Singapore Emission Factors Registry Expands By 94 Emission Factors to Boost Singapore’s Carbon Data Infrastructure; New Study Provides Actionable Carbon Reduction Measures for Three Service Sectors

The Singapore Emission Factors Registry (SEFR), the nation’s single reference point for localised emission factors (EF), has been expanded with 94 new EFs to strengthen Singapore’s carbon data infrastructure and support more accurate emissions reporting by businesses. EFs are scientific multipliers that convert business activity data into carbon emissions data. The latest expansion includes three new EFs for cleaning, security, and professional services, five new EFs for information and communications technology (ICT), as well as 86 new EFs for industry processes and product use (IPPU), refrigerants, purchased energy and building materials. With the addition, SEFR has 319 EFs that covers 100% of emissions reporting for Scope 1 and 2, as well as for four out of fifteen Scope 3 categories. See Annex A for the full list.

Pioneering ground-up study identifies where cleaning, security and professional services can cut carbon emissions

From financial year (FY) 2026, reporting of scope 3 emissions will be mandatory for Straits Times Index (STI) companies. While reporting remains voluntary for non-STI companies, many organisations are proactively adopting Scope 3 disclosures, as these emissions typically make up the largest share of a company’s carbon footprint and are increasingly scrutinised by investors, customers, and other stakeholders. To improve carbon reporting accuracy, SEFR has added three new locally relevant EFs for cleaning, security, and professional services. Their development was prioritised following public consultations conducted by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), which identified these services as essential to most companies in Singapore.

International databases and methodological frameworks often rely on environmentally extended input-output (EEIO) models, which provide aggregated, economy-wide EFs that may not fully reflect the operational diversity and local variations found in service delivery. To address this gap, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) established the Lifecycle Environmental Assessment Framework (LEAF), a methodological framework for developing market-average EFs for services. LEAF is grounded in life cycle assessment (LCA) principles and incorporates guidance from the Partnership for Carbon Transparency (PACT) methodology and ISO 14067 standards, ensuring both scientific rigour and local relevance.

Using this framework, A*STAR and SBF worked with local businesses and trade associations and chambers (TACs), including the Environmental Management Association of Singapore (EMAS), Security Association Singapore (SAS), Singapore Academy of Law (SAL), and Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA), to develop three new service-specific EFs. These are based on real activity data from Singapore’s business community and enable more representative and comparable Scope 3 emissions reporting. See Annex B for full list of contributors.

Beyond improving reporting accuracy, A*STAR’s analysis of sector-specific activity data provides detailed and practical insights into emissions hotspots, activity drivers, and patterns of resource use across the following sectors. See Annex C for full details.

These findings provide businesses with clearer visibility of where targeted actions can deliver meaningful carbon reductions.

i. Cleaning services

a. Finding: Emissions are largely driven through the use of materials and equipment.

b. Decarbonisation opportunity: Use greener supplies and more energy-efficient machinery.

ii. Security services

a. Finding: Approximately 14% of emissions come from local business transport, including on-site patrolling and fleet operations.

b. Decarbonisation opportunity: Fleet electrification and improved driver behaviour.

iii. Professional services

a. Finding: Major emission contributors include local business transport and IT equipment use.

b. Decarbonisation opportunity: Extend the lifespan of IT assets through refurbishment instead of replacement, or by leasing IT devices from device-as-a-service providers.

By pursuing these opportunities, companies in these sectors can lower both carbon emissions and operating costs, while strengthening organisations’ appeal to customers that increasingly prioritise sustainable procurement. A case study illustrating how SEFR data can be used to quantify emissions and identify reduction opportunities is provided in Annex D.

Mr Kok Ping Soon, CEO of SBF, said, “Cleaning, security, and professional services are used by almost every company in Singapore. To report Scope 3 emissions properly, businesses need EFs that reflect local conditions, rather than rely on overseas averages. These new Singapore-specific factors fill an important gap. Beyond reporting, they help companies see more clearly where their emissions are coming from and what they can realistically do about them. This is not only about meeting sustainability requirements, but also about running businesses in a manner that is smarter, more cost-effective way and more appealing to B2B customers. SEFR gives Singapore companies a straightforward and credible tool to take real, practical action on decarbonisation.”

New EFs for ICT

As businesses increasingly adopt cloud services, tracking and managing associated emissions has become more important. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the National University of Singapore Energy Studies Institute (NUS-ESI) have jointly developed five new Singapore-specific ICT EFs to help organisations measure emissions from cloud services more accurately. In tandem, a new carbon calculator has been rolled out to help businesses develop mitigation strategies and digital infrastructure decisions, such as choosing between on-premise and cloud deployments or comparing emissions across vendors and service types. Both the EFs and calculator are available online at the SEFR website. See IMDA’s press release for full details.

Additional EFs for IPPU, Refrigerants, Energy, and Buildings

SEFR has added 86 new EFs covering IPPU, refrigerants, purchased energy and building materials. These data were provided by the National Environment Agency (NEA), Energy Market Authority (EMA), and Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC).

In total, 94 EFs have been added to the SEFR – all EFs can be viewed on the SEFR website.

“Since its launch in October 2024, SEFR has benefitted more than 800 Singapore businesses by helping them report all aspects of Scope 1 and 2 emissions, as well as some aspects of Scope 3 emissions, more conveniently, representatively, and consistently,” said Mr Lee Chuan Seng, Chairman of the SEFR Governance Committee. “With nearly 320 EFs now, we are confident that SEFR will empower even more businesses to track their emissions, which is critical to help them decarbonise. We thank the businesses, TACs, and government agencies who have contributed to the SEFR’s development. We will continue to expand SEFR’s reach and impact and welcome all businesses, regardless of size or sector, to contribute to our national net zero transition effort through transparent and reliable carbon accounting.”

Thursday, 22 January 2026

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Singapore Emission Factors Registry Expands By 94 Emission Factors to Boost Singapore’s Carbon Data Infrastructure; New Study Provides Actionable Carbon Reduction Measures for Three Service Sectors

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