5 Reasons Singapore Businesses Need ESG Reporting Training

ESG reporting training can help Singapore businesses close the gap between sustainability action and measurable reporting.

Is your business taking climate action but still struggling to track its emissions? Does your team know what credible ESG reporting requires?

This gap remains common among Singapore businesses. In SBF’s 2026 survey, 61% had started or were actively pursuing decarbonisation efforts. Yet 62% of those businesses were still not measuring their emissions.

Skills gaps may be part of the challenge. Sustainability reporting was among the most sought-after sustainability capabilities, cited by 29% of businesses. Only 10% had employees dedicated specifically to sustainability work.

As expectations grow, businesses need people who can collect, understand and report sustainability data. Here are five reasons to build those capabilities now.

Quick Takeaways

• Singapore businesses face growing sustainability reporting and emissions measurement needs.
• Many businesses taking climate action still do not measure their emissions.
• ESG reporting requires reliable data and knowledge across several business functions.
• Training can help teams build stronger carbon measurement and reporting capabilities.
• Building ESG skills early can prepare businesses for changing reporting and stakeholder expectations.

5 Reasons Singapore Businesses Need ESG Reporting Training Now

As reporting expectations grow, businesses need more than awareness of ESG concepts. Employees also need to understand what data matters and how reporting requirements affect their work.

Here are five reasons ESG reporting training is becoming more relevant for Singapore businesses.

 

1. Prepare for Singapore’s Changing Reporting Requirements

The rollout of Singapore’s climate reporting requirements is taking place progressively. 

All SGX-listed companies must report Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from FY2025. STI constituents also face further ISSB-based disclosures and Scope 3 reporting from FY2026.

Requirements will extend to other listed companies over the coming years. Large non-listed companies meeting specified thresholds will face ISSB-based climate reporting from FY2030.

For affected businesses, preparation involves more than knowing the deadline.

Teams may need to understand:

• What types of emissions fall under scope 1, 2 and 3? 
• Which activities generate relevant reporting data
• How climate risks connect with company strategy
• Which metrics and targets need tracking
• How different departments contribute to disclosures

ISSB-based climate reporting covers governance, strategy, risk management, metrics and targets. Responsibility can therefore extend beyond sustainability or compliance teams.

For example, operations may provide energy data while procurement gathers supplier information. Finance may connect climate information with financial reporting.

ESG reporting training can help employees understand these responsibilities earlier. This gives businesses more time to address data gaps before reporting deadlines.

 

2. Improve the Accuracy of Carbon and ESG Data

A sustainability report depends on reliable data, especially when businesses report greenhouse gas emissions.

Under IFRS S2, companies applying the standard disclose Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions. These figures use carbon dioxide equivalent, or CO₂e.

The three scopes cover different sources:

• Scope 1 covers direct emissions from sources a business owns or controls.
• Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from purchased energy.
• Scope 3 captures indirect emissions from activities across the value chain. 

Accurate reporting requires more than collecting figures from utility bills or spreadsheets.

Employees need to understand reporting boundaries and use consistent methods for collecting and calculating emissions data.

Consider a company tracking electricity use across several offices. Data may come from different landlords, invoices or facility teams. Different recording methods can create inconsistencies in the final calculation.

Scope 3 data can be harder to manage. Businesses may need information from suppliers, logistics providers, employee travel and purchased goods.

Training can help employees identify the right data and apply consistent measurement methods across teams.

Businesses can then use this information to track climate targets, identify major emission sources and measure progress over time.

 

3. Build ESG Knowledge Across Different Business Functions

ESG reporting rarely depends on one department. Finance, operations, procurement, risk and sustainability teams may each contribute different information.

SBF’s 2026 survey found that many businesses embed sustainability responsibilities into existing roles. One-third of businesses building sustainability capabilities also reported workforce development challenges.

Different teams may contribute in different ways:

• Finance teams may support reporting metrics and governance.
• Operations teams may track energy, fuel and facility data.
• Procurement teams may gather sustainability information from suppliers.
• Risk teams may assess climate-related business risks.
• Sustainability teams may coordinate data collection and disclosures.

Without shared knowledge, teams may collect or interpret information differently.

ESG reporting training can help employees understand how their responsibilities connect. This can support more consistent reporting practices across the business.

