Yayasan Sime Darby: 40 years of enhancing lives, delivering sustainable impact

Summary

In this interview, Dr. Yakila Zainal Abedin, CEO of Yayasan Sime Darby (Sime Darby Foundation), discusses the foundation’s long-standing commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices. She highlights the foundation's efforts in areas such as education, environment conservation, and community health. The foundation's work includes reforestation, biodiversity preservation, and partnerships with local communities to tackle climate change and wildlife protection. Dr. Abedin stresses the importance of integrating ESG into corporate governance for long-term sustainability, even for smaller businesses and across Malaysia’s corporate landscape.

Takeaways

• 🌱 Sime Darby Foundation is the philanthropic arm of three major companies in Malaysia: Sime Darby Plantation, Sime Darby Property, and Sime Darby Berhad.
• 🏛️ The foundation's mission is to deliver sustainable value through five pillars: education, environment, community & health, sports, and arts & culture.
• 💡 The foundation has been actively engaging in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) practices long before the term became widely recognized.
• 🌳 Key environmental initiatives include reforestation, biodiversity conservation, and species protection, such as efforts to rehabilitate orangutan habitats.
• 🐘 The foundation supports research and projects to manage human-elephant conflict, aiding co-existence and conservation efforts in plantation areas.
• 📚 The foundation provides scholarships to support environmental research and conservation, funding postgraduate studies in biodiversity and wildlife protection.
• 🌍 Sime Darby Foundation works with various organizations, such as Sabah Forestry Department, to restore degraded forest land and support wildlife conservation.
• 👥 ESG principles help companies become more sustainable, attract better talent, and gain investments by focusing on long-term social and environmental impact.
• 🏆 The foundation collaborates with NGOs, local communities, and government bodies to spread climate change awareness and promote sustainability efforts.
• 📽️ The foundation uses media and educational tools like documentaries to raise awareness about conservation and biodiversity issues, aiming to inspire protective actions.

Q & A

Who is Dr. Yakila Zainal Abedin, and what is her role in the context of this conversation?

Dr. Yakila Zainal Abedin is the Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan Sime Darby (Sime Darby Foundation). In this conversation, she discusses the foundation's role in carrying out Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) efforts on behalf of the three Sime Darby companies.

What is the mission of the Sime Darby Foundation, and what are its five main pillars?

The mission of the Sime Darby Foundation is to lead and make a sustainable impact in the lives of others. The five pillars of the foundation are education, environment, community and health, sports, and arts and culture.

What role does ESG play within Sime Darby companies and the foundation?

ESG plays a crucial role within Sime Darby companies and the foundation. While the companies have their own ESG initiatives for sustainability and ethical responsibility, the foundation uses part of the profits donated by these companies to further its own ESG work across various sectors. ESG is embedded in their DNA, and the foundation has been practicing ESG principles long before the term became popular.

Why is integrating ESG policies into organizational governance important?

Integrating ESG policies into organizational governance is important because it ensures sustainability for the company, its stakeholders, and society at large. It addresses environmental conservation, social impact (e.g., diversity and inclusivity), and governance through transparency, accountability, and ethical practices. Companies that prioritize ESG can attract investors, gain employees, and create long-term financial and ethical resilience.

What specific environmental initiatives does the Sime Darby Foundation undertake?

The Sime Darby Foundation focuses on tree planting, ensuring the survivability of trees, biodiversity conservation (e.g., orangutan rehabilitation), and supporting research related to conservation. They work with local governments and NGOs, such as Sabah Forestry Department and Nottingham University Malaysia, on projects like forest reforestation and human-elephant conflict management.

Can you explain the foundation's involvement with indigenous communities in its environmental efforts?

The foundation works closely with indigenous communities by employing them as rangers to help protect biodiversity. These communities, who have a deep knowledge of the forests, play a crucial role in conservation work, such as patrolling and protecting endangered species. The foundation also provides these communities with sustainable livelihoods and educates them about the importance of environmental conservation.

How does the foundation approach reforestation and what successes have they seen?

The foundation has undertaken large-scale reforestation projects, such as reforesting 5,400 hectares of highly degraded forest in Sabah, Malaysia. One success story involves the rehabilitation of orangutan habitats in this area. After 10 years of reforestation efforts, the forest is now thriving with wildlife, including orangutans, who have built nests in the trees.

How does the foundation support research in conservation efforts?

