Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for 97% of all business establishments in Malaysia and employ around 48% of the country’s workforce. While the pressure to provide sustainability-related disclosures and adopt relevant practices has thus far been on bigger companies, SMEs are increasingly affected as well. A special feature in the recent Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) 2023 annual report, titled “Supporting SMEs transition to greener practices”, highlights the risks, opportunities, steps and toolkits for SMEs in this low-carbon transition.

Helping SMEs cope with climate change

It took only one meeting between Anish Mathew Samuel and Chakrapani Ruddraramker, who both went to the same business school in Manila, to quit their jobs and set up a company to trade eco-friendly products, thanks to their passion for sustainability.

This was 10 years ago. Soon, they be...

Agriculture: On a quest to make organic farming affordable

As it stands, all development projects seeking approval in Malaysia are subject to one regulatory process for assessing their environmental impact, known as Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) under the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (EQA 1974). EIAs are a planning tool. By laying out a formal...

Views: A rubber stamp on environmental degradation?

There were few positive headlines about ESG and sustainable funds in the last few years. In 2022, the returns of many of these funds were negatively impacted by their underexposure to energy counters and overexposure to technology stocks. In 2023, declining fund flows and a net outflow were recor...

Finance: Waiting for more maturity in ESG

East Ventures, a venture capital firm that focuses on Southeast Asia (SEA), has launched a free web-based greenhouse gas (GHG) calculator called Ecovisea for companies to measure their emissions. Ecovisea, which stands for emissions calculator and visualisation SEA, was developed in collaboration...

Toolkit: A new free carbon emissions calculator

A parallel is often drawn between sustainability reporting and financial reporting. Both are mandatory for Malaysian public-listed companies (PLCs) and must be published online annually. Yet, compared with financial reports, sustainability reports seem to engender less trust and the comparability...

Cover Story: How credible is sustainability reporting?

Concert tours generate a significant carbon footprint — from the travel of artistes and attendees to waste generated at venues and merchandise sales. Given the large audiences that popular concerts attract, these events also consume a lot of resources and energy.

After the crowd has lef...

Waste: Can concerts be green?

PUTRAJAYA (March 27): Datuk Abdul Razib Dawood, chief executive officer of the Energy Commission (ST), revealed that ST is currently in talks with the government to give condominium owners an exemption from having a distributor licence to install electric vehicle charging bays (EVCB).

Energy Commission to speed up EV charger licensing process

The Covid-19 pandemic and other geopolitical factors have caused disruptions in local, regional, national and global food supply chains, prompting us to focus on traditional farming systems. These are the products of ingenious combinations of knowledge, techniques and practices that contribute to...

Views: Preserving traditional farming in Malaysia

Hydrogen is touted as the next alternative green energy solution. There are several projects and plants being developed in Malaysia as envisioned in the Hydrogen Economy and Technology Roadmap, and even more are under development globally.

Exploring hydrogen as an energy source

In 2014, a live venomous viper, 12 toads and a variety of insects were found in a package with “happy birthday” markings during a routine check at a post office in Ipoh.

This story is a favourite for Renee Yee, who is TRAFFIC’s training and capacity building officer in Southeast Asia.

Biodiversity: TRAFFIC seeks to clamp down on illegal wildlife trade

Two years ago, Sime Darby Plantation Bhd (SDP) pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. By now, one would have heard similar pledges from many corporates. But how can one know whether this is enough to halt climate change, and whether it can be achieved?

As scrutiny on clai...

Q&A: Why Sime Darby Plantation had its climate targets validated

In the dynamic landscape of constant innovation and disruption, the maxim “women hold up half the sky” encapsulates the essence of diversity’s pivotal role in fostering innovation and driving success.

While companies may boast diverse workforces, it is the strategic harnessing of this d...

Views: Unleashing DEI: A catalyst in transforming Malaysian businesses

In a society that views differently abled individuals through a lens of pity or sympathy, the potential of such individuals to actively contribute to the workforce is often overlooked.

According to a study by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM), 58% of persons with disabilities...

