Zero Waste Singapore

What Zero Waste Singapore does

Zero Waste Singapore is a non-profit advocacy and education organisation that has operated in Singapore since 2015 (with predecessor activity from 2008), focused on driving behavioural and systemic change across four pillars: Food Waste, Single-use Disposables, Recycling At Source, and Circularity Education. It delivers this through a portfolio of sub-brands and programmes — Sort It Out (SIO) for recycling and single-use disposables, Bring Your Own (BYO) and Save Food Cut Waste for food waste, Zero Waste Explorers (ZWEX) for schools, and the Zero Waste Academy (ZWA) for corporates and tertiary students — reaching more than 55,000 individuals and 220+ companies.

Its core "products" are education curricula, public campaigns, corporate engagement programmes, community workshops, an apprenticeship programme, and two pilot physical Recycling Hubs that have collected over 8,100 kg of clean-stream recyclables. The technology base is non-proprietary: campaign websites, educational content, digital resources distributed via partners (e.g., Twinkl), and lightweight logistics for hub collection. There is no AI, ML, or proprietary software component described.

The revenue model is a charity mix of donations, corporate sponsorships, paid engagement-programme fees, and apprenticeship-related flows (the apprenticeship itself is subsidised at SGD 400/month per apprentice, indicating it is a cost centre rather than a revenue line). It received Institutions of a Public Character (IPC) status in April 2024, which unlocks tax-deductible donations and matched-giving schemes. A Silver Award at the 2024 Honeycombers Sustainability Awards is the principal third-party recognition cited. The organisation is self-funded, with no disclosed venture or private equity backing.

Name

Zero Waste Singapore

Legal name

Zero Waste SG Limited

Website

https://zerowastesg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Zero Waste Singapore is a Singapore-based non-profit that runs education, advocacy, and corporate engagement programmes across food waste, single-use disposables, recycling, and circularity, serving individuals, schools, corporates, and tertiary institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Advocacy and Education Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Circular Economy & Waste/Materials Reporting (Zero waste, packaging) (EUAHAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Waste Management & Hazardous Waste Compliance (RCRA, Universal Waste, Waste Characterization/Manifests) (EUAHABAC), E-waste & Universal Waste Collection/Transfer (Electronics, Lamps, Batteries) (EUAIABAG)

Keywords

• Waste education
• Circular economy advocacy
• Recycling programmes
• Environmental NGO
• Sustainability training

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Zero Waste SG operates as a self-funded charity relying heavily on donations. As an Institution of Public Character (IPC), donations of $10 or above qualify for 250% tax deduction. One-time and monthly recurring donation options are available through Give.asia and Giving.sg platforms, as well as PayNow, bank transfer, and cheque.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors can support high-impact campaigns targeting waste issues in Singapore. Sponsorship offers include association with the organization, marketing reach within the green community, press release mentions, and access to sustainable supply chain networks. 100% of funding goes towards zero waste initiatives.
3. Engagement Programme Fees: As a self-funded organization, programme fees are essential to sustaining operations. These include fees for corporate social responsibility initiatives, community outreach sessions, and school learning journeys. Fees help deliver well-researched, audience-specific content while supporting wider zero waste outreach.
4. Apprenticeship Programme: Apprenticeship programme offering immersive experience in zero waste and circular economy advocacy. Roles include Advocacy Apprentice and Campaigns Apprentice with a minimum monthly stipend of SGD 400 for 4-6 month durations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Zero Waste Singapore is a non-governmental organization and charity that promotes zero-waste practices in Singapore through four campaign pillars: Food Waste, Single-use Disposables, Recycling At Source, and Circularity Education. It delivers this through educational campaigns (Save Food Cut Waste, BYO Singapore, Sort It Out, Zero Waste Academy), fee-based engagement programmes for corporates and schools, and community recycling hubs. The organization is funded by donations, sponsorships, and programme fees as a self-funded Institution of Public Character.

