How ESGpedia Supports TR 149 to help S’pore Firms Turn Sustainability into Business Wins

Singapore businesses that have adopted digital ESG tracking and reporting are winning up to 15% more tenders, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 88%, and lowering operating costs by up to two-thirds, all while offsetting up to 70% of their initial decarbonisation costs through available government grants, according to ESGpedia, Asia’s leading ESG data and technology company.​ ​ The findings, drawn from ESGpedia’s work with more than 800 Singapore companies, come as Enterprise Singapore, through the Singapore Standards Council, ​rolls out a new national green-procurement framework, Technical Reference (TR) 149:2026, and as the public sector moves to weigh sustainability criteria across all eligible tenders by 2028. Together they mark a shift in which sustainability has become a baseline for winning business, not just a compliance cost. TR 149:2026 is a Singapore sustainability framework that helps organisations assess and progressively improve their environmental sustainability practices. It provides a practical roadmap to guide businesses across different levels of sustainability maturity – Essential, Bronze, Silver, and Gold – strengthening areas such as governance, operations, supply chain management, emissions management, and business competitiveness over time. “What businesses are recognising today is that sustainability does not come at the expense of cost or growth. When leveraged strategically, it unlocks new opportunities, heightens competitiveness in securing tenders and deals, and strengthens resilience,” said Benjamin Soh, Founder and Managing Director at ESGpedia.​​ ​​

Winning tenders, cutting emissions and costs

​​​The payoff is already visible on the ground. LBD Engineering, a construction firm specialising in public housing and institutional projects, used ESGpedia to cut the time needed to produce its FY2024 sustainability report by 50–60% and to sharpen its bids for public-sector work. “We observed a noticeable improvement in our competitiveness – an estimated 10–15% increase in tender success rates where ESG factors are weighed,” said Wong Wei Chern, General Manager at LBD Engineering. Drawing on the Energy Efficiency Grant, the firm also reduced emissions by 15–25% while offsetting up to 70% of the cost of qualifying equipment. ​​​​Others are turning the same data into deeper operational gains. SPIN Fans, a retail-appliance manufacturer, achieved an 88% reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions – surpassing its 2028 target of 70% ahead of schedule – led largely by electrifying its vehicle fleet. “Better data visibility supported decisive actions, including the completion of our fleet electrification programme, where we saw 66% in cost savings,” said Darran Ong, AI & Sustainability Manager at SPIN Fans.​​

A prerequisite for global markets​​

​​For exporters, ESG performance has become a condition of market access. Ghim Li Group, a textile and apparel manufacturer that supplies more than 65 million garments a year to US retailers and department stores​​​​, uses ESGpedia to meet multi-jurisdictional disclosure requirements and customer audits. “Sustainability is a core requirement from global buyers, and we are seeing it embedded more deeply into procurement decisions alongside cost, quality, and delivery,” said Felicia Gan, Chief Executive Officer of Ghim Li. The streamlined reporting also helped the company secure sustainability-linked financing, unlocking access to green capital.​​ ​​​ With public-sector procurement set to weigh green criteria in all applicable evaluations by 2028, the gap between early movers and laggards is widening. “SMEs embracing sustainability are already seeing higher business resilience,” Mr Soh said. “Companies that have invested in robust ESG management and clear transition strategies stand a higher chance of winning more business and tenders.”​​

How Singapore businesses can achieve TR 149 excellence

While the TR 149:2026 framework provides a structured approach for businesses to assess their sustainability maturity level across the four levels, companies are turning to ESG technology platforms and funding support through programmes such as the Productivity Solutions Grant and Energy Efficiency Grant to translate their sustainability commitments and progress into tangible business outcomes and competitive edge. Beyond establishing baseline emissions, comprehensive sustainability reporting encompasses materiality assessments, transition planning, and broader climate disclosures, to provide a holistic picture of a company’s environmental footprint. “The TR 149 Essential tier is an obvious first step for all Singapore businesses, taking only around 10 minutes to complete. What is important is progressing to the TR 149 framework’s higher levels of Bronze, Silver and Gold, to truly expand your organisation’s access to green procurement and financing opportunities,” shared Mr Soh. For firms looking to embark on their own sustainability journey, they can find out more about ESGpedia’s solutions to help companies achieve sustainability excellence with available Productivity Solutions Grant funding support here.

About ESGpedia

ESGpedia (ESGpedia Pte Ltd) is Asia’s leading ESG data and technology company, headquartered in Singapore. The ESGpedia platform serves as a one-stop digital platform for sustainability, empowering more than 1,000 corporates, SMEs, and financial institutions in achieving ESG excellence and various sustainability outcomes. It provides end-to-end ESG solutions, covering digital data management, carbon calculation, ESG reporting, supply chain ESG, and sustainable finance. ESGpedia has presence in over ten Asia-Pacific countries, and powers key initiatives across the region, including the ESCAP Sustainable Business Network (ESBN) Asia-Pacific Green Deal digital platform. ESGpedia is GRI-licensed and ISO 14064-validated. For more information, please visit www.esgpedia.io.

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