Sustainability must be top-led and embedded across organisation, say panellists at BT's inaugural Sustainability Impact Dialogue
'When we made the connection, the CFO got it, the ops manager got it, and suddenly (the business value of sustainability) became real to them – as opposed to just a concept being pushed down,' he said.
In response, Dr Khor said companies whose core business is not sustainability often overlook waste and resource use.
'But when you start looking into these areas – energy flow, materials waste – you may uncover new revenue streams. Even if it's not a revenue stream, it's cost savings and that is really important.'
Lim also underscored the need to simplify sustainability messaging, moving away from jargon-heavy or overly abstract language, such as 'Scope 3 emissions'. This refers to indirect emissions that occur outside a company's direct operations and may not resonate with business owners.
'Being able to convert the language of sustainability away from that non-human language and into real, operational business language – I think it's a great idea,' he said.
Support for getting started
To companies that are unsure of where or how to begin, both speakers stressed the importance of just taking the first step, no matter how small.
Dr Khor said SMEs can start with measures such as switching to energy-efficient equipment, which qualifies for up to 70 per cent support under the National Environment Agency's Energy Efficiency Grant.
She also highlighted other government schemes, such as the Economic Development Board's Resource Efficiency Grant for Emissions, which supports emissions reduction projects at manufacturing facilities and data centres, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore's Gprnt initiative, which helps businesses automatically convert their operational data into environmental, social and governance disclosures for free.
'There is a very rich ecosystem of sustainability support (offered by the government) in terms of grants and incentives… so much that SMEs tell us that there's too much,' said Dr Khor.
To help navigate this, she encouraged companies to tap Enterprise Singapore's SME Sustainability Hub, a one-stop platform for resources, training and support.
Lim similarly urged SMEs not to go it alone. Banks and government agencies, he said, can help companies assess where they are and connect them to solution providers.
He noted that UOB's ecosystem platforms – such as U-Solar and U-Energy – bundle technology partners, financing and advisory support to ease adoption.
'(SMEs) simply talk to the bank, the bank connects them within the ecosystem, and they can access financing at the same time,' he said.
Beyond top-down directives, bottom-up initiatives were also spotlighted during the dialogue. Audience members, including representatives from industry groups and social enterprises, shared ideas such as developing simplified sustainability indices or certifications to help SMEs get started.
In response, both Dr Khor and Lim welcomed such ground-up efforts, noting that these can complement government support schemes – and, if endorsed or recognised by the government, potentially gain greater traction through procurement requirements or green finance channels.
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