There are lots of things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. You don't have to do everything at once. Take it one step at a time, choosing the actions that are right for you, your business, your assets and equipment, your location, your goals, your budget. Not all solutions work for everyone. Think efficiency and electrification first, phase out fossil fuels and coal if you have not already done so. Look at the risks and opportunities of climate change mitigation and adaptation for your own activity. You are future-proofing your business.
A technical audit of your premises will assess the potential for reducing carbon emissions from the buildings your company operates.
When it comes to energy, the four steps to reducing the carbon footprint of buildings are as follows:
Think also about energy conservation. The best efficiency is the energy that is not used! In Singapore, for example, the air-conditioning target for offices should be set above 25°C and not less than 8°C below the outdoor temperature: this setting provides healthy thermal comfort for people and reduces energy consumption.
Air conditioning releases other greenhouse gases: efficient maintenance of these refrigerants is key to reducing these specific emissions.
Significantly reducing the carbon footprint of buildings while improving health and well-being is achievable through
A strategic approach is needed to be successful.
You may want to investigate ISO 50001 - Energy Management Systems for a standardized approach.
If you are a tenant, you will need to negotiate with your landlord to share data and action plans. You may also want to change location and negotiate a green lease to improve the performance of your buildings. The Building Construction Authority (BCA) has developed a Green Lease Toolkit to help landlords and tenants work together to improve the environmental performance of buildings.
Browse The Matcha Initiative "Green the Office" and "Digital Footprint & IT" for more best practice and carbon reduction solutions.
As described in the IPCC report, [companies] can reduce direct (tank-to-wheel) greenhouse gas emissions from passenger and freight transport by:
Here are some examples of decarbonisation measures to reduce emissions from transport & mobility:
Goods & products Freight transport:
Stakeholders mobility:
Optimize processes, products and services. Reduce packaging & waste...
When designing a product, a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) can be useful to assess the carbon footprint of the products you sell, including when they are used, recycled or disposed of by your customers. You probably know your own manufacturing process very well. As part of your analysis, you could measure the resources you use such as water and energy, brainstorm with your engineers to generate new ideas to optimise the process, evaluate alternatives or identify specific R&D areas.
To be successful in driving change, awareness and engagement of your team will be key at every stage.
Here are some examples of decarbonisation actions for your product/service:
- Eco-design to reduce the amount of water and energy used during the lifecycle of products (including the usage phase), and to reduce waste disposal at the end of life.
- Implement Circular Economy initiatives (e.g. waste reduction, recycled materials for packaging, leasing of machinery)
- Purchase lower carbon goods/services/materials (e.g. low carbon food ingredients if you are a food business)
- Increase repairability to extend the life of products sold. This could be an opportunity for a new line of business.
Here are some examples of decarbonisation measures for your production process:
- Energy and water audit or monitoring system for production processes/equipment
- Automated / intelligent controls to reduce energy and water wastage
- Energy and water efficient manufacturing equipment
- Switch to a lower carbon manufacturing process
First define requirements within your value chain.
The new SBTi target path for SMEs has less intensive requirements for Scope 3 emissions. A commitment to reducing emissions from the value chain is still highly relevant, and it is worth working with suppliers and taking action to reduce their carbon footprint.
However, setting quantified targets to reduce Scope 3 emissions and monitoring progress can require extensive data collection and analysis, which is often beyond the resources of smaller companies. You may, therefore, start by making sure you have a sustainable procurement policy. Then a qualitative approach, such as Tier 1 supplier audits, may be advisable. Think simple to take action with your suppliers, exhaustiveness is not the goal.
Once you have a clear idea of the potential for improvement in your GHG emissions reduction plans, look for grant and subsidy programmes that may be available to help you secure some funding for your projects. Many banks and countries offer green loans.
Here is The Matcha Initiative Overview of funding available in Singapore and more details on Singapore Green Plan website.
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.
I work at Terrascope, which offers an end-to-end decarbonisation SaaS platform that enables enterprises to measure and manage their Scope-1, Scope-2 and Scope-3 emissions across operations, supply chains, and portfolios. As Climate Regulations Specialist, I help ensure that our product stays ahead of the regulatory curve and advise clients to navigate the dynamic and complex climate regulatory landscape.
