Since the beginning of this year, the current Imbalance Cost Pass-Through (ICPT) surcharge imposed on non-domestic users from the commercial and industrial (C&I) sectors has led to swelling operating costs as a result of higher electricity tariffs.

GSPARX achieves solar synergy with the retail sector

Malaysia has so far committed to two climate targets. One is a nationally determined contribution target that is required of all countries that are signatories to the Paris Agreement, and the other is its net zero emissions target.

Is Malaysia achieving its climate targets?

Gentari Sdn Bhd is one of the new renewable energy (RE) players that have attracted significant attention, thanks to the profile of its owner, Malaysia’s national oil and gas company Petronas.

Petronas set up Gentari last June to deliver net-zero carbon emissions solutions through RE, h...

Q&A: Getting to know Gentari

The balcony of the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) offers a 180° view of its long berth, lined with towering cranes, stacks of containers and massive ships passing through the channel. At the corner of the visitor’s eye, however, is the sight of a formidable competitor: Singapore’s Tuas Port, which...

Logistics: Tanjung Pelepas wants to get ahead with ESG

After two years of high oil prices, the Malaysian government finally announced that the electricity tariff for non-residential (medium- and high-voltage) users will be increased from 3.7 sen to 20 sen from January 2023.

This triggered an outcry from businesses that were suddenly fa...

Cooler Conversations: Coping with higher electricity prices

A lot of protests were heard in this part of the world when the European Union’s regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR) was first introduced in 2021.

The EUDR, which was adopted by the European parliament in April, will require suppliers to prove that their products entering t...

Cover Story: Is Malaysia ready for the EU regulation on deforestation-free products?

Soaring electricity bills due to a hike in oil, gas and coal prices globally have been a source of frustration for businesses. However, this has also led to higher demand for renewable energy (RE), especially solar panels.

Earlier this year, the Malaysian government announced a surcharg...

Energy: Riding on the increasing demand for solar energy

As a little girl, Leena Ghosh was captivated by the movie Choices of the Heart (1983), starring Melissa Ellen Gilbert of Little House on the Prairie fame. The movie tells the story of a young missionary from the US who, together with two other missionaries, was killed in El Salvador in 1980. “Sin...

Labour: Fighting for universal human rights

Margie Ong, CEO of sustainability consulting firm Thoughts In Gear, has compiled a 40-point checklist on what businesses can do to improve their sustainability reporting. Businesses can decide if they want to aim for a minimally compliant report or one that is universally understood.

A checklist for your sustainability report

Corporate venture capital (CVC) is the new buzzword in town, but it’s taken me seven years to get to this stage. What do I have to do with CVC?

Two years before his untimely death in 2018, Cradle Fund CEO Nazrin Hassan and I had coffee one day, debating why the Malaysian corporate secto...

The Pitch Deck: Corporate mindset change needed to play start-up game

“Do we have to do something more? Doesn’t ESG also cover human rights? Why are you confusing us?” At training sessions, I am frequently asked whether ESG (environmental, social and governance) compliance will also satisfy business and human rights (BHR) matters.

There are a few response...

Views: Human rights due diligence and Malaysia’s current state of play

The comedian Chris Rock has described his neighbourhood called Alpine, New Jersey, where homes cost millions of dollars: There are hundreds of houses, but only four African-American people. They are Chris Rock, a world-class comedian; Mary J Blige, one of the greatest R&B singers; Jay-Z, one ...

Views: Chris Rock’s neighbour and equity across time

Without a good governance structure, businesses may not be able to achieve the sustainability initiatives that they want to implement.

To gauge the current status quo, Mak Yuen Teen, a professor (practice) of accounting at the National University of Singapore Business School, recently p...

Governance: Who oversees sustainability?

Dr Hasnita Hashim, chairman of Maybank Investment Bank and independent non-executive director of Malayan Banking Bhd, has always been navigating male-dominated spaces.

It started when she pursued a degree in physics at university in the 1970s, which eventually led her to become the only...

ESG

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