As all departments, HR department has its role to play to reduce consumption, avoid waste or better manage it, decrease carbon footprint... Here are a few tips.
HR operations can generate a lot of paper. Remember that e-signature on official documents is recognised in Singapore, ensuring you do not take a legal risk on important documents.
40%
is the percentage of the world’s industrial logging that goes toward the paper manufacturing process right now
4 th
The paper and pulp industry is the 4th largest contributor of greenhouse gas in the world right now.
With SleekSign - free, unlimited use, legally binding eSignature platform - say bye to printing (and reprinting) of documents, and hello to digitalization.
Sleek is a SMEs’ all-in-one digital platform, helping you to register your company and manage your governance, accounting, and tax compliance online. Incorporate a company in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and the UK 100% remotely, file requests to your company secretary 24/7, start a business account and sign documents digitally with our eSignature tool SleekSign - all on our secure platform.
Remove paper with our company registration and corporate secretary services by doing digital and saving your documents to the cloud.
Let's multiply our impact together.
In the new normal, define a travel policy with an hybrid approach: make business travels less frequent & favor longer stays. Continue using videoconference as much as possible.
Incentivize your employees to travel less by setting up objectives in terms of travels (example : max 2 regional flights per month...). Invest the savings made in other areas (brainstorm ideas with a sustainable give back outlook).
Measure and offset the travels' Carbon Footprint of your employees travelling abroad or relocating. Offset the CO2 emissions with some mechanisms (example : Plant a tree for each longhaul flight, or for each tradeshow you exhibit).
When relocating, favor to use recycled boxes for packing and shipping option (less emissions) than air freight.
24%
Transport accounts for around one-fifth of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
Some travel carbon footprint calculators:
EcoMatcher plants trees and complete forests with vetted foundations from around the world specialized in tree planting.
Through technology, EcoMatcher knows everything of every tree planted. You can virtually travel to every tree and learn more.
Companies use EcoMatcher’s digital platform and the trees for meaningful corporate gifting -, rewards -, loyalty -, employee engagement -, and transparent carbon offset - programs.
EcoMatcher is a certified B Corporation.
We are on a mission to enable millions of businesses to go green in a simple, transparent and digital way.
Our Impact as a Service platform enables companies to make their growth good for the planet, by regenerating ecosystems as they sell their products. They integrate positive sustainability action (reforestation, ocean plastic clean-up, coral reef conservation) into their sales channels in a transparent way.
Eden aims at reducing extreme poverty and restore healthy forests by employing local people to plant millions of trees every year. They work with local communities to restore forests on a massive scale, thereby creating jobs, protecting ecosystems and helping mitigate climate change.
One Tree Planted is a non-profit environmental charity on a mission of global reforestation. We make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees in North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Pacific. Together we can restore forests, create habitat for biodiversity, and make a positive social impact around the world. We plant one tree with every dollar donated. One dollar. One tree. One planet.
Since 2018, Seven Cleans Seas has invested in ocean clean-up operations, remote island infrastructure and innovative technology.
BlueSG car-sharing service offers a smart, convenient, flexible and affordable mobility option to all Singaporeans, complementing public transport while reducing the need for car ownership. The service’s 100% electric fleet also provides a sustainable transport solution, eliminating direct carbon dioxide emissions as compared to traditional vehicles.
Select socially responsible vendors for your outsourced essential services (cleaning, security and landscape).
If you do not have yet a sustainable procurement policy, see our sustainable procurement page on how to write one.
For services, prefer providers conscious of environmental and social challenges:
87%
of those engaged as cleaners, labourers and related employees earn below $2,000 a month.
(SBF)
Speco is a social enterprise that offers housekeeping and cleaning services to provide stable jobs to marginalised Singaporeans including ex-offenders, people with disabilities and single parents.
Speco uses its own Speco® product, an antimicrobial coating that sanitises and actively protects.
Green Cleaners Asia is an eco-friendly professional cleaning service in Singapore. Since 2009, they have been using non-toxic and environmentally friendly products - not polluting the environment or your indoor air.
A toxic free working environment contributes to improving productivity levels at work, reducing sick days and operational costs!
Their corporate clients include kindergartens, offices, gymnasiums and hotels. GCA actively raise awareness and encourage their customers to adopt a ‘greener’ lifestyle, across their social media platforms and through educational talks and events.
The « green 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.
Claire has spent more than 20 years in the HR field working in global environments, accompanying businesses in their development and transformation.
Working across teams and cultural boundaries, she became passionate about helping teams and leaders navigate through changes and make sustainable decisions for themselves and their teams, balancing the short-term and long-term impacts in organisations.
She moved to Singapore for a professional opportunity 9 years ago. Back in 2016, she added a coaching hat to her HR experience, got trained and certified with the idea that sometimes what employees and leaders are missing is to reconnect with what is really important for them, what makes them successful, or on the contrary slows them down.
In 2021, she launched her own business, combining her HR and professional coaching expertises to accompany individuals and organisations in their journey, with a focus on enabling sustainable People practices.
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.
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.
Most of my professional career was in Sales and Marketing for emissions-intensive sectors (automotive, telecom, oil and gas industries) to say the least…. But I always knew I had to look for a greater purpose. Covid19 slowed down my professional activities and helped me to follow my passion. I decided to open a new chapter and follow a new career path, but to do so, I had to study sustainability.
I particularly like innovation and tech, so I wish to pursue my career with a tech for good angle.
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.
Carolin is a passionate and driven entrepreneur and sustainability advocate. She is involved in many projects and initiatives that contribute to reducing our environmental impact.
In 2020, Carolin founded the social enterprise susGain.
susGain is a rewards-based engagement app that focuses on driving behavioural change within communities (corporates, schools, NGOs etc.) whilst measuring ESG reportable data on the impact created. By better connecting the environmentally and socially conscious stakeholders, susGain hopes to accelerate the change towards more sustainable communities.
Prior to susGain, Carolin worked as Account & Project Manager in an HR consulting and change management firm, where she was responsible for business development and end-to-end project management of training and consulting projects across APAC.
In July 2021, Carolin won the Finder's Expatpreneur Sustainability Award. susGain has also been recognized by Global Initiatives at the Sustainable Business Awards Singapore 2020/21.
I run a business called Bright Green where I work with corporates to engage employees in impact projects in the areas of environmental and social impact. I also facilitate sustainability learning programs to educate employees on developing an eco-friendly mindset and high impact actions they can take in their homes and daily lives.
Before founding Bright Green in 2020, I have been working in Project Management, Change Management and Continuous Improvement roles within Human Resources and Recruitment. I love that I get to work with organisations that are making commitments to net-zero and inspire employees to make an impact!
I was born in Vietnam and grew up in France in Paris’ low income suburbs. My parents used to bring us to the park to have some outdoor activities and that’s where my father taught my siblings and I to observe, love and respect nature. He gave us perspective on our place in a much bigger ecosystem.
At that time, we didn’t describe our family as “sustainable”. It was very pragmatic, we didn’t waste anything, we mended everything, saved and reused, because we just couldn’t afford not to :)
In 2018 in Singapore, after what felt like a long, unfulfilling professional tunnel on autopilot, I was forced to make a pause and took the opportunity to consider what I really wanted to do with my life (I know this resonates with many!)
Then I really realised how passionate I was about sustainability and for the first time, I considered making it my job. Nothing is easy when you don’t hold the right degrees or the right amount of money, so I co-created The Matcha Initiative to jump into action instead of procrastinating. That’s how you start an amazing experience with amazing people :)
Cherry on the cake: TMI helped me land my current job at Handprint, where we help businesses embrace the next step - Regeneration.