Prior to joining Terrascope, I worked at EcoVadis - a global ESG ratings company - where I launched its Singapore office which served more than 800 companies within its first year of operations. The ratings include environmental, social, ethics and sustainable procurement metrics.
I started my career with the Singapore Government, spanning portfolios including manpower, education, transport and decarbonisation. I also helped spearhead the government's measures to fight Covid-19.
I graduated from the London School of Economics, SciencesPo Paris, and Oxford University. As an undergraduate at Oxford, I helped launch the inaugural Oxford Climate Forum - the UK's largest student-run climate change event.
Entrepreneurial by nature, Claire started ShiokFarm in 2015 when realising the high prices for organic fruit and vegetables in Singapore. Based on the French AMAP model, in which Farmers and a community create a partnership in order to reduce food waste and cost, ShiokFarm aims to provide families and offices in Singapore with affordable organic fruit and vegetables while reducing food waste.
Starting with a small Facebook group, Claire has succeeded in making ShiokFarm an outstanding organic business. ShiokFarm received its BCorp certification in 2023.
Duncan, originally from the UK, has been living & working in Asia for the last 16 years. He runs a creative interior design & project management company delivering projects across the Asia Pacific Region; specialised in retail, F&B and commercial sectors. Duncan is passionate about creating interiors that excite and engage Clients and Customers alike, all through the lens of sustainability.
Tomo is a seasoned development professional having lived and worked in various corners of the world from the Tibetan plateau, Indian drylands, Indonesian tropics, to Japanese metropolises. He has extensive field experience working for international and local development NGOs across Asia and Africa, including Kopernik, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, and the World Bank. He was formerly an Assistant Professor at the Global Leadership Program at the University of Tokyo.
Tomo has a BA in Social Anthropology from Harvard College, a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, and was an Asia Pacific Leadership Program Fellow (2008) and Innovation Fellow (2020) at the East-West Center. In 2014 Tomo was awarded the Dalai Lama’s Unsung Heroes of Compassion Award.
In 2003, I joined International SOS, world leader of medical and security assistance services and relocated to Singapore in 2008 where I have spent my life since. I held different regional leadership roles and I was a founding member of the Sustainability Committee and initially led the S (Social) part. I was also leading the Environment pillar, with a special focus on the Ecovadis certification.
I enrolled at SMU back in Sept 2020 and graduated from the Sustainability and Sustainable Business executive masterclass in Dec 2020. In July 2021, I joined a local singaporean startup H3Dynamics with the ambition to decarbonize the aviation industry! And since May 2023, I am now the managing director AsiaPacific for Ecocert, world leader in certification for organic products. I am also the Singapore Ambassador (volunteer) for Ecomatcher to help brands fight climate change, one tree at a time.
Finally, I am a French Trade Advisor and part of the Sustainability Committee to strengthen bridges between France and Singapore on this crucial agenda.
I have been working in Asia for the past 12 years (Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore since 2014) within the digital and technology space.
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.
Virgile is an academic researcher who works for the CNRS (France) and the National University of Singapore. He heads an international collaborative lab between Singapore and France at the mechanobiology institute.
He is also in charge of the transition towards more sustainable practices in the lab and in the institute. He has already implemented various actions covering energy efficiency, consumables usage reduction, waste management...
I am Naomi, currently co-founder & director of givvable. I started my career as an Australian diplomat with postings in East Timor, Thailand and Switzerland then moved into private banking where my interest in ESG and sustainability was seeded.
Today my company helps businesses screen and track the sustainability profile of their suppliers to help them achieve their goals and targets.
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.
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At South Pole, Chris supports Asian clients in their climate leadership and circular economy journey. The scope of services includes both carbon credits & sustainability consultancy. Chris currently manages clients from more than 10 Asian countries in categories such as conglomerate, agriculture, property development, asset management, retailing, information technology, and energy.
Passionate about sustainability and technology, I have spent the last 10 years working in the energy, tech and sustainability sectors. I am VP of Sales at Zuno Carbon, a climate-tech providing end to end carbon management and ESG reporting solutions.
