a. Internally:
Use internal newsletters, monthly meetings, town halls, events, etc. to promote your work. Your roadmap & achievements will improve the company's image to employees and create more loyalty. You will raise awareness and gain commitment from your colleagues. You may recruit more volunteers to your dedicated teams.
b. Externally:
- You can start small by adding a page to your website to share your vision and values, your carbon management roadmap, some targets or commitments.
- In the long term, it is important to share meaningful reports to regularly update all stakeholders and welcome feedback on your actions.
Beware of greenwashing: trust is very hard to regain once it has been lost. Don't embellish or lie about your carbon management journey and focus on your carbon reduction actions. Greenwashing can also be illegal in certain circumstances; refer to the Green or greenwashing? section.
To go further, companies can choose to disclose and be certified to help improve and better communicate their net-zero strategy. The certification process by an external third party is a key step in aligning with net zero goals. The company will gain insight into best practices and opportunities which can also help overcome the difficulties it faces.
You can demonstrate leadership by promoting your achievements and sharing your challenges both internally and externally. It can also help you meet tax, regulatory and supply chain requirements.
Here are some examples of disclosure / certification programmes you can start looking at:
- LowCarbonSG is a capacity-building programme to enable local companies in Singapore to start monitoring and, where possible, reducing their carbon emissions. Companies that successfully measure and monitor their carbon footprint will be awarded a LowCarbonSG Participant Logo. LowCarbonSG is led by the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC) Singapore, the decarbonisation arm of the Global Compact Network Singapore (GCNS), and supported by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Enterprise Singapore (ESG). By participating in the programme, companies can access carbon management resources such as tools, workshops or information on government grants to facilitate the adoption of sustainable solutions, receive guidance on emissions reduction and gain recognition.
- The Climate Disclosure Project (CDP) helps thousands of companies, cities, states and regions measure and manage their risks and opportunities related to climate change, water security and deforestation and, on behalf of over 590 institutional investor signatories, requests information from the world's largest companies on climate risks and low-carbon opportunities. In addition to meeting the demands of your investors and customers, reporting your environmental data through CDP enables you to protect and enhance your corporate reputation, increase your competitive advantage, uncover risks and opportunities, and track and benchmark progress. In a world where mandatory disclosure is gaining momentum, reporting through CDP also helps companies stay ahead of regulation. CDP also claims to be fully aligned with the recommendations of the TCFD.
- The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). You can also submit your carbon targets for validation to SBTi. SBTi technical experts will review your submission, validate it against their science-based criteria and communicate their decision with detailed feedback that can be used to deepen your company's carbon strategy. Published in October 2021, the SBTi Net-Zero Standard is the world's first framework for corporate net-zero goals that are consistent with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C, and requires the setting of both short-term (5-10 years) and long-term (to 2050 or earlier) science-based targets. They also define a specific pathway for SMEs, recognising that setting a near-term GHG reduction target for your own operations (scope 1 and 2) is the easiest target for the majority of smaller companies to achieve. A commitment that your organisation can achieve means much more than an uncertain longer-term target covering the entire value chain.
The « sustainability journey » may feel overwhelming sometimes, but you are not alone.
Our Buddies have tried, succeeded, failed to implement change in their companies. They share their experience so you can learn, take shortcuts, get inspired and ask questions.
Everybody can become a Buddy and give back to the community; if you are keen, get in touch with us.
With a background in sustainability consulting and audit, Ivona supports businesses in their sustainability journey by building an impactful strategy, embedding sustainable practices across operations, and reporting performance to stakeholders.
She is the founder of Sustainao, a Singapore-based company specialized in sustainability consulting. Previously, Ivona worked as a sustainability auditor at KPMG France. She holds an MBA in CSR & Sustainability and a Master’s degree in Environmental Management.
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As the Senior Programme Manager for Sustainability Validation and Verification at TÜV SÜD, Mei Yee helps organisations add credibility and assurance to their greenhouse gases (GHG) emission assertations and GRI reports by providing third-party verification reports to support organizational claims.
She has six years of experience in the standards development of ISO 30500 and ISO 31800, testing, and certification for non-sewered sanitation systems. Prior to that, Mei Yee spearheaded World Toilet Organization's Rainbow School Toilet projects in China and Sanishop in Cambodia. She is passionate about driving corporate social responsibility and sustainability and has spent more than 18 years in various fields working internationally across teams and cultural boundaries before turning her focus on Singapore to helping companies with their carbon reduction journey. She holds a Masters in Community Water and Sanitation and a Science Degree in Earth Science, majoring in geology and physical geography.
