Sustainability reporting began as a transparency exercise. Today, the focus is increasingly on decision-usefulness. Sustainability information must be consistent, comparable and reliable enough to inform capital allocation, financing decisions, procurement choices and risk assessments. Achieving that requires a trusted ecosystem built on common standards, reliable data and collaboration across the market.

For many public listed companies (PLCs), sustainability data on emissions, energy use, waste, employees and suppliers remains fragmented across departments and systems. This creates challenges not only for reporting, but also producing information that investors, lenders, customers and other stakeholders can use with confidence. As a result, sustainability teams often spend more time collecting and reconciling data than generating insights that support better business decisions.

Bursa Malaysia introduced the Centralised Sustainability Intelligence (CSI) Platform, developed with the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) in 2024, to help listed issuers improve supplier engagement and make sustainability data collection, particularly for Scope 3 emissions, more structured and efficient. As the market’s sustainability needs evolved, so did the platform. Today the CSI Platform has expanded into CSI Solution, bringing together technology, expertise and ecosystem partners to help companies advance their sustainability journey.

“When we first embarked on the CSI Platform with LSEG, the objective was relatively focused: helping listed issuers address Scope 3 emissions measurement and supplier engagement. However, as we worked more closely with listed companies, financial institutions, industry associations and solution providers, it became clear that the challenge was much broader than reporting,” says Wong Hui Yin, Bursa Malaysia’s Acting Director of Data and Digital Services.

That evolution reflects the growing complexity of the sustainability landscape.

Companies are navigating the National Sustainability Reporting Framework (NSRF), the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Sustainability Disclosure Standards and a growing set of environmental, social and governance (ESG) expectations from investors, customers and regulators.

Knowing what to report is only part of the challenge as companies must also determine the requirements to apply and the credible emissions methodologies to adopt, as well as train internal teams and gather data from suppliers at very different stages of sustainability readiness.

Companies may require assurance, financing, technology or specialist expertise to address reporting gaps and turn disclosures into action. These capabilities already exist, but they are spread across different providers, leaving companies unsure where to begin.

“This broader challenge is where Bursa Malaysia sees an opportunity to contribute. We wanted to help create infrastructure that enables the market to access the capabilities needed for a successful sustainability transition,” says Wong.

Calculating emissions and identifying climate or supply-chain risks is only the start. Acting on those findings requires better data, new systems, specialist expertise, financing and closer supplier cooperation.

“Following the launch of CSI Platform, our conversations with listed issuers increasingly shifted beyond reporting requirements. Companies would ask us what came after reporting. They were looking for credible assurance, financing, technology, specialist expertise and training to help them address the gaps their disclosures had identified,” says Wong.

Bursa Malaysia’s role is to provide a common reporting foundation, while leveraging its position in the capital market to connect companies with trusted ecosystem partners that bring the necessary credibility and scale.

“Our engagement with listed issuers, investors, financial institutions, regulators and solution providers gives us a unique vantage point to identify common challenges, align stakeholders and advance common standards, credible information and greater transparency.” she says.

For companies, the objective is to make it easier to access the capabilities needed to translate sustainability insights into meaningful action. By democratising access to the right capabilities, Bursa Malaysia hopes to help more companies join the sustainability ecosystem.

“Our vision is that three years from now, sustainability teams will spend less time managing processes and more time driving outcomes through CSI Solution. That means using better data, insights and partnerships to guide business decisions, identify opportunities and strengthen resilience. Most importantly, it will allow sustainability leaders to shift their focus from compliance administration to strategy, performance and value creation,” says Wong.

That shift matters because sustainability information is increasingly expected to shape decisions well beyond the team preparing the annual report.

“NSRF has broadened expectations considerably. Organisations are now expected to demonstrate not only metrics and targets, but also governance, strategy, risk management and decision-making processes,” she says.

Boards of directors and senior management must understand how sustainability affects the business, while finance, operations, procurement and risk functions need to integrate these considerations into their own decision-making process.

