Why Fractional CSO is the future of Decarbonisation in Asia

Founder of The Transmutation Principle unpacks the core impact that a Fractional CSO can make in an organisation.

Author

Thibaut Meurgue
April 07, 2025

Despite tumultuous times for ESG in the West, sustainability consultancies in Asia are showing promising growth.

A number of them are focusing on carbon accounting, carbon-trading, material and mechanical engineering to accelerate sustainability adoption, carbon-removal projects, develop new bond instruments to fund NGOs and rising green-tech start-ups, there is also another emerging niche; the role of a Fractional Chief Sustainability Officer.

Fractional CSOs are not just a consultant or a carbon accounting specialist. 

Their scope is to offload company leaders and or in-house sustainability leads from the tediousness of ESG operations; analysing data, strategising frameworks, communicating objectives and delivering on the companies’ ESG targets.

The job function might sound more project-management oriented, but for most organisations that are only starting to embark on their ESG business transformation, the scope of a Fractional CSO can be a huge undertaking.

In this article, I’ll be deep diving into the role of a Fractional CSO does and why it represents the near-term future of Climate Action in Singapore & Asia.

Fractional Chief Sustainability officer; is an agile & diverse role that is defined by an organisation’s ESG needs.

Let’s first lay the foundation of what is a “Fractional” role:

The Silicon Valley has undoubtedly played a significant role in popularising and expanding the adoption of fractional executives, particularly in the technology sector.

The role of a Fractional CTO & CFO etc is quite common in start-ups, as hiring a full-executive for every need isn’t always feasible or cost-effective. Start-ups are also known for adopting non-traditional work models like affiliate partnerships and the gig economy.

Fractional CSO services are however not limited to small-medium-enterprises. An MNC would also hire a Fractional CSO especially if they are just starting out on their sustainability journey.

Here are some reasons why:

High Demand for Specialized Expertise: The role of a CSO is a specialised role which requires deep knowledge in environmental, social and climate adaptation and mitigation strategies; from data collection to solution deployment.

Cost Sensitivity: Most organisations have yet to embed sustainability as part of their business model, hence it’s the function is often accounted for as a cost instead of an investment with attributable revenue.

Flexibility and Scalability: Like a fast-growing and agile start-up, the role of a CSO is dynamic and needs to adapt to the sustainability priorities of the company, depending on how ready the leadership is in integrating ESG practices into their business domain.  

Picture this:

You are the CEO and your daily job is to represent the company, make hard decisions, manage investor relationships, define the vision and future of the company - which is increasingly under threat by climate and regulatory changes, which would ultimately challenge the resilience of your business. However, you may not have someone on the team who is competent in the environmental-social-governance policies, regulatory requirements and implementable solutions…

Why businesses would hire a Fractional (interim/part-time) C-suite?

Whilst a Fractional C-suite is a fancier way of describing a freelance Chief function, more businesses are turning to Fractional experts to adopt a sustainable business model, as a result of regulatory push, competition pressure or even cost-cutting reasons.

In the case of a Fractional CSO, it’s to hire a Fractional expert in sustainability to align business priorities with attainable sustainability goals.

Business Advantages of hiring a Fractional CSO:

Flexibility on budget, project pace and priorities.

Network of experts that a Fractional CSO can integrate into your organisation to scale up your sustainability initiatives.

Objective perspective that is not diluted by organisational politics.

Co-design of your sustainability targets to maintain your ownership over the initiative.

Project-oriented which ensures prioritisation of the most high-stake, urgent and needle-moving actions to stay on track with the set goals.

What is the role of a Fractional CSO & how they can help your organisation?

Our capacity building session with BNP Paribas team.

By definition, the role of a fractional CSO will depend on your organisation and here are the most fundamental deliverables:

  • Target-Setting: Advise on the most relevant reporting frameworks and or co-designing, monitor progress and project-manage the implementations.

  • Ensure compliance with environmental regulations: Firstly mapping and classification of the organisation’s Transition and Materiality risks, co-design contingency plans to futureproof the business.

  • Internal stakeholders management: Develop, integrate and align your Sustainability strategy: Develop, integrate and align your sustainability strategies with your department leads, management executives, partners, vendors and investors, to scope sustainability initiatives that are in line with your business priorities and future trajectories.

  • Ensure strategic alignment from the bottom-up, to maximise your organisational resources and investments.

  • Capacity building: Equip the teams with the knowledge and responsibilities to maintain the new sustainability standards even after the Fractional CSO is retired from the project.

  • External stakeholder communication: Adequately communicate the organisation’s sustainability initiatives to your clients, consumers and investors.

A fruitful brainstorming & design-think session with the Sustainability Committee of Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS)

Transmuting your organisation ESG: The 3% Leadership in supporting SMEs to climate-proof their businesses

We believe that lasting systematic change starts with transforming the way we run businesses and public services. 99% of Singapore’s businesses are SMEs, and we are committed to helping enterprises embed sustainability - from education to implementation.

This is why we have setup the 3% Leadership which comprises of cross-domain sustainability experts to assist enterprises from all sectors with their Impact assessments, Carbon Footprint audit and customising of Sustainability frameworks that would inform their ESG implementation roadmap.

The 3% Leadership is inspired by the 3% Year-on-Year global emission reduction goal to reach net-carbon by 2050. 

We’ve developed a program tailored to SMEs that can supplement their existing initiatives and or to develop new capabilities in a 3-step approach: Measure - Analyse - Implement, to climate-proof their business. Reach out to us to learn more.

Register for our taster session on how to Climate-Proof your business:

Learn how to future-proof your business against climate and compliance risks, to explore solutions that can help you sustainably embed sustainability in your business.

Who is it for?

  • Eco-curious business owners

  • Mid-level key decision makers in your organisation

  • Sustainability champions

Key takeaways:

  • Climate-proofing our planet: what happens if we don't

  • What Climate-risks look like for your business

  • Climate-Proofing approaches for SMEs