The foundation provides scholarships for postgraduate research in conservation, supporting studies that aim to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts and develop sustainable environmental policies. One example is their work with Nottingham University Malaysia, where researchers focus on human-elephant conflict management to help plantation companies coexist with elephants.

What are some of the long-term benefits of companies embracing ESG practices, particularly for small and medium enterprises (SMEs)?

For SMEs, adopting ESG practices can lead to long-term savings and profitability by reducing waste, conserving resources, and attracting top talent. While it may seem costly initially, investing in ESG can help companies build a sustainable future, making them more competitive and appealing to both investors and employees.

How can the government and society support the ESG movement in Malaysia?

The government can promote ESG through tax incentives and awareness campaigns. Collaborations between government, corporations, and philanthropic organizations can help spread the message of sustainability. The Sime Darby Foundation suggests that knowledge about climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially among the underprivileged communities, is crucial for the ESG movement to succeed.

Outlines

00:00

👩‍💼 Introduction to Dr. Yakila Zainal Abedin and Yayasan Sime Darby

The host introduces Dr. Yakila Zainal Abedin, the CEO of Yayasan Sime Darby (Sime Darby Foundation), the philanthropic arm of three Sime Darby companies in Malaysia. The foundation focuses on delivering sustainable value through five pillars: education, environment, community and health, sports, and arts and culture. Dr. Yakila shares how the foundation implements CSR initiatives for these companies and its deep-rooted commitment to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) values, emphasizing their long-term dedication to sustainability, even before ESG became a prominent term.

05:01

🌍 Importance of ESG Integration in Governance

Dr. Yakila elaborates on the necessity of integrating ESG considerations into organizational governance for long-term sustainability. She stresses that companies must prioritize environmental sustainability, social impact, diversity, and strong governance for their own survival and ethical responsibility. ESG policies ensure transparency, accountability, and positive outcomes, which, in turn, help attract investments and talented employees. ESG, she argues, is essential not only for profitability but for the greater good.

10:02

🌱 Impact of the Foundation on Environmental Conservation

Dr. Yakila focuses on the foundation’s environmental efforts, explaining how they address climate change through tree planting, biodiversity conservation, and environmental education. She highlights their work with the Sabah Forestry Department to reforest areas inhabited by orangutans, ensuring both environmental and species protection. The foundation also supports research and education on environmental sustainability, such as their human-elephant conflict management project. These initiatives demonstrate how the foundation pushes ESG agendas through conservation and research.

15:03

🐘 Conservation Efforts and Coexistence with Wildlife

Dr. Yakila provides examples of the foundation’s efforts in wildlife conservation, such as supporting research on human-elephant conflict management and collaborating with plantation companies to create policies for wildlife conservation. These initiatives help mitigate conflicts while promoting biodiversity. Additionally, she emphasizes the importance of engaging local communities and indigenous people in conservation efforts, offering them sustainable livelihoods by employing them as rangers and knowledge keepers in the forests.

20:07

📊 Corporate Malaysia’s Progress Towards Sustainability

Dr. Yakila discusses the overall progress of Malaysian corporations in achieving sustainability goals, with a focus on large companies like Sime Darby, which have been ahead of the curve in the ESG movement. She highlights Malaysia’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, driven by the detailed strategies of these companies. However, she acknowledges the challenge of getting SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) to prioritize ESG, noting that it is often viewed as unimportant unless customers demand it.

💡 Encouraging SMEs to Embrace ESG for Long-Term Gains

Addressing SMEs’ reluctance to adopt ESG principles due to perceived costs, Dr. Yakila encourages them to start small by reducing waste, water usage, and carbon emissions. She explains that adopting ESG can lead to long-term profits, attract better talent, and create business opportunities. While large corporations like Sime Darby may receive more attention for their ESG efforts, SMEs must recognize the potential financial and environmental benefits of sustainable practices.

🌳 Government and Community Roles in Promoting ESG

Dr. Yakila explains the role of the Malaysian government in promoting ESG through tax incentives and awareness campaigns. She emphasizes the need for collaboration between government bodies, businesses, and philanthropic organizations to spread knowledge about climate change and sustainability. Additionally, the foundation works with NGOs and local communities to implement climate change mitigation actions, such as planting mangroves to prevent erosion and protect against floods. By educating poorer communities, the foundation helps them develop sustainable livelihoods.

