Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Requirements for Businesses

Mr Don Wee asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether new regulation should be mandated on reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for all businesses operating in Singapore; and (b) if not, whether the Government will consider establishing minimum reporting GHG requirements for businesses, with reporting requirements to be progressively tightened over time.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Under the Carbon Pricing Act regulations, business facilities operating in Singapore with direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions exceeding 2,000 tonnes annually are subject to mandatory requirements to report their emissions to NEA. These business facilities comprise taxable facilities with direct GHG emissions exceeding 25,000 tonnes annually and reportable facilities with direct GHG emissions between 2,000 and 25,000 tonnes annually. Taxable facilities and reportable facilities account for about 80% and about 1% of Singapore’s emissions respectively. Collectively, these facilities account for almost all direct emissions from industry and power, with remaining emissions coming mainly from land transport. In addition, companies listed locally are subject to SGX requirements on climate-related disclosures, as in many jurisdictions globally.

There are, currently, no plans to extend reporting requirements beyond these business facilities to the smaller emitters, which include SMEs. Nonetheless, the Government will continue to encourage local businesses to monitor and reduce their GHG emissions through capability-building programmes, such as the LowCarbonSG programme by the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition Singapore, which is supported by EnterpriseSG’s Enterprise Sustainability Programme.