Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) through the Singapore Standards Council (SSC), in partnership with the A*STAR Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (A*STAR
SIMTech) and the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF), have launched the Technical Reference (TR) 149:2026 Specification for Organizations to Progress towards Environmental Sustainability Excellence.
The trio said in a statement on Thursday that TR 149 provides a structured approach for businesses to assess their sustainability maturity level (Essential / Bronze / Silver / Gold) and to measure their progress over time.
Companies that aspire to improve their maturity levels can use the TR 149 to identify areas for improvement across five dimensions – People Readiness, Structure, Operations,
Supply Network, and Product Life Cycle. Under the Operations dimension, companies can improve the management of environmental impacts relating to greenhouse gas emissions,
energy, water and material consumption.
According to the statement, the launch of TR 149 comes at a critical juncture, as businesses contend with shifting climate policies amid global economic and geopolitical volatility, while ensuring that their environmental investments deliver measurable business value.
For many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), navigating evolving sustainability expectations can be challenging due to limited resources, expertise, and fragmented requirements.
TR 149 directly addresses this need by offering a structured reference point to cut through the complexity.
Built on A*STAR SIMTech’s Green Compass framework which supports companies’ sustainability transformation efforts, TR 149 addresses this need by bringing together key sustainability considerations together into a single, coherent framework applicable across industries.
The TR is designed to be accessible to companies of all sizes, with a practical, step-by-step approach that is especially useful for SMEs beginning their sustainability journey or looking to progressively build on existing efforts.
The TR also provides a structured approach that enables businesses to translate their sustainability commitments into a tangible competitive edge – attracting investors, winning customers, and retaining talent.
For SMEs, TR 149 is particularly relevant as global supply chain sustainability requirements tighten, offering a practical way them to demonstrate their environmental performance to larger partners and customers, said the statement.
Beyond individual businesses, wider adoption of TR 149 will steer Singapore’s broader business ecosystem towards alignment with national environmental priorities and evolving global expectations, it added.
Meanwhile, the Green 100 movement, launched by the Council for a Competitive Climate Transition (C3T), enables wider industry adoption of TR 149.
Their digital platform for sustainability disclosures is anchored on the TR framework, according to the statement.
Large enterprises (‘Queen Bees’) and their SME partners who onboard onto the platform will be introduced to the TR’s “Essential” level requirements – an accessible entry point to help SMEs take that first step.
The platform will be further enhanced to guide companies to progressively advance to higher TR levels.
Insights gathered through the platform will feed back into the TR, helping to keep the framework current and responsive to industry needs.
“Sustainability has moved from aspiration to expectation – and the bar continues to rise. Helping businesses meet that challenge is at the core of what EnterpriseSG does, and TR 149 is a key part of that effort,
“SMEs in particular will find TR 149 useful in charting their sustainability journey, strengthening their appeal to investors, customers, and talent while building a stronger foundation for future growth,” said Choy Sauw Kook, Director-General (Quality & Excellence) at EnterpriseSG.
Meanwhile, David Low, Executive Director of A*STAR SIMTech, said many companies want to become more environmentally sustainable and may not know where to begin, what to prioritize, or how to scale their efforts.
“TR 149 helps address this by providing a structured way to assess sustainability maturity, identify practical areas for improvement, and take clearer steps towards stronger environmental performance,
“Drawing from A*STAR SIMTech’s Green Compass, an environmental sustainability assessment and strategic road mapping tool, the TR reflects our research and technical expertise in helping companies move from intent to action,” he added.
Lennon Tan, President of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, said they are aligning their G.E.M. and G.E.B. certification programs to TR 149 to provide manufacturers and businesses with a practical way to demonstrate their efforts and progress in a manner that is meaningful to their customers and partners.