🌿 Educating Communities on Environmental Sustainability

Dr. Yakila highlights the foundation’s work in educating the B40 (bottom 40% income group) communities about climate change and sustainability. By planting mangroves and restoring ecosystems, these communities not only combat the effects of climate change but also benefit from the resources mangroves provide. This work fosters greater awareness of the importance of environmental conservation while creating alternative livelihoods for impoverished communities.

🏆 Final Thoughts on Sustainability and ESG

In closing, Dr. Yakila stresses that it is never too late to start adopting sustainable practices, whether on an individual or corporate level. She calls for people to instill the values of ESG in their daily lives, organizations, and communities to ensure a brighter future for themselves and future generations. Her final message is a reminder of the importance of sustainable living and the need for everyone to take responsibility for the environment.

Keywords

💡ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)

ESG refers to the three core pillars that businesses are evaluated on regarding their impact on society and the environment, as well as their governance practices. In the video, the speaker explains how ESG has become central to corporate operations, especially in organizations like Yayasan Sime Darby, which integrates these principles into all its activities, from environmental conservation to corporate governance.

💡Yayasan Sime Darby

Yayasan Sime Darby is the philanthropic arm of three Sime Darby companies in Malaysia. The foundation focuses on various initiatives that align with its five pillars, which include education, environment, community, health and sports, and arts and culture. The foundation leads the way in integrating ESG into its operations, as discussed in the video.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability refers to practices that ensure long-term environmental health and resource availability without compromising the needs of future generations. In the video, the speaker highlights how Sime Darby Foundation and its parent companies aim to be sustainable by contributing to environmental conservation, biodiversity, and social well-being, with a focus on reforestation and reducing carbon emissions.

💡Conservation

Conservation in this context refers to the efforts to protect and restore ecosystems and biodiversity. The speaker talks about various conservation projects undertaken by Yayasan Sime Darby, such as reforesting 5,400 hectares of degraded forests in Sabah, Malaysia, and rehabilitating the habitat for species like orangutans, which directly supports ESG principles.

💡Governance

Governance refers to the rules, processes, and behaviors that dictate how a company is managed. Dr. Yatila mentions that good corporate governance is a key part of Sime Darby's ESG approach, emphasizing transparency, accountability, and ethical practices as crucial for sustaining long-term business success and earning the trust of stakeholders.

💡Reforestation

Reforestation involves planting trees to restore forests that have been depleted or degraded. This is one of the key environmental initiatives mentioned in the video, where Yayasan Sime Darby works to replant trees in a 5,400-hectare area to rehabilitate wildlife habitats, particularly for endangered species like the orangutan.

💡Biodiversity

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life forms within a particular habitat or ecosystem. The speaker discusses Yayasan Sime Darby's projects that focus on protecting species like orangutans and elephants, with efforts to maintain healthy ecosystems by restoring their habitats. Biodiversity conservation is tied to the foundation's ESG-driven environmental work.

💡Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

CSR involves a company's commitment to act ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life for employees, the community, and society at large. Yayasan Sime Darby is described as the CSR arm of three Sime Darby companies, taking on initiatives that impact education, environmental sustainability, and community development.

💡Climate Change Mitigation

Climate change mitigation refers to actions that reduce or prevent the emission of greenhouse gases in order to slow down global warming. In the video, the speaker discusses Yayasan Sime Darby's efforts in planting trees and promoting biodiversity as part of their climate change mitigation strategies, which align with their environmental ESG goals.

💡Indigenous Communities

Indigenous communities are the native populations living in or near the forests and ecosystems being conserved. The video highlights how Yayasan Sime Darby engages indigenous people in their conservation work by employing them as forest rangers and providing them with sustainable livelihoods. This is part of the foundation's social responsibility and inclusivity efforts under ESG.

Highlights

Dr. Yakila Zainal Abedin is the Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan Sime Darby, the philanthropic arm of three Sime Darby companies in Malaysia.

Yayasan Sime Darby's mission is to enhance lives and deliver sustainable value through five pillars: education, environment, community and health, sports, and arts and culture.

Sime Darby companies have integrated ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) into their operations, focusing on sustainability and ethical responsibility.

Yayasan Sime Darby has been practicing ESG initiatives for over 40 years, even before the term 'ESG' was widely recognized.

The foundation focuses on long-term sustainability by addressing environmental conservation, social responsibility, and strong governance.

One of the foundation's significant environmental projects is the reforestation of 5,400 hectares of highly degraded forests in Sabah, Malaysia, benefiting local wildlife like orangutans.

