Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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PETALING JAYA (July 18): Sustainable practices form a key element of Sime Darby Plantation Bhd's corporate culture as the group aims to achieve excellence in its business engagements while making a conscious effort to protect the environment.

As the group aspires to make sustainable futures real for everyone, fabric recycling is of one of many projects Sime Darby Plantation is embarking on to demonstrate its commitment towards sustainable practices. Sime Darby Plantation had today launched its fabric recycling initiative in collaboration with fabric recycling organiser Kloth Cares.

"The launch today is part of our bigger waste recycling plan for Sime Darby Plantation, namely to reduce the number of landfills in our operations through waste segregation at source," Sime Darby Plantation chief sustainability officer Dr Simon Lord said at the launch of the fabric recycling initiative here today.

Selangor Princess Tengku Datin Paduka Setia Zatashah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had launched the initiative, under which Sime Darby Plantation also roped in the Selangor Youth Community as a partner. Tengku Zatashah is a member of the Selangor Youth Community's board of trustee.

According to Lord, Sime Darby Plantation has helped reduce the number of its landfills in Malaysia by 37% to date. He said the company hopes to reduce the number of its landfills by 50% in 2021, and 70% by 2023.

Today, textile waste constitutes about 4% of total municipal waste generated in Malaysia, according to Lord. This is estimated to be about 2,000 tonnes out of the more than 42,000 tonnes generated daily in the country in 2017, he said.

"We believe in minimising environmental harm — because you'll never eliminate it — and deliver sustainable futures," Lord said. According to him, Sime Darby Plantation's fabric recycling initiative has been in the works since May.

Sime Darby Plantation is already embarking on other sustainability projects. Lord said the company is engaged in energy, carbon, forest, peat and water-related initiatives.

And with the successful launch of the fabric recycling campaign, Lord said the company plans to roll out its zero plastic initiative starting at the company's headquarters this September.

"These might be small scale the way you are looking at it, but from us, they are a part of the accumulation of all the things that we are trying to achieve," he said.

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