ESG and carbon reporting in Southeast Asia - country by country (2026)

Breathe ESG supports all major global reporting frameworks, from IFRS S1 and S2 and local exchange rules to CBAM, CSRD, GRI and CDP, from one managed dataset.

Last reviewed: 11 November 2026. Each country section links to a detailed guide or official source. General information, not legal advice.

The short answer

Southeast Asia is moving to the ISSB standards (IFRS S1 and S2) country by country, while carbon prices and emissions trading arrive alongside.

Singapore already requires Scope 1 and 2 reporting from every listed company, and taxes large emitters at S$45 a tonne.
Malaysia is phasing in IFRS S1 and S2 from 2025, with reasonable assurance from 2028.
The Philippines starts with its largest listed companies for financial years from 2026.
Indonesia's ISSB-based standards take effect from 1 January 2027.
Thailand starts with SET50 companies on 2027 data, reporting in 2028.
Vietnam requires greenhouse gas inventories from 2,441 facilities, and opened a domestic carbon exchange in June 2026.

At a glance

Country	Standard	First in scope	Carbon price
Singapore	ISSB-based (IFRS S2)	All listed: Scope 1 and 2 from FY2025	Carbon tax, S$45/t in 2026 and 2027
Malaysia	IFRS S1 and S2 (NSRF)	Large Main Market issuers from 2025	Carbon tax announced, not yet in force
Philippines	PFRS sustainability standards (IFRS S1 and S2)	Largest listed companies, FY from 2026	None yet
Indonesia	PSPK 1 and 2 (IFRS S1 and S2)	Effective 1 Jan 2027, phased by OJK	Power sector ETS and IDXCarbon exchange
Thailand	ISSB-aligned SEC rules	SET50: 2027 data, reported 2028	Frameworks in progress
Vietnam	National GHG inventory rules	2,441 listed facilities	Pilot ETS to end of 2028

Singapore

Climate reporting: Scope 1 and 2 for all listed companies from FY2025. Fuller ISSB-based disclosures from FY2025 for STI constituents, and FY2028 or FY2030 for others. Large non-listed companies from FY2030. Scope 3 is mandatory only for STI constituents, from FY2026.
Assurance: limited assurance on Scope 1 and 2 from FY2029 for listed companies.
Carbon tax: S$45 per tonne for 2026 and 2027, for facilities emitting 25,000 tCO2e or more. Up to 5% can be covered with eligible international credits.

Malaysia

National Sustainability Reporting Framework: IFRS S1 and S2 for large Main Market issuers from 2025, other Main Market issuers from 2026, and ACE Market and large non-listed companies (RM2bn+ revenue) from 2027.
Reliefs: climate-only reporting and no Scope 3 for the first two or three years.
Assurance: reasonable assurance of Scope 1 and 2 from 2028.
Carbon tax: announced for iron, steel and energy, but the bill was still in drafting as of mid-2026.

The Philippines

The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted Philippine sustainability disclosure standards that correspond to IFRS S1 and S2 (Eco-Business).
Tier 1, the largest listed companies: financial years from 1 January 2026, reporting in 2027.
Tier 2, listed companies with market cap above PHP3bn up to PHP50bn: financial years from 1 January 2027, reporting in 2028.
Limited assurance on Scope 1 and 2 two years after each tier starts.

Indonesia

Indonesia's Sustainability Disclosure Standards, PSPK 1 (general) and PSPK 2 (climate), adopt IFRS S1 and S2. They were approved on 1 July 2025 and take effect on 1 January 2027 (Antara).
The financial regulator OJK consulted in February 2026 on a regulation that phases them in for listed companies and financial-sector entities. Check the final OJK rules for your category and first reporting year.

Thailand

In November 2026 the Thai SEC published rules requiring ISSB-aligned reporting (ESG Today).
SET50: reporting in 2028 on 2027 data. SET100: 2029. Other SET-listed: 2030. mai-listed companies and listed funds follow through 2031.
GHG emissions must be assured. Reliefs include no comparatives in year one and a delay on Scope 3.
A draft Climate Change Act has been approved in principle by the Cabinet, and frameworks for an ETS and carbon tax are in progress.

Vietnam

GHG inventory: 2,441 facilities on the Decision 42/2026 list report every two years by 31 March.
Carbon market: pilot to the end of 2028, full operation from 2029. Allowances so far go to thermal power, steel and cement. The exchange opened on 29 June 2026.

Read more (in Vietnamese): Kiểm kê khí nhà kính · Thị trường các-bon Việt Nam

Exporters to Europe and the UK

Steel, aluminium, cement, fertiliser and hydrogen producers across the region face buyer data requests under the EU CBAM, where the first annual declaration is due 30 September 2027. The UK CBAM starts on 1 January 2027. A carbon price already paid at home, like Singapore's carbon tax, can reduce what EU buyers owe if it's properly evidenced.

Regional groups: one dataset, many regimes

A group with a listed parent in Singapore, a plant in Malaysia and suppliers in Vietnam will face three timelines at once. The common thread is the same:

Scope 1 and 2 first. Every regime starts there, and assurance follows within a few years.
One boundary. Use the same organisational boundary as your financial statements in every country.
Facility-level data. Carbon taxes, ETSs and CBAM all work at installation level, so keep data by site, not just by entity.
Scope 3 during the reliefs. Use the grace periods to build supplier data before it becomes mandatory.

What to do first, wherever you operate

Map which entities fall into which regime and from which year.
Get Scope 1 and 2 complete and traceable to invoices and meter reads.
Check whether any site crosses a carbon tax or ETS threshold.
Ask key suppliers for emissions data now, especially for CBAM goods.
Keep one dataset that serves local regulators, investors and EU or UK customers.

How Breathe ESG helps

Breathe ESG calculates Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions with an audit trail back to source data and maps one dataset to IFRS S1 and S2, local regulators and CBAM buyer requests.

People: ESG consulting and fractional CSOs across the region.
Training: Breathe Academy.
Community: Breathe Zero, a network of ESG professionals.

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FAQs

Which Southeast Asian countries require ISSB reporting?

Singapore and Malaysia already do. The Philippines starts with financial years from 2026, Indonesia's standards take effect in 2027, and Thailand's SET50 companies report on 2027 data.

Which countries have a carbon tax?

Singapore does, at S$45 a tonne for 2026 and 2027. Malaysia has announced one but it isn't in force. Indonesia and Vietnam are building emissions trading instead.

Is Scope 3 mandatory anywhere in the region?

In Singapore, for STI constituents from FY2026. Elsewhere, transition reliefs delay it for the first years.

Does a carbon tax at home help with EU CBAM?

A carbon price effectively paid in the country of origin can be deducted, subject to EU evidence rules. Keep proof per installation.