Yayasan Sime Darby collaborates with institutions like Nottingham University Malaysia to fund research on managing human-elephant conflicts and promoting biodiversity.

The foundation involves indigenous communities in conservation efforts, providing them with sustainable livelihoods as forest rangers and environmental stewards.

The foundation actively supports research in conservation and biodiversity, including species-specific conservation efforts for elephants, proboscis monkeys, clouded leopards, and hornbills.

Education plays a vital role in Yayasan Sime Darby's conservation efforts, promoting awareness and stewardship of the environment through community engagement.

The foundation collaborates with the Global Environment Centre to combat coastal erosion and restore mangrove ecosystems, benefiting local communities and biodiversity.

Yayasan Sime Darby emphasizes that ESG is not only ethically essential but can also be profitable for companies in the long term, encouraging SMEs to start small with sustainable practices.

The Malaysian government offers tax incentives to promote ESG practices, aiming to achieve the national goal of Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The foundation stresses the importance of companies adopting ESG principles to attract top talent, secure investment, and ensure long-term sustainability.

The foundation's work highlights the need for collaboration between the government, businesses, and communities to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and social challenges.

Dr. Yakila concludes that it's never too late to adopt sustainable practices, emphasizing the importance of instilling ESG values in everyday life to secure a better future for coming generations.

