Singapore Emission Factors Registry Adds 94 New Emission Factors to Strengthen Carbon Reporting

By Entrepreneur Staff

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Singapore, 22 January 2026 — The Singapore Emission Factors Registry (SEFR) has added 94 new emission factors (EFs), expanding Singapore's carbon data infrastructure and enabling businesses to report emissions more accurately.

With this update, SEFR now contains 319 emission factors, covering all Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, as well as four Scope 3 categories: upstream and downstream transportation and distribution, business travel, and employee commuting. The registry also provides partial coverage for additional Scope 3 categories, including purchased goods and services and waste generated in operations.

The latest expansion includes:

  • Three new service-sector emission factors for cleaning, security, and professional services
  • Five new ICT emission factors to support emissions measurement for cloud services
  • Eighty-six new emission factors covering industry processes and product use, refrigerants, purchased energy, and building materials.

Supporting Scope 3 reporting for service sectors

From financial year 2026, Scope 3 emissions reporting will be mandatory for Straits Times Index (STI) companies. As Scope 3 emissions often form the largest share of a company's carbon footprint, demand for reliable and localised data has increased.

The new service-sector emission factors were prioritised following consultations by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), which identified cleaning, security, and professional services as commonly procured across industries. These emission factors are based on Singapore-specific activity data to improve consistency and comparability in reporting.

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) developed the Lifecycle Environmental Assessment Framework (LEAF) to support this work. The framework applies life cycle assessment principles and international standards to develop market-average emission factors for services.

Identifying carbon reduction opportunities

Analysis of sector-specific data highlights where emissions are concentrated and where reductions can be achieved:

  • Cleaning services: Emissions are driven mainly by materials and equipment use.
  • Security services: Around 14 per cent of emissions arise from local transport activities.
  • Professional services: Key contributors include local transport and IT equipment use.

New data for ICT, energy, and buildings

Five ICT emission factors were jointly developed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the National University of Singapore Energy Studies Institute (NUS-ESI) to help businesses measure emissions from cloud services. A new carbon calculator has also been introduced to support digital infrastructure decisions.

In addition, 86 emission factors covering industry processes, refrigerants, purchased energy, and building materials were contributed by the National Environment Agency (NEA), Energy Market Authority (EMA), and Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC).

Mr Kok Ping Soon, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Business Federation, said:
"Localised emission factors are essential for accurate Scope 3 reporting. These new Singapore-specific data points help businesses understand their emissions and identify practical actions to reduce them."

Mr Lee Chuan Seng, Chairman of the SEFR Governance Committee, said:
"Since its launch in October 2024, SEFR has supported more than 800 businesses in reporting Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and selected Scope 3 categories. With nearly 320 emission factors now available, SEFR enables more businesses to track their emissions consistently and supports their decarbonisation efforts."

Entrepreneur Staff

Entrepreneur Staff

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