She is a certified WSQ Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance (ACLP) Train-The-Trainer (TTT). Since then, she has facilitated many companies in the training for Green Compass – An environmental assessment framework targeted at SME/ manufacturing industries.
Mun Wei is the founder and principal consultant of SustainableSG, which provides advisory and training services in sustainability, strategy, risk and entrepreneurship.
He has worked with corporate, government and non-profit clients on strategy and implementation, reviewing organizational programmes and targets related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, benchmarking and communicating sustainability and other corporate programmes and achievements, promoting inclusive hiring, developing compliance policies and reports, and formulating innovative business models.
He is also an Adjunct Lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Ching Hu is currently head of the Net Zero Transition Department at Singapore Business Federation, which objective is to drive initiatives to decarbonise Singapore and enterprises, including publishing the Singapore Emission Factors Registry and sector-specific decarbonisation programme for SMEs.
Previously, he worked at Terrascope, which offers an end-to-end decarbonisation SaaS platform enabling enterprises to measure and manage their emissions across operations, supply chains, and portfolios. Prior to Terrascope, he launched the Singapore office of EcoVadis - a global ESG ratings company - which served more than 800 companies within its first year of operations. The ratings include environmental, social, ethics and sustainable procurement metrics.
He started his career with the Singapore Government, spanning portfolios including manpower, education, transport and decarbonisation. Ching Hu graduated from the London School of Economics, SciencesPo Paris, and Oxford University. As an undergraduate at Oxford, he helped launch the inaugural Oxford Climate Forum - the UK's largest student-run climate change event.
Passionate about sustainability and technology, I have spent the last 12 years in Asia-Pacific working on Energy and Sustainability. I am passionate about both of those areas and dedicate some of my time to conducting trainings.
After working for several MNCs and startups, I have founded Qanopy Consulting, a Singapore-based company providing a suite of sustainability services. We use a tailored approach to assist companies at various stages of their sustainability journey.
I worked in Asia for 12 years (Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore) within the digital and technology space. I'm now the Europe Regional Managing Director at Palo IT.
I have founded and run several companies in different sectors such as IT Consulting, Education, and the F&B business.
I am passionate about how to use technology as a force for good.
I'm passionate about walking the talk, breaking the silos within sustainability and making pathways relevant for all walks of life (especially heavy industry) to diversify their current standard operating procedures.
Marita has over 25 years of experience in transforming businesses in the Asia Pacific and internationally, across multiple industries. She combines her experience of starting, growing and running businesses with a passion for sustainability and technology solutions. Her approach to sustainability is a balanced blend of professional methodologies, cultural perspectives, and individual values that drive an organisation to its highest potential, all the while fostering sustainable outcomes for growing businesses.
Most recently, Marita has been helping business start their sustainability journey by understanding their existing carbon footprint and policy settings, and identifying the material categories of emissions and governance gaps. Accurately knowing where you are starting from helps map out an achievable way forward.
Leading business expansion across Australia and Asia has honed her 'startup' skills and further heightened her interest in boosting team capabilities for growth and sustainability. Marita’s technical background and passion for innovations can be leveraged to find new ways of working to generate sustainable outcomes.
Graduated in IT and marketing, Nicolas started his career at SAUTER, a Swiss BMS Supplier, in the HQ in 2008 and has been a product manager for several years. After the successful launch of the first BMS Cloud in Europe, he became business developer in the APAC region in 2015. He relocated to Shanghai for 20 months to be closer to the markets, before moving to Singapore in 2018 where he created and directed the SAUTER APAC Competence Centre until June 2022. Since then, he has taken on the role of CEO at beez-fm, a green tech startup he founded in December 2019.
I'm a freelance facilitator and I provide training, advisory and policy advocacy services to businesses on sustainability, climate change, ESG, circular economy, and related topics. With 33 years of experience, I held roles in India as a CSO in the JSW Group, Principal Counsellor on Sustainability with India's apex industry body CII, and Manager - Sustainability with Procter & Gamble.