Cover Story: Enabling the differently abled

A former Hong Kong-based Societe Generale SA (SocGen) trader claimed he was fired and said the French lender should share the blame for failing to detect his wagers.

Ex-SocGen trader says he was fired after bank failed to detect his bets

Adani Enterprises Ltd’s shares slipped after it posted a 38% fall in quarterly profit, hurt by a one-time charge to provide for Covid-era airport dues.

Adani flagship’s profit slips 38% due to past airport dues

Uber Technologies Inc was sued by thousands of London’s black cab drivers in a suit seeking hundreds of million pounds, accusing it of unlawfully operating in the capital city.

Uber hit with £250m suit from London’s black cab drivers

JAKS Resources Bhd's unit has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with China-based CALB Group Co Ltd to explore opportunities in the battery energy storage system (BESS) market, with a particular focus on the Southeast Asia region.

JAKS partners CALB to tap into SE Asia's battery energy storage systems market

Lotte Chemical Titan Holdings Bhd (LCTitan) logged a net loss of RM178.03 million in the first quarter ended March 31, 2024 (1QFY2024), making the group's eighth straight loss-making quarter.

LCTitan posts 8th straight quarterly loss ahead of planned plant turnaround

Donald Trump plans to deport millions of migrants, reshape global trade with pricey tariffs and fill the government with loyalists if he wins a second White House term in the November presidential election.

Here is a look at some of the policies Trump has pledged to institute:

Trump's second-term agenda: Trade wars, mass deportations, destroying 'deep state'

TikTok Shop invested more than US$400 million (RM1.91 billion) on platform safety by investing in tools and technologies to process products before and after the content reaches the virtual shelves, on top of building up a team of 7,500 people to handle the task, according to its first ever TikTok Shop Safety Report.

TikTok Shop invests US$400 mil to protecting IP rights and user safety

Escalating campus protests are forcing US President Joe Biden to walk a careful line of denouncing antisemitism while supporting young Americans' right to protest and trying to limit longer-term political damage.

As violent police crackdowns and counter-protests greet spreading demonstrations across US campuses, Biden faces sharp criticism of his Israel policy from both the left and right.

Biden faces tough balancing act as campus protests over Gaza escalate

UOA REIT, a trust which mainly manages commercial properties, said its net rental income fell 12.7% in its quarter ended March 31, 2024 (1QFY2024) due to lower occupancy rates and higher property operating expenses.

UOA REIT sees 'restrained' rental rates improvement as 1Q earnings drop 12.7%

Cocoa prices dropped again, extending a week of extreme volatility as liquidity dries up and commercial buyers hold back from buying beans.

Cocoa slumps again as buyers hold back in troubled market

US software giant Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it would invest US$2.2 billion (RM10.5 billion) over the next four years in cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in Malaysia.

Microsoft to invest US$2.2 bil in Malaysia over next four years on cloud, AI

Protasco Bhd, which has businesses ranging from hotel to engineering, said on Thursday it has received an offer to buy its unit Ikram Education Sdn Bhd which owns the Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur (IUKL).

Protasco gets offer from HK firm to buy its university unit

Luno, a digital asset exchange (DAX) licensed by the Securities Commission Malaysia, expands its coin offerings with the launch of Cosmos (ATOM) and Polkadot (DOT).

Luno launches two new digital assets

Feytech Holdings Bhd's initial public offer (IPO) on Main Market of Bursa Malaysia is offering&nbsp;252.94 million shares at 80 sen apiece.&nbsp;

Feytech's Main Market IPO to raise over RM201m

Shares of Bursa Malaysia Bhd climbed to its highest in more than three years after the stock exchange operator reported better-than-expected results that prompted at least two analyst upgrades.