Product overview

Zero Waste Singapore is a non-governmental organisation and charity (established 2015) that operates as an advocacy and education platform rather than a software product company. Their portfolio consists of four main campaigns/programs: (1) Save Food Cut Waste targeting food waste reduction through consumer education, (2) BYO Singapore encouraging reduction of single-use disposables through reusable alternatives, (3) Sort It Out advocating for source segregation of recyclables, and (4) Zero Waste Academy providing circularity education and waste literacy. They also offer engagement programmes including educational talks, roadshows, workshops, and experiential learning journeys. The organisation does not offer a technology product or software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sort It Out (SIO): Campaign advocating for source segregation of recyclables including plastics, paper, metals, and glass at the point of waste generation.
• Bring Your Own (BYO)
• Save Food Cut Waste
• Zero Waste Academy (ZWA)
• Zero Waste Explorers (ZWEX)

Products and services

• Save Food Cut Waste
• BYO Singapore
• Sort It Out
• Zero Waste Academy
• Engagement Programmes
• SIO Recycling Hubs

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 55,000 people reached and 220+ companies engaged through campaigns and services
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Closed-Loop Partners NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Launched in 2024 as a first-of-its-kind platform in Singapore aimed at fostering industry partnerships to advance a circular economy. Aligns with Singapore's vision towards a Zero Waste Nation. The network bridges supply and demand for recycled feedstock by fostering collaboration among recycling service providers and enabling recycling through innovative waste management solutions.
• Institutes of Higher Learning (Local and International)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZero Waste Academy partners with leading IHLs to deliver high-quality and accredited knowledge-based circularity training for professionals. Courses target aspiring sustainability professionals, mid-career professionals transitioning to sustainability roles, corporate teams, and educators.
• TwinklminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched free zero waste educational resources in December 2025 to empower youth education. Part of the Zero Waste Explorers programme to build zero waste habits from a young age.
• National Environment Agency (NEA)coreOthersSupports various NEA campaigns and initiatives. Executive Director Lionel Dorai serves as Youth for Environmental Sustainability (YES) Mentor for NEA's YES! Leaders Programme. Organization contributes to Zero Waste Masterplan review and policy advocacy.
• Corporate Sponsors and PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partners support high-impact campaigns targeting waste issues in Singapore. Benefits include association, marketing reach within green community, press release mentions, and access to sustainable supply chain networks. 100% of funding goes to zero waste efforts.
• BenevityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate volunteering platform through which employees can sign up for Zero Waste SG volunteering opportunities directly via their organization's Benevity account.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• WWF Singapore: Singapore office of a major environmental NGO, operating community engagement, corporate partnerships, and policy advocacy on sustainability — directly comparable in mission, fundraising model (donations + corporate partnerships) and Singapore footprint.
• Plastic Bank: Global social enterprise building recycling collection networks and incentivising source segregation in communities — comparable operating model around source-segregated recyclables collection, advocacy and corporate sponsorship integration.
• Food Bank Singapore: Singapore charity tackling food waste and insecurity through collection, redistribution and public education — directly comparable on the food-waste pillar, donation/recycle-driven model, and Singapore-only community engagement.
• Green is the New Black: Singapore-based sustainability community and events platform that convenes corporates and consumers around ESG — comparable as a Singapore sustainability community-builder monetising corporate engagement.
• ACRES (Animal Concerns Research & Education Society): Long-standing Singapore charity using community education, volunteer networks and partnerships to drive conservation outcomes — closely comparable as a small-team, donation-funded Singapore NGO with strong volunteer and CSR engagement.
• The Ocean Cleanup: Global non-profit focused on waste (ocean plastic) with high-visibility campaigns, corporate sponsorships and public engagement — comparable donation + corporate-partnership funding model and waste-mission advocacy.
• Singapore Environmental Council: National environmental NGO in Singapore running advocacy, certification schemes and public campaigns on sustainable consumption and recycling — comparable advocacy-driven, donation-funded model targeting corporates and the public.

Broad incumbents

• Eco-Business: Asia-Pacific sustainability media and consulting platform headquartered in Singapore — adjacent incumbent with overlapping corporate ESG audience and content play, but operating at broader scale and as a for-profit media/consultancy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCIK1RPq-ZOPBm7BiNYwWl3A
• Facebookfacebook.com/zerowastesg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zerowastesg
• Instagraminstagram.com/zerowastesingapore
• Xx.com/zerowastesg

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zero Waste Singapore