The Twin Transition Defined
Singapore’s business community faces a dual imperative: embracing artificial intelligence to remain competitive while adopting sustainable practices to meet regulatory and market expectations. Chambers have positioned themselves at the intersection of these two transformations, providing platforms, programmes, and advocacy to help businesses navigate both.
The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI) established a dedicated Sustainability Committee under its 62nd Council to promote green transformation among enterprises. This institutional commitment reflects growing recognition that sustainability is not a compliance burden but a competitive differentiator. An SCCCI survey found that 63% of respondents said sustainability is important to their business and that adopting such practices gives them a competitive advantage.
AI Adoption: From Experimentation to Implementation
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, speaking at the SCCCI Spring Reception 2026, articulated the AI imperative clearly: “For businesses, AI is not just a tool to improve efficiency but a key factor affecting competitiveness”. He acknowledged the Chamber’s efforts in launching an SME AI Experience Programme, which uses practical workshops and one-to-one coaching to help SMEs adopt AI in actual operations without hesitation.
Budget 2026 reinforced this direction. The government committed to increased support for businesses using AI for transformation, with a focus not just on technology itself but on helping enterprises apply AI to business processes, operational management, and decision-making to solve practical problems.
Sustainability as Strategic Advantage
The Asia Pacific Green Alliance (APGA), of which SICC is a founding partner, provides simplified and actionable sustainability tools to support businesses across the region. The Alliance also advocates for Asia-Pacific sustainability priorities on the global stage. SICC’s involvement reflects a recognition that sustainability challenges transcend national borders and require collaborative solutions.
SCCCI’s sustainability initiatives include the Sustainability Alliance, formed with the objective of accelerating sustainable practices and adoption of industry-wide enabling initiatives on reducing waste and greenhouse emissions through clean energy technologies. For SMEs, these alliances provide access to expertise and resources that would be difficult to assemble independently.
The Business Case for Integration
The most forward-looking businesses are not treating AI and sustainability as separate agendas. AI can optimise energy consumption, improve supply chain transparency, and enable circular economy models. Conversely, sustainability requirements drive demand for digital tracking and reporting capabilities—creating natural synergies.
SCCCI President Kho Choon Keng emphasised that the Chamber is “expanding regional linkages and accelerating enterprise transformation in key areas including sustainability, digitalization and AI”. This integrated approach recognises that the twin transition requires holistic capability-building, not isolated initiatives.
Government-Chamber Collaboration
DPM Gan Kim Yong noted that uncertainties, volatility, and disruptions will become the norm. In this environment, he identified three key imperatives: enterprises must proactively transform using AI to boost productivity, businesses must look to regional and international markets, and the government will strengthen support for overseas expansion. Chambers serve as the connective tissue between these imperatives—translating policy into practice, aggregating business feedback into advocacy, and providing the platforms where transformation actually happens.
For Singapore businesses, the message is unambiguous: the twin transition is not optional. Chambers are providing the tools, networks, and expertise to make it manageable.
