This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on October 28, 2024 - November 3, 2024

Mah Sing Group Bhd (KL:MAHSING) won the silver award in the property sector at The Edge Malaysia ESG Awards 2024.

The company’s notable ESG achievements in the past year were driven by its focus on integrating sustainable practices, such as the use of certified green building materials, installation of LED lighting, roof insulation and energy-efficient ACVVVF lifts, as well as maximising natural ventilation and daylighting to minimise energy consumption.

Mah Sing also actively promotes recycling within its projects and adheres to green building standards. “We improved our FTSE4Good Bursa Malaysia Index rating in 2023, with significant progress in our environmental disclosures. This success can be attributed to our commitment to ESG data management and comprehensive reporting,” says Tan Sri Leong Hoy Kum, Mah Sing’s founder and group managing director.

Transparency and ethical business practices are key pillars of the company’s ESG strategy, and it operates under a robust framework that ensures it meets local and international green standards. However, Mah Sing has faced challenges, particularly in maintaining its ESG performance while managing cost constraints and tight project timelines, all of which has required careful coordination and innovation.

“Receiving updates in an orderly and timely manner was one of the challenges we faced. We hope that the digitisation of data compilation, which has been underway since 2023, will allow us to strengthen and further improve our ESG performance monitoring,” says Leong.

“The ESG data entered into the software is sourced from Mah Sing’s property and manufacturing divisions. Additionally, four new project developments from our M-Series will be included in the ESG data measurement and tracking as part of our efforts to ensure that all active project sites are accounted for in the company’s ESG performance monitoring.”

The company is also placing greater emphasis on putting sustainability into practice. For starters, Mah Sing has piloted an ESG awareness campaign among end buyers at its Azure sales gallery.

“Mah Sing is currently developing a dedicated ESG metric to be pilot tested at one of our township projects. Once successful, the methodology will be replicated in other projects, further enhancing project-level ESG implementation,” he says.

Looking ahead, the company is focused on driving broader ESG adoption throughout its supply chain, particularly among vendors. Recognising that SMEs face challenges in implementing sustainable practices, Mah Sing has engaged these partners in ESG briefings to provide foundational knowledge on sustainability.

“With SMEs making up more than 97% of the country’s businesses and contributing an estimated 38% to the GDP, it is imperative that proper facilities and tools are made available to them for successful ESG adoption. Additionally, the government may consider employing a similar effort with younger audiences. They will eventually become end-users and can influence the demand for sustainable building and development, triggering a domino effect throughout the supply chain,” says Leong.

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