42 Local Smes Graduate Cdl Led Supplier Decarbonisation Programme
for the fifth year running
On October 7, City Developments (CDL) held a graduation ceremony for the first batch of 42 SMEs who completed the SME Supplier Decarbonisation Queen Bee Programme. This programme, spearheaded by CDL, aims to educate and equip small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with knowledge, tools, and digital platforms to measure, manage, and reduce their carbon emissions.
The ceremony, held at the Singapore Sustainability Academy in City Square Mall, was officiated by Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Culture, Community and Youth, Low Yen Ling. Also in attendance was Sherman Kwek, Group CEO of CDL.
CDL is the first real estate company in Singapore to lead a programme of this kind for SMEs. This programme, launched in May with the support of Enterprise Singapore, also has the partnership of sustainability consultant Global Green Connect, carbon accounting IT solution providers, and DBS as the programme’s financier partner.
Among the companies that successfully completed the inaugural programme were: V-Plus Agritech, a Singapore-based agriculture-technology company; Gush, a firm producing sustainable paints; GasHub, a local energy provider business; Kai Xiang Huat, a B2B fruit wholesaler; Meta Fusion, a design agency; and SAS M&E, a turnkey contractor in air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation.
According to Low, the success of this programme shows how businesses in Singapore, including large real estate groups like CDL, SMEs, and other industry stakeholders, can work together to advance the country’s decarbonisation journey.
The launch of this programme coincides with Singapore’s rollout of mandatory sustainability reporting standards, which will require the largest listed companies to report on Scope 3 value chain emissions starting from FY2026. Meanwhile, the timeline for large non-listed companies to implement Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has been deferred to FY2030.
Low acknowledges that SMEs and micro-enterprises may need more time to build up their capabilities for accurate and credible disclosures. She emphasizes that climate reporting should be meaningful to all stakeholders and not just a checkbox exercise.
The event also saw the launch of the CDL MicroFarm on the sixth floor of City Square Mall. In Singapore, SMEs make up 99% of local enterprises, hire 70% of the local workforce, and contribute 40% of the country’s GDP. Given their involvement throughout the supply chain, it is crucial to strengthen their sustainability capabilities in order for Singapore to achieve its net-zero emissions goal by 2050 under its national Green Plan 2030.
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For example, SAS M&E identified significant downstream emissions from its after-sales support, which accounted for over 30% of its total GHG emissions. The company has since invested in technologies to recover and recycle these fugitive gases.
However, SMEs still face challenges in navigating decarbonisation due to their limited resources, manpower, and expertise. Donald Ng, director of Kai Xiang Huat, says that as a small business with limited resources and no owned property, implementing green solutions was a challenge.
Through financial subsidies, expert coaching, and innovative digital platforms, this programme makes decarbonisation practical and achievable for SMEs, according to Kwek. He adds that the CDL-led programme will also continue to strengthen supply chain resilience by enabling SMEs to adopt carbon accounting, develop decarbonisation roadmaps, and better align themselves with global sustainability reporting standards.
Kwek also notes that in today’s highly competitive economy, SMEs that demonstrate capacity for carbon reporting will stand out as preferred suppliers. To be eligible for the programme, companies must meet certain criteria, including being registered and operating in Singapore, having a minimum of 30% ownership by Singapore citizens or PRs, being a local SME and existing or potential supplier to CDL, and having a strong commitment to decarbonisation.
CDL also announced the launch of an abridged version of the programme, called the CDL Queen Bee Compact: Accelerating SME Readiness for a Low-Carbon Future. This condensed course aims to kickstart sustainability leadership and equip SMEs with essential capabilities, such as developing climate-related reports to stay ahead of growing client procurement requirements.