Role
Digital Innovation Specialist & Developer
Organisation
Deloitte
Duration
3 months
Category
Custom Digital Tools
PROJECT OUTLINE
When one of Singapore’s leading financial institutions recognised the growing need for SME sustainability guidance, they turned to us to create a digital solution that would democratize access to sustainability expertise. This wasn’t just another assessment tool—it was a strategic initiative to position the bank as a sustainability enabler while providing genuine value to Singapore’s vibrant SME ecosystem.
Our team was tasked with developing a comprehensive digital platform that would serve as the gateway for small and medium enterprises to understand, evaluate, and advance their sustainability practices. The tool needed to bridge the gap between complex sustainability frameworks and practical, actionable guidance that busy SME owners could immediately implement.
The Challenge
Singapore’s SME sector represents over 99% of all enterprises, yet most lack the resources and expertise to navigate the increasingly complex sustainability landscape. The challenges were multifaceted:
- SME owners understood sustainability was important but didn't know where to start or how to measure their current efforts against industry standards.
- Unlike large corporations, SMEs couldn't afford dedicated sustainability consultants or extensive research into best practices.
- Existing sustainability resources were either too generic or too technical, failing to provide relevant, sector-specific guidance.
- The solution needed to seamlessly integrate with the bank's existing digital ecosystem while maintaining their premium brand standards and user experience expectations.
The Solution
We developed a sophisticated yet intuitive sustainability assessment platform that transforms complex sustainability frameworks into an engaging, user-friendly experience. The solution comprised several key components:
- Intelligent Assessment Engine: Designed and implemented advanced algorithms that evaluate SME responses across multiple sustainability dimensions, providing accurate positioning within the sustainability maturity spectrum.
- Dynamic User Experience: Created an intuitive interface that guides users through the assessment process with progressive disclosure, contextual help, and visual progress indicators, ensuring high completion rates and user satisfaction.
- Personalized Recommendations: Developed a smart recommendation system that delivers tailored action plans based on industry sector, company size, current sustainability maturity, and available resources.
- Brand-Consistent Design: Crafted a visual identity that seamlessly aligns with the bank's premium branding while maintaining accessibility and usability standards across all device types.
- Content Collaboration Framework: Established workflows with sustainability practitioners to ensure all content remained current, relevant, and actionable for the Singapore SME context.
The Outcome
The tool was succesfully launched in July 2024 and has delivered significant impact and established a new standard for sustainability guidance in Singapore’s SME ecosystem:
- Strategic Partnership Impact: The tool aims to empower 1,000 local SMEs over the next 12 months, demonstrating the scale of our solution's reach and DBS's commitment to supporting the green transition.
- Comprehensive Framework: The tool successfully assesses sustainability maturity across four key pillars that align with the TCFD (Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures) framework, a globally recognised reporting structure, ensuring international standards compliance.
- Government Recognition: This tool is supported by SkillsFuture Singapore, as part of the partnership with DBS SME Skills Booster, validating the solution's alignment with national workforce development priorities.
- The solution needed to seamlessly integrate with the bank's existing digital ecosystem while maintaining their premium brand standards and user experience expectations.
- Industry Leadership: The collaboration positioned DBS as a pioneer in sustainability digital solutions, with DBS is one of the first financial institutions to build up an ecosystem of sustainability partners, supporting SMEs in their decarbonisation journeys.
- User Experience Success: The tool delivers practical value through customized reporting, with businesses receiving a customised Sustainability Readiness Report which provides a structured analysis of their company's sustainability maturity with insights to address the specific challenges they may be currently facing.
This project demonstrates our capability to translate complex business requirements into elegant digital solutions that drive measurable results while maintaining the highest standards of user experience and brand consistency.
