NEWS & UPDATES

KUCHING
23 NOVEMBER 2020

Small and medium enterprises who want to incorporate sustainability good practice into their operations will now find it easier with an online toolkit designed to help them with basic self-assessment, called the Small Medium Enterprise- Sustainable Development Goals (SME-SDG) Toolkit.

Sarawak Energy, in collaboration with UN Global Compact Malaysia & Brunei, launched the SME-SDG Toolkit during the GO ESG ASEAN Corporate Sustainability Virtual Summit 2020 today.

The free-for-use SME-SDG online toolkit has been designed to promote the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or UN SDGs 2030. The step-by-step guide incorporates a suite of tools, guides and other resources for SMEs to steer them towards a more sustainable business model.

Datu Haji Sharbini Suhaili, Sarawak Energy Group Chief Executive Officer speaking at the launch said, “This toolkit was jointly developed with the objective of guiding SMEs on key sustainability processes while building business resilience in facing challenges post COVID-19.”

“At Sarawak Energy, we are guided by the UN SDGs and are continuously striving to embed sustainability practices in our business system - we believe in maximising the positive impact of our operations while minimising any negative impact on society and the environment,” he added.

Sarawak Energy is Malaysia’s largest provider of renewable energy through a power generation mix that is predominantly hydropower and champions sustainability in its business and operations. The energy developer and power utility company aligns itself with the UN SDGs and prioritises 6 of them in its business and operations with a focus on Goal 7 – Affordable and clean energy, and Goal 13 – Climate action in its role as implementation agency of the Sarawak Government’s vision for sustainable growth and prosperity for Sarawak and beyond. 

In June this year, Sarawak Energy became the first corporation in Malaysia to commit to the “Business Ambition for 1.5°Celsius” under United Nations Global Compact, joining another 249 companies around the world at the time. Signatories commit to set a science-based emission reduction target across relevant scopes, in line with the Paris Agreement to pursue efforts to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2030. 

Sarawak Energy began to shift towards hydropower from hydrocarbons over thirty five years ago in 1985 with the commissioning of the 108MW Batang Ai Hydroelectric Powerplant (HEP), Sarawak’s first HEP. The decarbonisation of its power system was accelerated in the last decade with Bakun and Murum HEPs providing renewable and affordable hydropower as the dominant part of Sarawak’s generation mix. The carbon emission intensity in Sarawak’s power system has reduced by about 76.5% since 2009 while powering growth in Sarawak under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy to accelerate state-wide development as well as for remote rural communities surrounding the hydroelectric powerplants.

“At the start of our sustainability journey, we did a lot of exploration and learned as much as we could from international good practices as we worked towards developing what now works for us. What we hope to do through this toolkit is to make it easier for SMEs to adopt a sustainability mindset and responsibilities,” Sharbini concluded.

Faroze Nadar, Executive Director for UN Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei commented, “SMEs have one major advantage over bigger organisations in regard to addressing sustainability issues – their size provides them the agility to react very quickly to changes in the fluid business environment. They are disadvantaged, however, by lack of information on marketplace changes that make sustainability an opportunity to innovate, build resilience and thrive in the transforming global economy. The toolkit provides SMEs with all the necessary tools and guide to close that gap.”

The SME-SDG Toolkit was developed around a fit-for-purpose MAJU (Advance) framework to enable SMEs to create their unique sustainability roadmap. The MAJU framework is a 4-Step process encompassing (M)ission, (A)ctivity, (J)ustifying and (U)pgrading components designed as a complete Sustainability Management suite for SMEs.

An exclusive online trainer-led workshop for SMEs was also conducted today in conjunction with the launching of the toolkit. GO ESG ASEAN Corporate Sustainability Virtual 2020, themed ‘The Businesses of Recovering Better – A Resilient & Sustainable ASEAN by Design’, is organised by Global Compact Malaysia to promote sustainability thinking and strategies as part of ASEAN’s economic reset post Covid-19 by accelerating the adoption of ESG considerations among businesses.

Sarawak Energy Group Chief Executive Officer, Datu Haji Sharbini Suhaili speaking at the launch of the SME-SDG Toolkit at GO ESG ASEAN Corporate Sustainability Virtual 2020.

Sarawak Energy Group Chief Executive Officer, Datu Haji Sharbini Suhaili (center), Executive Director for UN Global Compact Malaysia & Brunei, Faroze Nadar (middle left) and senior management of Sarawak Energy.

Sarawak Energy Group Chief Executive Officer, Datu Haji Sharbini launched the SME-SDG Toolkit which has been designed to promote the UN SDGs.