Scope 3 emissions is a clear example of why sustainability depends on collaboration across the entire value chain.

These emissions arise across a company’s value chain rather than solely from activities under its direct control. The information may sit with suppliers, logistics providers, customers and other businesses with very different systems and levels of preparedness.

A large PLC may have the resources to build an emissions inventory, but many of its smaller suppliers may not have dedicated sustainability personnel or an established process for collecting environmental data.

“Scope 3 is fundamentally a value-chain challenge because the data often sits outside an organisation’s direct control,” says Wong. “CSI Solution helps by providing structured methodologies, supplier engagement capabilities and insights that allow organisations to prioritise their efforts. Rather than treating Scope 3 as an endless data collection exercise, companies can use these insights to identify material emissions sources, engage key suppliers and develop more targeted decarbonisation strategies.”

Prioritisation matters because collecting additional data does not necessarily address a company’s largest sources of emissions.

While CSI Solution provides a structured approach, effective Scope 3 reporting ultimately depends on suppliers understanding reporting expectations and providing credible data. Building capability across the value chain therefore remains essential, particularly as each sector operates in different regulatory, operational and transition contexts.

Bursa Malaysia has begun addressing those differences through sector engagements, including with the plantation industry and with iron and steel exporters preparing for the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

“Sector engagements allow us to bring together the right expertise, industry perspectives and practical solutions so that organisations receive support that is relevant to their specific circumstances,” says Wong.

This is the direction Bursa Malaysia is taking with CSI Solution. While the platform was first introduced to support more structured sustainability reporting, its next phase is focused on strengthening connectivity across the sustainability ecosystem, enabling listed issuers, suppliers, sector bodies, financiers, advisers and technology providers to work with more consistent information and collaborate with greater confidence.

For Bursa Malaysia, the success of CSI Solution will ultimately be reflected in a credible and connected sustainability ecosystem that helps companies of different sizes and sectors turn sustainability information into better decisions, stronger implementation and long-term value creation.

As CSI Solution continues to evolve, Bursa Malaysia welcomes companies and ecosystem partners to participate in the platform. Expanding participation will broaden the range of solutions available, making it easier for companies across different sectors and stages of maturity to access solutions that best support their sustainability journey.

Organisations in various industries are shifting from disclosure obligations to practical delivery. Their experiences underline the growing value of specialist guidance, digital tools and trusted market relationships.

For groups operating in several jurisdictions, sustainability teams already juggle different disclosure rules, customer expectations and internal systems, and any new platform must fit alongside the tools already in use.

Gamuda Berhad sees centralised platforms as one part of a wider digital framework.

“As Gamuda continues to expand its footprint regionally, we naturally expect and increasingly embrace robust reporting and disclosure requirements,” says Ong Jee Lian, Gamuda’s group chief communications and ESG officer.

“In this expanding landscape, centralised data platforms represent a critical step forward in anchoring sustainability, credibility and bolstering investor confidence. What makes this shift truly impactful is the cyclical momentum it generates. Heightened disclosure demands naturally accelerate ground-level execution, as there is nothing to report without active implementation.”

For Gamuda, reporting and implementation reinforce each other. Better disclosures expose gaps, while stronger implementation generates more meaningful and decision-useful information for stakeholders.

“By bridging the gap between data collection and real-world action, initiatives like Bursa Malaysia’s CSI Solution successfully reinforce accountability and drive internationally aligned practices across the corporate sector,” says Ong.

Yet no single platform is likely to contain every system a regional company needs, as Gamuda expects businesses to continue using multiple digital tools to collect data, monitor performance and meet different reporting requirements. It also points to the need for these systems to evolve alongside international standards and the Asean Metrics.

“As global expectations evolve, we view platforms of this nature as part of a vital multi-system framework necessary to support the broader corporate transition,” says Ong.