 

Related Article: What is Carbon Reporting and Why It Belongs in Your Business Skill Set

 

4. Respond Better to Customer and Supply Chain ESG Requests

ESG information can matter even when a business does not face mandatory reporting requirements.

SBF found that 40% of Singapore businesses receive customer requests for sustainability-related information. Larger companies receive these requests more often than SMEs.

Businesses may need to report information on: 

• Greenhouse gas emissions
• Sustainability policies and targets
• Environmental practices
• Labour and workplace practices
• Governance and compliance measures

Sustainability expectations can also extend through supply chains. More than four in five surveyed businesses require suppliers to meet sustainability-related standards.

A supplier may therefore need ESG information even without a direct reporting obligation.

Training can help employees understand what information to provide and what supporting data they need.

5. Prepare for Greater Scrutiny of ESG Disclosures

As climate reporting develops, businesses may need stronger processes for reviewing and supporting their disclosures.

Singapore will introduce external limited assurance for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from FY2029 for listed companies. Large non-listed companies subject to reporting will follow from FY2032.

Preparing for greater scrutiny may require businesses to maintain:

• Clear sources for emissions and sustainability data
• Consistent measurement methods
• Records supporting reported calculations
• Defined responsibilities for reviewing information
• Processes for checking data before disclosure

Employees involved in reporting should understand how business data becomes reported sustainability information.

ESG reporting training can help teams build these practices earlier. Stronger records can also support internal reviews, customer requests and future reporting needs.

 

How Can Singapore Businesses Prepare Their Teams for ESG Reporting?

Businesses can prepare for ESG reporting by first identifying who handles sustainability data and where knowledge gaps exist.

The goal is not to turn every employee into an ESG specialist. Instead, relevant teams should understand the information they manage and how it supports reporting.

 

Identify Which Teams Handle ESG Data

Start by mapping where sustainability-related information sits across your business.

Depending on your operations, relevant teams may include:

• Sustainability teams coordinating ESG disclosures
• Finance teams managing reporting metrics and financial information
• Operations teams tracking energy, fuel and facility data
• Procurement teams collecting supplier information
• Risk and compliance teams reviewing climate and regulatory risks
• Legal teams supporting governance and disclosure requirements
• Management teams overseeing sustainability goals and accountability

This exercise can reveal gaps in ownership.

For example, a company may collect electricity data but have no clear process for checking it. Another may request supplier information without consistent reporting criteria.

Clear responsibilities can make later reporting more organised and reduce duplicated work.

 

Related Article: Singapore Is Reshaping the Economy. Who’s Building the People for It?

 

Build Core ESG Reporting Skills

Once businesses know who contributes to reporting, they can identify the skills those employees need.

Core areas may include:

• ESG and non-financial reporting

• Greenhouse gas accounting

• Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions
• Sustainability reporting frameworks
• Climate risk assessment
• Stakeholder engagement
• Carbon reduction planning
• Reporting metrics and governance

Not every employee needs the same depth of knowledge.

An operations employee may need stronger emissions measurement skills. A manager may need greater understanding of governance, targets and climate risks.

Training should therefore reflect the employee’s role in the reporting process.

 

Build Shared ESG Reporting Knowledge

When several employees contribute to ESG reporting, structured training can help teams use the same terminology, methods and reporting approach.

This may include training on:

• Greenhouse gas accounting
• ESG and non-financial reporting
• Sustainability frameworks
• Climate risk
• Reporting metrics and governance

For teams that need external training, Vertical Institute’s Carbon Reporting & Greenhouse Gas Measurement course covers these areas, alongside stakeholder engagement and carbon reduction planning.

The goal goes beyond simply completing a course. Employees should understand what data they handle, how to measure it and how it supports credible reporting.

ESG reporting depends on more than completing a disclosure at the end of the year. Businesses need reliable data, clear responsibilities, and employees who understand how sustainability information should be measured and reported.

Building these skills earlier can make it easier to respond to reporting requirements, customer requests, and future assurance needs.

For teams that need structured support, Vertical Institute’s Carbon Reporting & Greenhouse Gas Measurement course covers practical areas such as GHG accounting, ESG reporting and reporting governance.

The earlier your teams understand the data behind ESG reporting, the easier it becomes to build consistent reporting practices.