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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