Transcripts

foreign

ESG conversation show our guest for

today is Dr yakila's zainal abedin she's

the Chief Executive Officer of yayasan

sandabi Yaya Sunshine Dabi or sign Dabi

Foundation is the philanthropic arm of

three sign Derby companies which are a

large list of companies in Malaysia the

foundation's mission is to lead and

makes a sustainable impact and

difference in the lives of others now it

is dedicated to enhancing the lives and

delivering sustainable value through

three through five pillars which is

education environment community and

health and sports as well as arts and

culture now tell us more about signdabi

foundation and its ESG initiatives

welcome to the show Dr ayard

thank you Brian I'm honored to be here

today

um we are as you said the philanthropic

um we carry out the CSR initiatives for

three sign Derby companies and they are

signed Abby plantation burhad signed ABI

property berhad and Sim they all have

different different Industries

um and we help them carry out all the

work under ESG actually they themselves

have their own ESG initiatives in order

to

um to carry to be more sustainable for

financial

um what do you call it resilience as

well as you know to be more ethically

responsible and on top of all that what

they do in their

operations they don't need big sums of

their profits to us in order for us to

carry out all the good work under our

five pillars now you see the icons this

side of me they represent the Five

Pillars education we do so much uh for

uh scholarships as well as education

development work with schools we focus

on the underprivileged and the

environment uh there's just so much that

we do for the environment I can go into

it later community and health Sports as

well as arts and culture and now

everything that we do

is yes G actually the term of ESG

I like to say we've been doing it for so

long it's a term that's coined just

recently some years ago but we've been

doing all the work of ESG for so long

now environment as well as education we

focus so much on being the steward for

environment conservation for our three

donors and then social responsibility We

Carry Out in community and health

Sports arts and culture and governance

if you look at our mission as you just

mentioned just now we practice High

ethical values and good corporate

governance and in the philanthropic

um industry Malaysia I think we stand

out we are the lead in governance and so

ESG is within our DNA it is what we are

about all these years of operation or

operating we are 41 years old this year

and so here's the interesting thing Dr

Adela to Echo what you've just said our

research has just shown that essentially

yes you've been essentially ahead of the

curve in looking at ESG before the term

ESG was coined for the last 40 years

especially in the areas of of

philanthropy and also preserving the

environment could we then zoom in in

this ESG conversation around why is it

important for an organization or

companies to integrate ESG policies and

considerations into their organizational

governance structure oh my gosh

now in order for them to be sustainable

not only for themselves but as well as

their stakeholders and the World At

Large they have to think yes G

um and they have to think about how they

will need to sustain the environment in

order for them to operate as long as

they can and focus on social impact

social on diversity inclusivity

communities well-being as well as for

governance you know

um transparency openness accountability

Effectiveness outcomes under governance

so all this is so important for

companies to go ahead and last for a

long long time and with ESG

um

uh in what they do others will invest in

them it's easy for them to get you know

employees people joining them as good

employees

um and

um having all this in mind is just for

the greater good for everyone

that's why it's important so Dr yatila

perhaps we can out of your five pillars

let's because of this ESG conversation

zoom in on one particular one the

environment how do you make an impact as

a foundation

um on the environment in a positive

manner that basically that basically

ticks the boxes and pushes the envelope

of the ESG uh uh uh

the ESG movement across your three

different parent companies okay all

right now can I just talk a little bit

about

Malaysia as a country

all the philanthropic

corporations corporations

foundations as well as organizations

that have CSR in them we come together

under this the umbrella something called

gdrn okay

where we come together and we work to

complement each other and Not Duplicate

what we do towards the greater good of

ESG yeah

and uh there is there are three focused

areas

okay tell us about those three

initiatives how does that make an impact

all right so um Elmo is education

is

um

what is this humanity and sujatra is

well-being

now what yes

part of this big group of the whole

country looking at this overall for ESG

is

um for suggestion only also

under our environment pillar we look

into

conservation work on the ground itself

as well as education importance of

Education in environment I tell you

there's just so much that we can do with

education and awareness for environment

now to start with uh yes we've been

planting trees that's just cliche

everybody plants trees but when we plant

trees we ensure the survivability of

these trees making sure that these trees

live and uh to be the carbon sinks to be

um combating your greenhouse gas

emissions that's that's one thing that

we do another thing that we do is

biodiversity

reservation and how we do this is

we

use specific animal species and we carry

out conservation work for this species

and when you do these kinds of

conservation work indirectly other

species can gain for example now we work

with Sabah Forestry Department Saba is a

is a state in Malaysia

a reforesting

5400 hectares of Highly degraded forests

for 10 years

in a space that is full of orangutans

right so we're looking at orangutan's

Rehabilitation of their habitats

and because this area the wrong turns

cannot move because they're kind of

caught in that area because of this

River and orangutans cannot swim

so they have to live in this area and

when I went there more than 10 years ago

2010 it was just shrubs

and after 10 years of slogging it was

not easy to plant trees today when you

go there when I go there you see trees

with orangutan nests in them and you can

see light coming back to the forest so

all the animal species within there

also come back

while we are saving the orangutans while

with planting trees you see

and that is what we do in a con uh

conservation another thing is that we

also focus on uh giving out scholarships

for researchism

uh conservation now for example give you

an example

um we have been doing this project with

a Nottingham University Malaysia right

human elephant Conflict Management

co-existing with elephants right so

we've been supporting all these years

about 13

researchers postgraduate studies Masters

and phds in order for that for us to

come up with things that we can do

actions on the ground for example

policies for Plantation companies on how

to deal with human elephant conflict so

that we can conserve the elephants

so we start off with research

carry out the work with the communities

and now we even have a coalition of uh

oil pump Growers coming together to

conserve the elephants with policies in

built into their organizations and

that's such a good example of esgs

within organizations that's for work on

the ground putting boots on the ground

as well patrolling so important to

combat

um poaching of our animal species our

precious tigers as well as garu very

expensive you know tree species in in

the country so we worked with all kinds

of organizations in the states Sabah as

well as Pera to put boots on the grounds

and also while we are doing it

