EDGE Sustainable Product / Service Development at a glance
Agency
Enterprise Singapore
Parent programme
Support type
Co-funding
Who can apply
Eligible Singapore businesses developing sustainable commercial products, services or solutions
Local ownership
At least 30% direct or indirect Singaporean / Singapore PR ownership
What it supports
Development and commercialisation of innovative sustainable products, services and solutions
Funding rate
Up to 70% for SMEs and 50% for non-SMEs
Application cycle
Rolling
Project timing
Apply before work starts or payment/deposit is made
Application route
Business Grants Portal through the company's Corppass account
Enterprise Singapore currently provides up to 70% support for SMEs and 50% for non-SMEs under this activity.
What does EDGE Sustainable Product / Service Development support?
This activity is intended for companies creating commercial sustainability solutions, rather than simply reducing the environmental impact of their own operations.
The proposed product, service or solution should address a meaningful sustainability challenge while creating a credible business-growth opportunity.
Potential projects can include:
- energy-efficiency technologies;
- waste-to-resource solutions;
- products using environmentally friendly or regenerative materials;
- circular-economy products and services;
- renewable-energy solutions;
- technologies that reduce carbon emissions;
- products designed for lower resource consumption;
- solutions improving recyclability or reusability;
- digital or technical solutions enabling customers to improve sustainability performance;
- new sustainable business models.
Enterprise Singapore considers both reduced environmental impact across the product or service value chain and new sustainable business models capable of delivering positive environmental, social or governance outcomes.
What does the project need to demonstrate?
The activity has four particularly important project tests.
1. Sustainability-related advancement
The project must demonstrate clear technological or functional advancement beyond current market standards.
Incremental improvements do not qualify.
The advancement might relate to:
- lower emissions;
- reduced waste;
- improved resource or energy efficiency;
- more sustainable materials;
- circularity;
- new sustainability-enabled functionality.
2. A credible green-growth opportunity
The proposed product or service should have a differentiated value proposition that addresses a market gap and improves the company's competitive position in the green economy.
The sustainability element should therefore be commercially meaningful rather than an additional marketing feature.
3. Business-growth objectives
The company should be able to explain how the project builds on its existing commercial operations and contributes to outcomes such as:
- new revenue streams;
- entry into new markets;
- expansion of an existing portfolio;
- development of new business capabilities.
4. Tangible product development
The project must involve actual development activity such as:
- prototype development; and/or
- small-batch production.
Market assessment, product roadmaps, commercialisation planning and IP strategy can form part of the project, but only as a lead-in to tangible development.
Who can apply?
There are both company-level and project-level requirements.
Company eligibility
The applicant must:
- be registered and operating in Singapore;
- have at least 30% direct or indirect ownership by Singaporeans and/or Singapore Permanent Residents, determined by ultimate individual ownership;
- not have started work or made payment or a deposit to a supplier, vendor or third party before the application;
- not have previously applied for grant support for any part of the same project.
Companies below the 30% local-ownership threshold do not meet the general EDGE eligibility requirement.
Where a foreign-owned company is undertaking a substantive R&D or innovation programme in Singapore, RIS(C) may instead be relevant.
Can this be the company's first sustainable product?
There is an important nuance.
Enterprise Singapore states that the project should not be the company's first product.
However, a company that already has established products or services and is now pivoting into sustainability solutions may be considered for its first sustainable product or service.
That distinction can be commercially important.
An early-stage company with no existing commercial product would generally face a problem under this activity.
An established manufacturer or technology company developing its first dedicated green product may still have a viable route.
How much funding is available?
Current support is up to:
- 70% of qualifying costs for SMEs;
- 50% for non-SMEs.
The grant amount ultimately depends on:
- the approved project;
- the expenditure accepted by Enterprise Singapore;
- the support rate awarded;
- the company's wider EDGE utilisation.
S$100,000 annual EDGE cap
EDGE provides a standard company-wide annual grant cap of S$100,000 across all EDGE activities, refreshed on 1 April.
The cap is shared with other EDGE projects rather than applying separately to Sustainable Product / Service Development.
What expenditure can qualify?
The activity is project-based rather than a predefined equipment catalogue.
Depending on the approved development programme, relevant expenditure can include eligible technical and professional services and development-related equipment or software.
The key test is whether the expenditure contributes directly to the approved sustainable product-development programme.
Enterprise Singapore specifically excludes:
- GST;
- capital investment outside Singapore;
- expenditure related to development of a company's first product;
- routine technology or equipment replacement;
- standard implementations;
- incremental upgrades below relevant industry innovation norms.
Routine expenditure does not become supportable merely because the final product has a sustainability angle.
Key conditions
The sustainability proposition needs to be substantive
A normal product with a minor environmental improvement is unlikely to represent the strongest project.
The sustainability impact should form part of the technological, functional or business-model advancement.
Incremental development is insufficient
The project needs to go beyond routine product improvement and current market standards.
Tangible development is required
Prototype development and/or small-batch production must form part of the project.
The project must support business growth
The sustainability case and the commercialisation case need to work together.
Apply before commitment
The company must apply before commencing work or making payment or a deposit to a relevant third party.
When should you apply?
Applications are currently available on a rolling basis.
