How ISSB Standards Are Changing Procurement

For most of the past decade, sustainability in commercial interiors was primarily a design conversation — Green Mark ratings, recycled content percentages, low-VOC certifications. Important, certainly, but largely contained within the project specification process. That is changing. The introduction of mandatory sustainability reporting standards, driven by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and enforced through securities regulation, is transforming sustainability from a design consideration into a procurement and supply chain requirement with financial reporting implications.

At Goodrich, we are experiencing this shift first-hand. The questions we receive from developers and corporate occupiers have evolved. Where once they asked whether our products had green certifications, they now ask for carbon data, environmental product declarations, supply chain traceability, and documentation that can withstand audit scrutiny. This is not a trend — it is a structural change in how the built environment industry procures interior materials.

What ISSB Standards Require

The International Sustainability Standards Board, established under the IFRS Foundation, released its inaugural standards — IFRS S1 (General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information) and IFRS S2 (Climate-related Disclosures) — in June 2023. These standards create a global baseline for sustainability-related financial reporting, designed to meet the information needs of investors and capital markets.

IFRS S1 requires companies to disclose material information about sustainability-related risks and opportunities that could reasonably be expected to affect the entity’s cash flows, access to finance, or cost of capital. IFRS S2 focuses specifically on climate-related disclosures, including greenhouse gas emissions across Scope 1 (direct), Scope 2 (energy-related), and Scope 3 (value chain) categories.

The critical element for interior material suppliers and specifiers is Scope 3. This category captures emissions from a company’s value chain — both upstream (supplier emissions) and downstream (product use and end-of-life). For a property developer or corporate occupier reporting under ISSB standards, the embodied carbon and lifecycle emissions of the materials specified in their buildings fall squarely within Scope 3.

This means that the flooring, wallcoverings, carpet, and fabric specified in a commercial fit-out are no longer just design and procurement decisions. They are data points in a financial disclosure that may be reviewed by auditors, investors, and regulators.

SGX Mandatory Climate Reporting

Singapore has moved quickly to adopt ISSB-aligned reporting requirements. The Singapore Exchange (SGX) has mandated climate-related disclosures for listed companies on a phased timeline. Large listed companies in priority sectors — including real estate — are required to provide climate-related disclosures aligned with ISSB standards in their sustainability reports.

The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) and SGX have worked with the Singapore Sustainability Reporting Advisory Committee to develop an implementation roadmap. Listed companies in the real estate sector, which includes Singapore’s major developers and REITs, are among the earliest required to comply.

For these entities, compliance means reporting Scope 1, Scope 2, and — progressively — Scope 3 emissions. The Scope 3 requirement is where the impact on procurement becomes direct. A listed developer constructing or renovating commercial properties must account for the embodied carbon of materials used in those properties. A REIT upgrading its portfolio must demonstrate that its procurement practices align with its climate commitments.

This creates a clear chain of accountability. The developer or asset owner needs data. They ask their main contractors and consultants. The consultants ask the suppliers. Any supplier who cannot provide credible environmental data becomes a gap in the reporting chain — and increasingly, a risk that procurement teams are not willing to accept.

How This Cascades to Interior Material Procurement

The practical implications for interior material procurement are significant and are already visible in Singapore’s market.

Environmental Product Declarations Are Becoming Table Stakes

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardised, third-party-verified document that reports the environmental impact of a product across its lifecycle, based on a lifecycle assessment (LCA) conducted in accordance with ISO 14025 and EN 15804 (for construction products). EPDs quantify impacts including global warming potential (carbon footprint), resource depletion, water use, and waste generation.

For interior materials, EPDs have existed for years but were rarely requested outside of Green Mark Platinum projects or specific corporate sustainability mandates. That is changing rapidly. We are seeing EPDs requested as standard documentation in tender submissions for commercial office fit-outs, hospitality renovations, and institutional projects. Projects that previously accepted a manufacturer’s self-declared environmental claims now require independently verified EPDs.

This matters because not all products have EPDs, and producing them requires investment. Manufacturers who have invested in lifecycle assessments and third-party verification are at an advantage. Those who have not are increasingly finding their products excluded from tender shortlists — not because the products are inferior, but because they lack the documentation that the client’s reporting obligations demand.

Carbon Data at the Product Level

Beyond EPDs, we are seeing requests for product-level carbon data that can be integrated into building-level carbon calculations. Developers working towards carbon budgets for their projects need to aggregate the embodied carbon of every material specified. This requires suppliers to provide data in formats compatible with carbon calculation tools and methodologies.

For flooring products, the relevant data typically includes the embodied carbon per square metre (cradle-to-gate or cradle-to-grave, depending on the project’s methodology), the expected service life (which affects the annualised carbon impact), and the end-of-life scenario (recyclable, recoverable, or landfill).

For wallcoverings and textiles, similar data is required but has historically been less readily available. The wallcovering industry is catching up, with major manufacturers beginning to publish EPDs and carbon data for their commercial ranges.

Supply Chain Traceability

ISSB standards require disclosure of how sustainability risks and opportunities are managed throughout the value chain. For interior material procurement, this translates into questions about raw material sourcing, manufacturing processes, and transport logistics.

