This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on May 16, 2022 - May 22, 2022

 8  Bursa Malaysia Bhd CEO Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift says that Petroliam Nasional Bhd, Tenaga Nasional Bhd and other listed companies have expressed interest in producing carbon credits for the planned Voluntary Carbon Market, according to reports.

 13  a. Tenaga Nasional Bhd signs an agreement with S P Setia Bhd to provide the latter with smart energy infrastructure, such as solar power systems, batteries and electric vehicle chargers, at its housing projects.

b. Meta and Alphabet join Frontier, a subsidiary of payment processor Stripe, that aims to provide advanced market commitment to develop carbon dioxide removal technologies. Frontier members have pledged to spend a combined US$925 million through 2030 on these technologies.

c. A new analysis published in the journal Nature shows that if all countries fulfilled their net-zero pledges on time and in full, it would be possible to limit global warming to 1.9°C. However, the researchers warn that there is a less than a 10% chance of keeping the temperature rise to below 1.5°C, based on the global emissions cuts planned by 2030.

 14  United Nations Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei and Tata Consultancy Services Malaysia join forces to launch ZeroC, a digital emissions management platform for organisations. It allows users to set targets and monitor their carbon footprint through an interactive dashboard.

 15  Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz launches the Principles on Good Governance for GLICs (government-linked investment companies). Issues such as a diverse board of directors in terms of background, culture, age and gender are emphasised. It will be the primary reference for the baseline corporate governance standards and sustainability practices of all GLICs. 

 18  Eastspring Investments Bhd launches a new impact investing fund, the Eastspring Investments Global Impact Fund, for sophisticated investors. 

 21  a. Permodalan Nasional Bhd announces its new sustainability framework. It has 10 environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments, including the goal to be a net-zero enterprise (scope 1 and 2 emissions) by 2025, achieving a net zero portfolio by 2050 and investing RM10 billion in green and transition assets by 2030. 

b. Gabungan Darurat Iklim Malaysia (GDIMY) calls for the government to declare a nationwide climate emergency by 

Sept 16, 2022. GDIMY is a loose coalition of civil society organisations and individuals. 

 25  The UK unveils a taskforce to develop rules forcing listed companies and financial firms to publish plans on how they will transition to a net-zero economy from next year. 

 27  Climate Bonds Market Intelligence’s latest analysis shows that sustainable debt broke records to reach US$1.1 trillion last year, which is a 57% increase from 2020 volumes. Sustainable debt includes green, social, sustainability, transition and sustainability-linked bonds.

April 22 was Earth Day, and several events took place to raise awareness of the impact of human activities on the environment.

One event was the Fashion Revolution Week in Kuala Lumpur. It hosted a variety of in-person and online events from April 19 to 24, aimed at promoting sustainable fashion. 

Fashion Revolution is a global fashion activism movement that advocates for a clean, safe, fair, transparent and accountable fashion system. 

Fashion Revolution Malaysia collaborated with artist Dhan Illiani to create an art installation in REXKL to illustrate the reality of the fashion waste crisis.

Named The Big Waste, the art installation was made from over 800kg of textile waste from social enterprise Kloth Cares, which collects used clothing for recycling and reuse.

The virtual 2022 Regional Peat Symposium will run from April to August, featuring five conferences with unique themes and two workshops. The symposium aims to educate and share new knowledge in peatland management. It is organised by the People for Peat coalition, which is funded by the European Union. 

Senior analyst

AirAsia is hiring a senior analyst in sustainability. Among other responsibilities, the person will strategise and incorporate ESG parameters into the group’s decision-making processes and communicate sustainability campaigns.

Manager/senior manager 

Grab is looking for a social impact leader, who will be part of the regional sustainability team, to champion the company’s social impact strategy. Key focus areas include financial and digital inclusion.

Head, sustainability 

Hong Leong Bank Bhd is hiring a head of sustainability to set the three- to five-year strategic direction for the bank’s sustainability initiatives and culture.

Source: LinkedIn

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