Among other achievements, I pioneered Asia’s 1st Sustainability Awards, organised all events at COP-8, created the India Business & Biodiversity Initiative, set up the green building movement in India and co-created the world’s 1st ESG index for emerging economies (S&P).
I have a PhD and MTech in Environmental Engineering (IIT Bombay), and MSc in Environmental Sciences (JNU).
In 2023, I co-founded Greenfinity, a Singapore-based supply chain sustainability venture focusing on sustainable and low-carbon transformation for supply chains. The objective is to help people and companies strategize their sustainability action plans to make a difference for the planet, the people, and the business.
I have a background in industrial engineering and supply chain management and 20 years of multi-national company experience in Europe and Asia, driving best-in-class logistics, manufacturing, customer services, and planning processes (S&OP/IBP). With climate change becoming an additional consideration to supply chain management over the past decade, I decided to help supply chain professionals juggle between achieving the best service, optimal cost, cash efficiency, and now decarbonization.
With 9+ years of experience at Procter & Gamble, I am a leader with a proven track record of working with C-suite and upper management to create and execute sustainability strategies for multimillion-dollar & billion-dollar business. I have experience in cross-cultural collaboration with people in different countries, with internal as well as external (vendors, retailers, etc) partners.
I have been recognised for identifying projects, creating, and leading teams to execute and enable value creation while continuing to decarbonise.
I have certification in SCR (Sustainability and Climate Risk) and GRI standards. I studied my Masters in Conservation Biology.
Quentin has over 15 years experience in Responsible Value Chain. He started as a Sustainable material experts to slowly cover the entire Value chain and life cycle of products. In Singapore, Quentin worked for Accenture in Sustainable Value Chain Strategy. On the side, Quentin created LoSiam - Le Laboratoire Olfactif du Siam - and chairs now its board.
With over two decades of experience in enterprise software and consulting, I've dedicated my career to helping organizations leverage technology to achieve their business and sustainability goals. At SAP, I led the launch and growth of Sustainability Cloud solutions across 25 industries.
My expertise spans digital transformation, strategic advisory around business models and process change which is crucial for any company that wants to embed sustainability in their core business strategy and operations.
IT solutions that cover sustainability have become essential for any company, big and small, and I can guide companies to find the right one, being an expert in solutions that cover Holistic ESG steering and reporting, Climate action and carbon accounting, Circular economy processes like responsible design, waste management, recommerce, and material traceability, Sustainable procurement and responsible supply chain, Protecting employee health and safety.
Currently, I'm working on GreenFrog.ai, a program exploring 3 domains: how to make IT greener, how to use IT to greenify your business (“IT for Green”) and how AI can accelerate sustainability strategy, transformation roadmap definition, and solution identification for companies. I am keen to work with any CSO or sustainability consultant to discuss how to augment their impact using tech, and especially AI agents.
I'm an environmental strategist with ten years of experience transforming small teams to become more sustainable via capacity-building, learning from best practices of other teams elsewhere, as well as agile team management methods with scientific experimentation in person to verify hypotheses from case studies.
With more than 7 years of experience in the Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) Industry, I'm passionate about enabling organizations to drive improvement that produces exceptional business outcomes using international standards. I have worked with hundreds of organizations to embed international standards, drive excellence, and achieve certifications for their businesses.
I am Willoughby Niki Lee, a sustainability and technology advocate with a deep commitment to community development and digital trust-building. My journey spans roles in the private, public, and non-profit sectors, where I’ve combined my expertise in engineering and AI to create impactful social initiatives. As the founder of TinkerThings Global and a trainer with Singapore International Foundation, I work to bridge technology and community needs, focusing on projects that empower youth, seniors, and underserved groups. My goal is to leverage digital tools to foster inclusivity and resilience, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals and promoting sustainable futures.
I have consistently gravitated towards opportunities that enable me to explore, learn, and contribute to a greater purpose within an organisation. As an advisor, I focus on developing sustainability strategies and managing sustainability transformation for large organisations. I specialise in sustainability advisory (both strategy and reporting), impact investing, stakeholder engagement, and climate action, and my expertise and passion align with driving positive change. I have actively advocated and participated in foundations, as well as not-for-profit partnerships, in the Asia Pacific region. Currently, I am in the media space leading Dentsu’s global ambition to be a recognisable, purpose-driven company. In this role, I am dedicated to supporting brands in achieving their sustainability goals through innovative strategies and initiatives.
