Padang & Co has mapped 1,089 early-stage and growth companies across Southeast Asia’s green economy in the Green Economy Landscape 2025 report, highlighting Singapore’s outsized role in climate-related innovation.
The study covers startups, scale-ups, and SMEs in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, focusing on seven key sectors shaping the region’s low-carbon transition:
- Nature, Agriculture & Food
- Energy Transition
- Transportation & Logistics
- Industrial Decarbonisation
- Circular Economy & Waste
- Built Environment
- Climate Markets & Enablers
Padang & Co notes that while the region possesses many technologies for emissions reduction and climate adaptation, the main constraints are deployment speed and scale, with fragmentation and system bottlenecks limiting progress.
Regional Potential for Green Tech
The report complements prior research by Bain & Company, GenZero, Google, Standard Chartered, and Temasek, which estimated that a full green transition in Southeast Asia could unlock USD $120 billion in economic value and create 900,000 jobs by 2030.
Padang & Co positions its mapping as a practical guide for investors, corporates, and ecosystem partners, highlighting areas where collaboration, innovation, and deployment can create the greatest impact.
“Southeast Asia’s green economy cannot advance through innovation alone; we must build systems, partnerships, and regulatory environments that allow solutions to scale,” said Adam A. Lyle, Executive Chairman of Padang & Co.
Singapore’s Green Tech Concentration
The report identifies 494 green economy startups and SMEs in Singapore, representing 45% of all companies mapped across the six markets. Singapore leads in Built Environment (55%) and Climate Markets & Enablers (53%), and excels in integrating green tech in advanced manufacturing, industrial decarbonisation, carbon markets, and digital innovation.
Key innovation themes in Singapore include:
- Distributed energy resources, virtual power plants, and demand response
- Decarbonisation of Jurong Island’s industrial and petrochemical sector
- Grid-interactive, low-carbon, high-density data centers
- Clean energy imports and regional grid interconnection
- Maritime and aviation decarbonisation, including biofuel feedstock innovation
Diverse Paths Across Southeast Asia
- Malaysia: Focus on renewable energy, circular economy, low-carbon industrial processes, and waste-to-value innovation.
- Indonesia: Investment in regenerative agriculture, peatland restoration, decentralized energy, and digital climate solutions.
- Thailand: Sustainable mobility, smart logistics, electric vehicle fleet electrification, and advanced recycling.
- Vietnam: Rice methane reduction, renewable energy adoption, manufacturing decarbonisation, and low-carbon materials.
- Philippines: Climate adaptation solutions, resilient infrastructure, solar PV startups, and community clean energy projects.
The study highlights the importance of cross-sector collaboration, urging corporates, governments, investors, and entrepreneurs to work together to scale climate solutions and accelerate the low-carbon transition.
“The strongest opportunities emerge when corporations, governments, and entrepreneurs work side by side,” said Derrick Chiang, CEO of Padang & Co.
About Padang & Co
Padang & Co is a research and advisory firm focused on green economy mapping, climate-tech innovation, and sustainable investment strategies. The Green Economy Landscape 2025 report informs efforts to support climate-tech firms, convene partners, and advance Southeast Asia’s transition to a low-carbon economy.