KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 18): The Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the CEO Action Network (CAN) organised the MOT-CAN Sustainability Orientation programme to discuss and raise awareness among stakeholders of the land, maritime and aviation transport industries on environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.

The deputy minister of transport Datuk Haji Hasbi Habibollah emphasised the importance of having strong ESG frameworks in managing climate-related risks, ensuring effective governance and addressing social inequalities, thus enabling businesses to remain competitive and sustainable in the current economic landscape. 

He also outlined various national initiatives to drive transformational change with clear and achievable net zero goals, namely the 12th Malaysia Plan, National Energy Policy, National Transport Policy and Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint.

“There must be a mindset shift to move corporate Malaysia to self-regulation and better internalisation of sustainability and ESG principles,” said Hasbi in his keynote address. 

In his welcome speech, Datuk Ruben Emir Gnanalingam, the steering committee member of CAN and group managing director of Westports Holdings Bhd, highlighted the increasing pressure on businesses to demonstrate action on sustainability and responsible ESG practices. 

“ESG is more than doing good. There is actually a strong business imperative for adopting ESG principles,” he said.

Meanwhile, the chair of CAN and CEO of Bursa Malaysia Datuk Muhammad Umar Swift stressed that ESG is critical for all businesses, both listed and non-listed.

He assured that there is an opportunity for businesses to learn and progress in sustainability together, particularly through CAN.

Umar also urged players in the transport sector to join CAN and tap into mutual resources, relationships, knowledge and expertise to project a collective voice and inspire collective action to accelerate organisational, sectoral and national sustainability agendas.

The event was held at Bursa Malaysia on Tuesday (Jan 17), which brought together thought leaders and authorities from the land, maritime and aviation sectors.

All event attendees were provided with a sustainability orientation which covers ESG principles for the transportation sector.

The attendees also gained insights from guest speakers, which included Edwin Yeap — the executive director of CJ Century Logistics Holdings Bhd; and John Teoh — chief strategy & sustainability officer of GDEX Bhd. Both have been recognised as ESG leaders in their respective field. 

The event ended with a call to action by Westports’ Ruben, urging companies to embark on sustainability. He reassured attendees that the sustainability journey and ESG reporting are not as challenging as they may seem; the most important step is to start the journey.

The transportation sector is the second largest contributor to carbon dioxide emissions in Malaysia, after electricity and heat production. It also makes up 36.4% of the total final energy demand (23.555 kilotonnes) in 2018, making it the largest energy user nationwide.