KUALA LUMPUR: Some RM1.2 billion worth of business leads are expected to be closed by the end of the International Greentech & Eco Products Malaysia (IGEM) Conference 2014, said Malaysian Green Technology Corp (GreenTech Malaysia) chief executive officer Ahmad Hadri Haris.

“The conference, which has attracted more than 600 participants, is expected to result in product orders, business joint ventures or even green investments,” he told The Edge Financial Daily on the sideline of the networking session with GreenTech Malaysia ambassador Maya Karin, who is also a singer and actress.

Themed “Creating Green Wealth Through Innovation”, the two-day conference which began yesterday features a lineup of eminent green technology experts from across the world sharing their research, insights and contributions to propel the country’s green industry forward.

“The conference addressed topics such as sustainability, green growth, green innovation, green investment, green mobility and green information and communications technology,” Ahmad Hadri said, adding that the rise of green technology has opened up many business opportunities across various sectors.

Ahmad Hadri added that IGEM, now in its fifth year, has been instrumental in creating the awareness and acceptance of the industry by the public in its contribution towards the government’s pledge of achieving a 40% reduction in carbon emissions intensity by 2020.

“To date, Malaysia has reduced its carbon intensity by more than 33% and we are well on track to achieve the 40% target by 2020,” he added.

Besides the conference, IGEM has also organised a trade and technology exhibition which is on from today until Sunday. It will see the participation of over 300 exhibitors from 20 countries. Some of the exhibitors include giant brands such as Panasonic and PanaHome Malaysia, Mitsubishi Electric Asia, AMDAC, First Solar, Toyota, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Siemens Malaysia and Smoove.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on October 16, 2014.