Glass, including windscreens, accounts for 3.3% of the waste thrown by Malaysians annually.

While a windscreen is recyclable, it is not cost-effective nor efficient to do so because its components have to be separated before the glass can be recycled. Hence, windscreens - which can still be used - often end up in landfills.

Berjaya Sompo Insurance Bhd (BISB) provides an alternative - repairing them. Its CEO Tan Sek Kee talks about the benefits of repairing windscreens and why insurance companies should champion sustainability. 

Windscreens undergo wear and tear and are quite vulnerable. Although your windscreen is made of thick, smooth and shatterproof glass, it can be damaged by road hazards, friction and harsh weather. It is not necessary to replace a windscreen periodically. However, it is advisable to fix it as soon as there is a need to.

Windscreens are usually made of two layers of glass, which are made from soda ash, silica sand, limestone, dolomite and cullet. To boost the car's fuel efficiency and increase safety, the glass is laminated, that is, a layer of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) is inserted between the glass layers.

It is this lamination process that makes recycling windscreens difficult. 

Apart from that, safety sensors and tinting film are often embedded in the windscreens and have to be removed as well. The transportation of glass throughout the supply chain results in high levels of CO2 emissions. 

Additionally, glass manufacturing is a high-temperature, energy-intensive activity, resulting in the emission of combustion by-products (sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides) and high-temperature oxidation of atmospheric nitrogen.

The technology for the repairing of windscreens has been around for many years. There are various benefits of repairing windscreens. It is usually cheaper to repair than replace them, and it can be done in as fast as 30 minutes. This allows you to get back on the road sooner, which isn't always the case for replacements. 

Subsequently, repairing secures the safety of the vehicle's occupants. A chip can unexpectedly become a full-fledged crack, leading to the formation of small glass shrapnel. Chips or cracks located more than 7cm from the edge of a windscreen can usually be repaired, provided the chip is no larger than 28mm, and the crack is no longer than 76mm. 

Last but not at least, repairing windscreens means there will be less non-recyclable glass being sent to landfills. It is a good thing for the environment because the PVB in between the glass layers takes a significant period to decompose.

So why not repair your chipped windscreen? We can contribute to the reduction of global pollution and climate change. Best of all, YOU save on your insurance premium because repairing a windscreen will not require you to pay additional premium, compared to changing your windscreen. We can save the world while saving our hard-earned money!

It all starts with creating awareness. To start off, BISB presented the Windscreen Repair Roadshow that ran from June 15 to 19 in 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya. 

It doesn't stop at awareness, especially when it comes to behavioural change that is key to lessening negative impacts of any kind. To promote behavioural change, we need to educate people about the actions that they should take. 

Therefore, we are pleased to work hand in hand with our panel of windscreen partners at the Windscreen Repair Roadshow to educate the public about the alternative solution to windscreen replacement. We are also very grateful for the support of the Department of Environment (DOE). 

We will be working continuously with all our windscreen panel repairers to promote windscreen replacement services. Currently, we have over 42 windscreen repairers in 208 branches nationwide to serve our customers.

Ultimately, we are very happy to have DOE on board because having an impactful environmental-conscious initiative is indeed a joint effort. 

First, make sure you speak to a specialist who is also on the panel of your insurer. This will make it easier to manage should any issues arise. Second, always make sure you get minor chips and cracks repaired immediately for longer-lasting durability. Minor chips and cracks can be addressed quickly and affordably, as fast as 30 minutes.

Upon repairing your windscreen, always speak to the service provider about post-reparation care because it is important to allow sufficient time for the binding materials to perform optimally. 

Global environmental issues are a pressing matter, and resources are getting scarce. These issues have posed fundamental threats to livelihoods. Here in Malaysia, we have just experienced the effects of climate change in the flooding in December last year. About 125,000 Malaysians were affected. Some were insured while many were not. BISB paid out almost RM240 million to affected clients. Due to climate change, floods and other natural disasters have increased in frequency and become more severe.

Hence, it is every entity's responsibility to safeguard our planet for the betterment of future generations.

As an insurance provider, our obligation is to provide protection to our customers in their time of need. Normally, the protection usually comes in the form of compensation. Contrary to that, we shall commit ourselves to always being "WITH" our customers in a larger perspective - before the disastrous event. 

Hence, championing sustainability according to ESG guidelines is a good preventive measure in diminishing the probability of disasters that cause so much suffering. Companies with favourable ESG metrics may also attract better talent, motivate their workforce and have a better reputational advantage.

Social volunteer work is another key focus that we aim to expand. We are leveraging some NGOs' platforms to contribute, for instance, Yayasan Generasi Gemilang. 

Additionally, we continuously engage in outreach programmes to improve the quality of life of the underserved in partnership with organisations such as Silent Teddies, Persatuan STAND and, most recently, Persatuan Sindrom Down Malaysia. These engagements are also supported by a contribution from the Sompo Welfare Foundation, where funds are used to improve facilities and provide training. 

We aim to host our first BISB in-house ESG Week in the second half of 2022. Our aspiration, in the long run, is to cultivate a team of influencers who will continuously inspire and spread ESG awareness within their communities. 

During ESG Week, we will host a blood donation drive, various recycling activities and ESG awareness talks by experts. We are looking at the potential of holding ESG Week with our business associates and clients next year.

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