The curiosity of business operators eager to drive green change was satisfied at the ESG Positive Impact Awards 2024 (ESG PIA) Winners Showcase, held recently at Menara Star. The event featured speakers and exhibitors from various industries excelling in the green space—all previous ESG PIA winners.
Exhibitors showcasing their sustainability efforts included 2023 gold winners: Complete Human Network Sdn Bhd in the Sustainable Ecosystems category, MM Century Sdn Bhd in the Waste Management category, and Heliosel Sdn Bhd in the Renewable Energy category. All three winners were recognised under the SMEs and mid-tier companies segment.
UEM Edgenta Bhd, a Gold winner in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) category under the large companies segment, was also an exhibitor.
Sharing for success
Noting that best practices and knowledge should not be gate-kept, Complete Human Network founder and CEO Teh Chai Peng expressed her desire for other businesses to adopt green practices.
“We embrace technology for sustainability, particularly through enterprise mobility solutions, and contribute to a sustainable ecosystem by aligning our business goals with ESG principles. Furthermore, we maintain strong governance and operational integrity, as evidenced by our ISO 14001, ISO 27001, and MyHijau certifications,” she shared.
She also encouraged businesses to participate in programmes that recognise good practices, emphasising that such recognition provides validation and credibility. She highlighted how awards showcase a company’s achievements and differentiate it from competitors.
“Recognition boosts brand awareness and trust, increasing visibility and fostering stronger relationships with clients, partners, and stakeholders. Furthermore, receiving awards enhances employee morale and pride, driving higher engagement.
“These programmes offer businesses the opportunity to connect with industry leaders and potential collaborators, while the application process and feedback serve as valuable tools for evaluating and improving business practices,” she said.
Happy that guests of the event showed interest in the company’s green efforts, MM Century business development executive Baageshryee shared that many are not aware that small, simple acts can in fact contribute to greening the nation.
“It is important to start with simple actions that promote societal benefits. MSMEs or SMEs looking to start their ESG journey can begin small, demonstrating commitment to sustainability at both the individual and workplace levels
“Recycling, particularly e-waste recycling, was a key practice even before the term “ESG” became popular. An important yet fairly easy practice companies can emulate is the simple implementation of recycling bins for plastics, IT equipment, clothes and more in their offices and facilities,” she said.
Heliosel Sdn Bhd business development and government liason lead Muhammad Syazwan Mohammad Shamshuri highlighted the challenge of limited public understanding of ESG.
“While ESG is known, many don’t fully grasp its meaning. Heliosel aims to educate the public on its national importance. We focus on understanding clients’ ESG goals and providing tailored solutions, whether for community contributions or other sustainability efforts, adopting a holistic approach that balances supply, demand, and community needs,” he said.
Meanwhile, UEM Edgenta’s representatives shared it’s strategies and commitment to sustainability and DEI.
Highlighting industry insights
Transitioning to ESG excellence is rarely a straightforward path, and challenges are inevitable. However, a little help in the form of shared knowledge goes a long way.
OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Bhd’s commercial banking head Kevin Choo stated that the event allowed ESG PIA winners to share their experiences and insights, providing inspiration and learning for current participants.
“It’s also a fantastic opportunity for everyone to come together, share ideas, and explore new possibilities in sustainable approaches. What truly matters is the commitment to innovate and persevere, even when faced with obstacles,” said Choo.
The ESG PIA winners showcase began with OCBC Bank with a talk on sustainable financing. OCBC Bank’s sustainable finance vice-president Teoh Shi Sheng elaborated on the bank’s green financing, which has been providing financing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for the past five years.
Next, the Most Outstanding ESG Initiatives of the Year award winner in the SME-to-mid-tier category, Iskandar Malaysia Studios Sdn Bhd, as well as Gold winner of Talent Management and Good Health and Wellbeing in the large companies category, AIA Bhd, shared their experiences in setting up successful ESG-related programmes.
AIA Bhd sustainability director Muhammad Junaid Iqbal employee physical and mental health through programmes available via the AIA app.
Iskandar Malaysia Studios CEO Rashid Karim emphasised the need for sustainable practices in the filming industry to save energy and reduce fuel consumption caused by excessive travel.
A highlight was Bursa Malaysia’s Bursa Carbon Exchange assistant vice president for business development and sales, Muhammad Rizal Azmi. He discussed the intricacies of carbon credits that can be traded on the Bursa Carbon Exchange (BCX) and answered a variety of questions from guests and participants.
“The world cannot achieve net zero by 2050 with the current available solutions. A lot of these technologies are not commercially viable yet.
“Carbon markets provide an avenue, a market-based instrument, to allow offsetting and develop more carbon projects globally so we can achieve our net zero goals together,” he explained.
He added that various types of carbon credits are available for businesses of all sizes, from large corporations to SMEs.
The ESG PIA Winners Showcase was organised by Star Media Group in partnership with OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Bhd. The Star ESG PIA is open for submission. For more information, visit https://staresgawards.com.my/.
