The Europa Awards for Sustainability 2018 were conferred on eight organisations and individuals in recognition of their exemplary excellence in sustainability.
Organised by EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce & Industry (EUMCCI), the Awards were presented to its winners at a Gala dinner and Award ceremony held at Four Seasons Hotel, witnessed by the minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change, Yeo Bee Yin and EU ambassador and head of Delegation to Malaysia, María Castillo Fernández.
Accorded for the second year following the overwhelming response it received last year, the winners were selected after months of stringent evaluation from over 140 nominees from 95 local and international business throughout Malaysia for the award categories.
Approximately 35 per cent of the nominations came from large companies, 60 per cent from SMEs and the other 5 per cent from NGOs.
The categories of the awards include Best Sustainability Reporting, Best Innovation in Sustainability, Best Social Impact (to large and SME), Best Environmental Impact (to large and SME), Best Sustainability Leader (awarded to individual) and a new category which has been introduced this year; Best Sustainable Palm Oil Leader (awarded to individual).
EUMCCI chief executive officer, Roberto Benetello, highlighted that the awards acknowledged the remarkable work of dedicated people and the shortlisted companies were selected by a panel of eminent judges led by TÜV Rheinland; a global leading independent test, inspection, and certification services around the globe, through a stringent selection process, the winners were selected by a panel of five independent judges.
He added, with more than 90 per cent of chief executive officers stating that sustainability is important to their company’s success today, sustainability has become a strategic concern driven by market forces.
“Each nominee of the award categories employs a wide range of sustainable strategies and has documented the resulting environmental, social, and/or economic benefits in a case collection form submitted for the nomination,” Benetello said.
“The government has set a 20 per cent renewable energy target in electricity generation, from the total energy production, by 2025 and this would not include power generated from large hydropower generators of more than 100MW.
“Hence, it is important to get more and more companies in Malaysia to factor in sustainability in their operational culture and overall project", said the minister.
Apart from TÜV Rheinland, EUMCCI also collaborated with a number of additional partners and sponsors including International SOS, Infineon, BNP Paribas, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), MATRADE, Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Pernod Ricard Malaysia, Prevail, Carlsberg Malaysia, and other EU bilateral chambers, other supporting partners include Siemens, MyData, Vistra, MIDA and EventBank.
The Europa Awards have received the special patronage of Maria Castillo Fernandez, during her formal address at the gala dinner, the ambassador mentioned that the EU fully supports Malaysia in the sustainability endeavour.
Businesses, European and local, have an important role to play in the transition to a sustainable economy, the EU has in place a number of cooperation programmes, at various levels (bilateral, ASEAN, and multilateral) that provide assistance in a wide range of policy fields with sustainability as a key priority.
The Europa Awards for Sustainability 2018 winners for Best Sustainability Reporting Category goes to United Plantations Berhad, for Best Innovation in Sustainability Category goes to Pakar Go Green Sdn Bhd, for Best Social Impact Category go to Universiti Malaysia Sabah (Large Company) and Cenviro Sdn Bhd (SME), for Best Environment Impact Category go to Bahru Stainless Sdn Bhd(Large Company) and One-Tech (M) Sdn Bhd (SME), for Best Sustainable Palm Oil Leader goes to Sime Darby Plantation Berhad and finally for Best Sustainability Leader goes to Raj Ridvan Singh.
Also featured at the award ceremony were performances by ENCORE Melaka and Rumah Gerah where the performance showcased Malaysia’s diverse cultural background in a visual and auditory experience.
Additionally, local artist and R&B award-winning singer Ning Baizura also contributed by performing a few of her hits to further add to the festivities.