Bursa Malaysia climbs to over three-year high after above-view 1Q

Subang Airport, officially known as Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, will likely be able to handle jet aircraft by the third quarter this year, according to Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

Subang Airport’s jet ops likely to start in 3Q, also eyes business jets — Loke

Apex Securities Bhd has recommended investors to “subscribe” to ACE Market-bound Farm Price Holdings Bhd at an initial public offering (IPO) price of 24 sen and a fair value of 42 sen by pegging financial year 2025 (FY2025) forecast core earnings per share of 3.2 sen to price-earnings (PE) of 13 times (75% potential upside from IPO price).

Apex Securities advises investors to subscribe to ACE Market-bound Farm Price with fair value of 42 sen

Smart Asia Chemical Bhd, an industrial paint and coating manufacturer, on Thursday has begun taking orders from investors for its ACE Market initial public offering (IPO) that would raise up to RM37.4 million.&nbsp;

Smart Asia Chemical starts taking orders for ACE Market IPO to raise RM37.4 mil

The additional investment by Microsoft amounting to US$2.2 billion or RM10.5 billion in the country over the next four years is the largest single investment by the company in its 32 years in Malaysia.

Microsoft’s new US$2.2b outlay is company’s largest single investment in Malaysia, says Anwar

Shares of Duopharma Biotech Bhd surged more than 9% during early trade on Thursday following news of the pharmaceutical company securing supply contracts worth RM578.09 million in total.

Duopharma Biotech surges over 9% after RM578m contract news

The High Court on Thursday dismissed Tengku Datuk Zafrul Abdul Aziz's application to file an affidavit with regards to Datuk Seri Najib Razak's judicial review application to unearth an addendum to his pardon order that detailed he was to spend the remainder of his sentence under "house arrest".

Court rejects Zafrul’s bid to file affidavit on Najib’s ‘house arrest’ order

Shares of Ge-Shen Corp Bhd rose as much as 14.91% to a new record high of RM4.47 on Thursday, following the emergence of Chin Hin Group’s Chiau family as its second largest shareholder.

Ge-Shen shares hit new high on emergence of new substantial shareholder

Yinson Production, the offshore production business unit of Yinson Holdings Bhd, has closed the limited recourse term loan facility of up to US$1.3 billion (RM6.2 billion) for the pre- and post-delivery financing of the Agogo floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which will be deployed in Angola.

Yinson unit secures single largest term loan of US$1.3b to finance Agogo FPSO delivery

Latest data signalled further downbeat trends across the Malaysian manufacturing sector at the start of the second quarter of 2024.

In a statement on Thursday, S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence said that while demand remained generally subdued, there were slight indications that firms were on an upward trajectory, as firms scaled back production at a softer rate amid a slower reduction in new order inflows.

Overall manufacturing conditions in Malaysia ease to lesser extent, says S&P Global

US President Joe Biden included ally Japan along with rivals China and Russia in a list of countries he called “xenophobic” in a speech at a campaign fundraising event in Washington.

Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with China, Russia

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is moving to prevent Huawei, ZTE and other foreign companies deemed to pose US national security concerns from certifying wireless equipment, officials told Reuters on Wednesday.

US moves to bar Huawei, other Chinese telecoms from certifying wireless equipment

Malaysia’s biggest port operator Westports Holdings Bhd said on Thursday its net profit rose 11.4% year-on-year (y-o-y) in the first quarter, thanks to higher container revenue, coupled with higher finance income and share of results of a joint venture (JV).

Westports' 1Q net profit up 11% on higher container revenue, finance income and share of results of JV

theedgemalaysia.com highlighted seven stocks with momentum at Bursa Malaysia’s afternoon close on Thursday. Two stocks showed positive momentum while five stocks showed negative momentum.

GHL Systems, Oppstar, Bursa Malaysia, Country View, Fiamma, Marco, Tambun Indah 

Smart Asia Chemical Bhd, en route to Bursa Malaysia’s ACE Market, expects its new plant in Perak to triple its production capacity while allowing the paint and coating manufacturer to be closer to its clients.

Smart Asia Chemical to triple capacity with new plant from IPO proceeds

South Korea's SK Hynix said on Thursday its high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in AI chipsets were sold out for this year and almost sold out for 2025 as businesses aggressively expand artificial intelligence services.

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