Where is the raw material sourced? Is the timber in the LVT core from certified sustainable forests? Is the yarn in the carpet tile from recycled content, and can that be independently verified? What is the energy mix of the manufacturing facility? These questions are moving from “nice to know” to “required for compliance.”

Suppliers who can demonstrate supply chain traceability — through certifications such as FSC for timber products, GRS (Global Recycled Standard) for recycled content, or ISO 14001 for environmental management systems — are better positioned to meet these emerging requirements.

What Specifiers Should Ask From Suppliers

The shift to mandatory sustainability reporting changes the criteria by which specifiers should evaluate interior material suppliers. Technical performance, aesthetics, and price remain essential — but sustainability documentation capability is now a fourth pillar of supplier evaluation.

Specifiers should ask:

• Does the product have a current, third-party-verified EPD? If not, can the manufacturer provide a timeline for when one will be available?
• Can the supplier provide product-level embodied carbon data? Is this data based on a full lifecycle assessment or on estimates and industry averages?
• What certifications does the product hold? Green Mark-recognised certifications, Singapore Green Building Product (SGBP) certification, Greenguard, FloorScore, and similar credentials provide independent verification of environmental and health claims.
• Can the supplier support the project’s sustainability reporting requirements? This means providing data in usable formats, responding to information requests during reporting cycles, and supporting audit processes if required.
• What is the supplier’s own sustainability position? Does the supplier have published sustainability commitments, environmental management systems (ISO 14001), and a track record of environmental improvement?

These questions are not about policing suppliers — they are about building a procurement practice that meets the reporting obligations that clients now face. A specifier who selects a product without these credentials may deliver a successful project in design terms but leave the client with a gap in their sustainability reporting.

The Role of Green Mark and WELL

Singapore’s Green Mark certification scheme, administered by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), has long been the primary framework for green building in Singapore. The Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) administers the Singapore Green Building Product (SGBP) certification for materials and products.

Green Mark and SGBP certifications remain important — they provide a recognised, local framework for evaluating building and product sustainability. However, the ISSB reporting requirements add a layer of quantitative data that goes beyond certification. A Green Mark Platinum building still needs to quantify its Scope 3 emissions for ISSB reporting purposes. A product with SGBP certification still needs an EPD to contribute to a carbon calculation.

The WELL Building Standard adds a further dimension, focusing on occupant health and wellbeing. WELL credits related to materials require documentation of VOC emissions, chemical content, and material transparency — data that overlaps with but is distinct from carbon and environmental reporting.

For specifiers, the practical implication is that multiple documentation streams may be required for a single product: fire test certificates for SCDF compliance, EPDs for ISSB reporting, SGBP certification for Green Mark, and VOC/chemical data for WELL. Suppliers who can provide this full documentation package from a single source significantly reduce the administrative burden on the specification team.

Goodrich’s Approach to Sustainability Documentation

At Goodrich, we have been investing in our sustainability documentation capability ahead of the curve, because we see the direction the market is moving and we want our specifiers to be prepared.

We work with manufacturers who are leaders in environmental transparency — companies that invest in lifecycle assessments, maintain current EPDs, hold recognised environmental certifications, and can provide product-level carbon data. When we select new products and brands to add to our range, sustainability documentation capability is now a key evaluation criterion alongside technical performance and design merit.

Our commercial team can provide specifiers with the environmental documentation they need for project submissions, sustainability reports, and Green Mark applications. This includes EPDs, VOC test reports, recycled content declarations, and certification credentials for products across our carpet, flooring, wallcovering, and fabric ranges.

We also recognise that the landscape is evolving rapidly. New reporting requirements, updated standards, and emerging best practices mean that what is sufficient today may not be adequate in two years. We are committed to continuously improving our sustainability data capability and ensuring that specifiers who work with Goodrich are not left exposed by gaps in documentation.

Preparing for What Comes Next

The ISSB standards and SGX mandatory reporting requirements are the beginning, not the end, of this shift. Several developments on the horizon will deepen the integration of sustainability data into interior material procurement.

Digital product passports — standardised digital records containing a product’s environmental, composition, and lifecycle data — are being developed in the European Union and are expected to influence standards globally. These will make product-level sustainability data machine-readable and auditable, further embedding it in procurement workflows.

Carbon pricing and border adjustment mechanisms will increasingly attach a financial cost to embodied carbon, making the carbon intensity of materials a direct cost factor in procurement decisions. Products with lower embodied carbon will carry a tangible price advantage.

Investor scrutiny of Scope 3 emissions will intensify as reporting matures. Real estate companies that can demonstrate granular data on the materials in their portfolio — down to the flooring and wallcovering level — will be better positioned in capital markets than those that rely on estimates and assumptions.

For specifiers and procurement teams, the message is clear: start building sustainability documentation requirements into your specification process now. Engage with suppliers who can provide verified data. Create systems to collect, store, and report on the environmental credentials of the materials you specify. The projects you work on today will be reported on tomorrow — and the data needs to be there.

At Goodrich, we are ready to support this transition. Our commitment is to ensure that every product we recommend comes with the technical, environmental, and regulatory documentation that today’s commercial projects require — and that tomorrow’s reporting standards will demand.

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