“While such a platform is just one of many digital solutions that regional businesses will deploy to manage data and streamline compliance, its ability to scale alongside frameworks like IFRS S1/S2 and the Asean Metrics addresses these complex reporting needs directly. Integrating these diverse systems will be key to generating the decision-useful insights that keep Malaysian businesses agile, compliant and globally competitive.”

Gamuda’s experience highlights how sustainability reporting increasingly relies on a combination of technology, expertise and implementation support. As disclosure requirements become more sophisticated, companies need access to capabilities that extend beyond data collection and reporting.

For Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), common ESG standards must first be adapted to the realities of a power utility. That means developing sector-specific methodologies and building reliable, comparable data across a large operational footprint before turning to digital tools.

“Beyond reporting, our focus is on developing utility-specific methodologies that translate evolving global ESG standards into metrics that accurately reflect the operational realities of a power utility,” says Leo Pui Yong, Chief Sustainability Officer at TNB.

Once that foundation is in place, TNB uses digitalisation to improve data quality, consistency and performance monitoring.

“Our approach is first to establish utility-specific methodologies that are relevant to our operations. Once we have a clear framework, we digitalise our processes to strengthen data quality, consistency and performance monitoring,” she says.

In view of this, technology is most useful after a company has established what information is material, how it should be measured and how the results will be used.

“More importantly, we see sustainability data as a tool rather than a reporting exercise. Trend analysis enables us to identify performance gaps, refine our strategies and prioritise initiatives that deliver impactful operational and sustainability outcomes,” says Leo.

This thinking mirrors Bursa Malaysia’s observations from engaging with companies across different sectors. While reporting frameworks provide an important foundation, organisations often need industry-specific guidance to turn sustainability requirements into meaningful business outcomes.

TNB’s emphasis on building internal expertise underscores the importance of capability development alongside digitalisation. The company also sees value in working with partners and technology providers that complement its operational needs and support better decision-making.

Looking ahead, TNB envisions an ecosystem that moves beyond compliance towards value creation. The company highlights the need for interoperable digital platforms, built-in compliance mechanisms and practical implementation of frameworks such as the National Sustainability Reporting Framework (NSRF) and ISSB standards. It also stresses the importance of supporting sector-specific proportionality so that sustainability requirements can be applied effectively in complex operating environments.

Bursa Malaysia’s vision for CSI Solution also extends across the broader value chain, supporting listed issuers in engaging more effectively with suppliers and other ecosystem participants.

In the palm oil sector, large plantation groups operate alongside small and mid-sized companies, contractors and independent producers. These businesses are increasingly expected to produce credible and auditable sustainability information.

“The palm oil sector is facing rising expectations not only to comply with sustainability requirements, but to demonstrate performance through credible, consistent and auditable data,” says Mohd Hasbollah Suparyono, officer in charge at Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO).

“For many MSPO-certified entities, particularly small and mid-sized operators, the biggest challenge is no longer awareness of sustainability, but the ability to operationalise it across day-to-day business practices.”

Many operators still need help with greenhouse gas accounting, traceability, digital reporting, emissions reduction planning and supplier engagement. Without practical and affordable support, rising sustainability requirements could become a barrier for smaller producers.

MSPO’s certification system and sector expertise complement Bursa Malaysia’s sustainability engagements with listed companies and their wider supply chain ecosystem. The two organisations collaborated through a plantation-sector PLC engagement in February 2026, covering sustainability expectations, greenhouse gas reporting and sector-wide implementation.

“As sustainability requirements continue to evolve, MSPO remains committed to supporting the Malaysian palm oil sector with practical disclosure tools, credible data systems and sector-specific guidance. Our collaboration with Bursa Malaysia through CSI Solution provides an important avenue to strengthen industry readiness, enhance access to knowledge and solutions, and help MSPO-certified entities progress beyond compliance towards greater competitiveness, resilience and long-term value creation,” says Mohd Hasbollah.