The more important timing issue is when the company commits the development programme.
The right point to assess EDGE is generally when:
- the product concept is sufficiently defined;
- the sustainability proposition can be quantified or articulated;
- the development plan and budget are taking shape;
- vendors or technical partners are being assessed;
but before development work or vendor commitments begin.
That allows the project scope, costs, sustainability outcomes and commercialisation objectives to be structured together.
What will Enterprise Singapore expect from the project?
Enterprise Singapore currently requires applicants to prepare information including:
- project proposal;
- vendor proposals and quotations;
- SS 680 certification where a management consultant is engaged;
- audited or management-certified financial statements;
- expected revenue growth, cost savings and overseas sales for three years after completion;
- expected new jobs, including Singaporean positions above the specified salary threshold;
- carbon-emissions information where relevant.
This reinforces an important point:
A sustainable-product application needs both a credible sustainability case and a credible commercial-growth case.
What deliverables are required?
Current Enterprise Singapore guidance identifies deliverables including:
- a project report including an assessment of the sustainability impact;
- market-viability or sustainability-value-proposition work where relevant;
- user-validation evidence;
- sustainable product or service roadmaps;
- evidence of manufacturing or fabrication improvements where applicable;
- proof of the completed product, service or prototype;
- patent evidence where IP forms part of the project.
The sustainability impact should therefore be defined early enough that it can ultimately be evidenced.
How does the application process work?
1. Assess the company and project
Confirm EDGE eligibility and determine whether the project is genuinely a sustainable-product development programme.
2. Define the sustainability advancement
Explain:
- the problem being addressed;
- current market practice;
- the proposed improvement;
- expected sustainability impact;
- how the solution differs from existing alternatives.
3. Structure the development programme
Define technical work, prototype stages, validation, partners, costs and deliverables.
4. Build the commercial case
Connect the project to new revenues, customers, market expansion or capability development.
5. Prepare supporting documents
Coordinate the proposal, quotations, financial information and required sustainability/business projections.
6. Submit through the Business Grants Portal
The applicant submits using its own Corppass account.
Enterprise Singapore states that third-party companies cannot formally apply for or manage the grant on the applicant's behalf. Reeve | R&D can manage the preparation and coordination of the workstream while the client remains the formal applicant.
7. Enterprise Singapore assessment and Letter of Offer
If approved, the Letter of Offer specifies the approved support, qualifying period, conditions and deliverables.
Post-Award Management
During implementation, the company should track both:
technical development evidence and sustainability evidence.
This can include:
- approved expenditure;
- prototype development;
- sustainability-performance analysis;
- testing and validation;
- development milestones;
- commercialisation deliverables;
- invoices and payment evidence;
- project changes;
- claim deadlines.
Current Enterprise Singapore guidance requires all approved expenditure to be fully paid before claim and requires an auditor from its Panel of Auditors for the claim process.
Is EDGE Sustainable Product / Service Development relevant to your project?
This route is particularly relevant where an existing Singapore business is investing in the development of a differentiated commercial solution to a sustainability problem.
A strong project typically combines:
Examples might include an established industrial company developing a materially more resource-efficient technology, a manufacturer moving into circular products, or a software/technology business developing a new solution that helps customers reduce emissions or resource consumption.
A weaker fit
The route is less compelling where:
- sustainability is only a secondary marketing benefit;
- the proposed product is only incrementally different;
- there is no tangible development work;
- the company has no existing commercial product or operations;
- the project is primarily about improving the company's own environmental performance.
In the last case, the EDGE Sustainability route is generally the more logical starting point.
How Reeve | R&D supports Sustainable Product Development
Initial assessment
Assess eligibility, project timing and whether the sustainability and innovation thresholds are sufficiently strong.
Project structuring
Define the sustainability challenge, advancement, prototype programme and business-growth case.
Funding modelling
Assess eligible project expenditure and potential support within the company's wider EDGE position.
Technical and sustainability case
Translate development activities into a clear technical, environmental and commercial narrative.
Application preparation
Coordinate the project proposal, financials, vendor documentation and sustainability evidence.
Enterprise Singapore interaction
Support responses and clarification requests during assessment.
Post-Award Management
Manage expenditure, milestones, deliverables, evidence and claim preparation through closure.
Frequently asked questions
Can EDGE fund my first sustainable product?
Potentially, if the company already has existing commercial products or services and is pivoting into sustainability solutions.
Development of the company's first-ever product is not supported.
How much funding is available?
Current support is up to 70% for SMEs and 50% for non-SMEs, subject to qualifying expenditure and the wider EDGE framework.
Does the project need a prototype?
The current activity requires tangible development such as prototype development and/or small-batch production.
Can a service or software solution qualify?
Potentially. The activity covers products, services and solutions where the required sustainability-related technological or functional advancement and commercial-growth conditions are met.
Can the grant fund a normal product with greener packaging?
Not automatically. The sustainability-related advancement needs to be substantive and go beyond incremental improvement.
Should I use Sustainable Product Development or general EDGE Sustainability?
If you are developing a sustainable solution to sell, Sustainable Product / Service Development is the more relevant route.
If you are improving your own company's sustainability performance, the general Sustainability route is usually more appropriate.