Five Common ESG Reporting Mistakes Singapore Companies Should Avoid

Singapore is making ESG reporting a business imperative. With mandatory climate-related disclosures being phased in, SGX-listed companies, and eventually large non-listed entities, must quickly level up their ESG capabilities. But in the rush to comply, many fall into avoidable traps that dilute the value of their reports or expose them to risk.

Here are five of the most common ESG reporting mistakes seen in Singapore and how you can avoid them.

1. Treating ESG Reporting as a Compliance Exercise

Many organisations approach ESG as a once-a-year obligation rather than a strategic, year-round effort. This mindset limits the organisation's ability to leverage ESG as a driver of brand value, investment readiness, and operational improvement.

When reporting is reduced to a box-ticking task, it often lacks depth, integration, and internal ownership, making it less credible to stakeholders and less useful to leadership.

2. Using Static or Fragmented Data

Singapore regulators are moving toward audit-ready ESG reporting. Yet many businesses still rely on spreadsheets and manually updated slide decks. These data sources are often outdated, disconnected, and error-prone, leading to credibility gaps and inefficiencies.

As climate data becomes increasingly time-sensitive, especially Scope 1, 2, and eventually Scope 3, organisations need integrated tools that allow for consistent, up-to-date, and well-governed data flows.

3. Neglecting Materiality and Stakeholder Relevance

ESG reports that attempt to cover every topic equally often lack focus. Without a proper materiality assessment, companies end up disclosing information that may be irrelevant or fail to address stakeholder priorities, especially in Singapore’s high-trust business environment.

Effective ESG reporting must reflect the unique risks and opportunities of each company, industry, and region, including specific issues like biodiversity, water security, or anti-corruption in the ASEAN context.

4. Delaying Assurance Readiness

While Singapore's limited assurance requirements may not hit all companies immediately, the expectation is clear: reports will need to be credible, verifiable, and independently reviewed.

Companies that wait until the last minute may struggle to locate documentation, justify data sources, or explain their calculations, especially if those processes weren’t built for auditability from the start.

5. Underinvesting in ESG Governance and Infrastructure

ESG cannot be owned by one department or one annual reporting cycle. Without clear roles, accountability frameworks, and the right digital infrastructure, ESG efforts often stall.

Singapore's progressive corporate environment means boards, regulators, and investors will demand not just results, but systems. Infrastructure is no longer optional; it’s a foundation for credible and consistent ESG performance.

How Speeki Supports Singapore Companies to Get ESG Right

At Speeki, we empower companies to go beyond box-ticking and build robust, forward-looking ESG and sustainability programmes, designed for Singapore’s regulatory and business environment.

• Our platform supports strategy creation and programme development—not just reporting—so you can embed ESG into the way your business operates.
• With over 20 ESG and sustainability topics, plus built-in stakeholder engagement tools, you can assess materiality based on real input from the people who matter most.
• Our metrics tools enable precise data capture across initiatives, helping you turn qualitative goals into quantifiable performance.
• Topic-level workflows guide structured input, keeping teams aligned and ensuring traceability at every step of your ESG process.
• Data governance is built in, with access controls that let you restrict sensitive data based on modules, topics, or user roles.
• Through Speeki Guardian®, we also provide limited assurance services—giving companies in Singapore a head start on emerging ISSB-aligned and SGX assurance expectations.

Whether you're starting out or scaling up, Speeki gives you the digital infrastructure to lead in ESG with intelligence, integrity, and impact.