work with the indigenous people giving

them knowledge and employ them as

Rangers because they are the experts in

the in the forest they know they can see

they are our eyes and ears working with

the communities as well the engineers

committees because they are the most

near the forest you see so while we are

doing that we are also giving

a sustainable livelihood to the

indigenous communities as well as the

poor b40 local communities around these

areas now all environment education

oh there's just so much aside from the

research that we've been supporting all

these years uh that came up with for

example three state action plans for

animal conservation for the proboscis

monkey in Sabah for

Cloud leopard as well as bunting in

Sabah now we're working on hornbill

conservation in Sabah an action plan for

the government to implement

we also do things like coming up with

documentaries working with

um really

um

talented companies to come up with

documentaries for example if you go to

YouTube and you uh key inlaya

we have 52 short documentaries focusing

on our Enigma species Our Heroes in

conservation and even areas where we

have lots of biodiversity and

conservation work is going on

um and what the tagline is for layalia

is

um

which means when we are aware about it

we will love it and when we love it we

will naturally protect it

so that's what we do so many things on

the end the environment pillar but

that's just a little bit of what we do

so here's the thing Dr yatila this is

fantastic because just to summarize all

the things that you've done and just to

put it in two or three key points one

you're obviously uh have a huge uh

impact in terms of reforestation or

Rehabilitation of a 5400 track so that's

fine that's just one yes and you're

talking about Rehabilitation again of

animal species animal species living

together and coexisting with them yes

and this is a very important thing

because again one of your three parent

companies is a plantation company a

plantation company that is

um is primarily in in oil palm

cultivation yes and this is a message

that probably needs to get out into the

the the the world outside Malaysia

because people always think negatively

in terms of oil

plantations and they don't think of the

conservation aspects so it's really good

to hear that same Derby Foundation is

really uh pushing the agenda in this

space yes without people realizing as

much which brings me to my next question

and and obviously sustainability is a

key part of your DNA as a company and as

as the three companies now in the

Malaysian agenda the 12th Malaysia plan

the government has been starting to

really push that agenda now how do you

think the rest of Malaysian companies

are faring in the sustainability scale

I think we are doing very well

especially the big large companies like

the three-time Derby companies the

government linked companies as well as

um the

um an mncs yeah now our country has this

Net Zero by 2050 Target that everybody

is going towards you know three-time

Derby companies have their very

detailed strategies of how they are

going to assist the country to achieve

that objective of Net Zero but Dr yatila

so here's the thing right companies like

sign Derby are probably have very good

practices you were early in the curve

yes you're way ahead of the curve

probably close to being Regional leaders

in the ESG space but the rest of

Malaysia is not yes yes that means

especially the small medium-sized ones

exactly so what are your thoughts in

terms of how how the rest of the

government wants to promote this so what

what does the the community at large and

the the corporate Community need to do

in order to push the ESG agenda up the

level of importance most for most smes

as you pointed out that's not important

it's only important to them if their

customer tells them to do this do

something but ESG is not only about

doing the right thing it can also be

very profitable do you have some

examples of perhaps how you know of

maybe your parent companies have uh

basically in the pursuit of ESG

principles and and being able to

actually make money or save money

I see

now

it's all about long-term savings

is all about long-term making money and

that's what they are doing putting in

the Investments today

for a sustainable tomorrow now for smes

they would need to not be afraid as

smaller companies and companies that are

thinking maybe I I don't want to do this

because it's too expensive for me they

should start small

they should start small

um

um just for example having a mindset of

trying to do as much as they can to save

the environment to reduce to waste for

example to reduce the usage of water to

reduce carbon emission and with that

kind of mindset the best talent would be

you know drawn to them and best talent

would come to them and they would

actually have even better opportunities

to get more profits in in the long term

that's just a very small example of what

it can be but they should start small

they should not think about it's all

being about money yes yes

Foundation is about these three big

companies donating to us

and to do good for the environment for

the society with a high level of

governance

practicing ESG but others they should

not be thinking that it's just only

about money

and what do you think then you know

should the government do to promote the

basic principles of ESG across the

landscape really not only among the

corporate corporate Malaysia but also

among the society as a whole

number one they're already doing tax

incentives right it's the carrot

dangling carrot but also the awareness

having a important campaigns to open

everyone's eyes about how they can gain

for Implement by implementing esgs in

what they do on a day-to-day basis that

is what the government can be working

with us as well in philanthropy

to support the country in implementing

ESG for the greater good

now all this while it's been sdgs

the 17 sdgs and now it's ESG it's all

towards

the well-being of the world

at the end of the day so the government

will need to work together with all

organizations that are all their

stakeholders not only uh philanthropy

companies like us but also the

organizations they are actually carrying

our businesses

to to spread the word

to get for everyone to have knowledge

that for example climate change is upon

us

what we need to do is to minimize our

impact so that we can minimize climate

effect on us also on how we adapt what's

happening with all the drought as well

as the plots have mitigations all this

needs to be in place with the knowledge

that has to be instilled not many people

know especially the b40 communities

um

40 the pool the pool

how we work to spread the knowledge

about for example climate change we work

in pair up with an NGO called global

environment Center they're award-winning

They just won the medical award and we

work with this two communities in Pera

to plant Mangrove right because those

areas that we have identified very high

erosion rate risky already a class or

risk class one or something like that

for erosion and because of that you know

floods happen into the community

um all

um uh what do you call it the forests

all are depleted because of and also the

beaches are taken away because of the

water that comes because of the erosion

yeah so what we do is that we

train and give the knowledge to the b40

this community the poor communities that

if you plan this trees you will be saved

from the floods you can take off you can

get shrimp you can get crabs you can get

other stuff that you can produce from

the mangroves for your sustainability so

they have some sort of an alternative

livelihood because they're poor anyways

so now when we go there because of the

knowledge that we give to them they can

they understand the importance of

um climate change mitigation actions as

well as action by planting these

mangrove trees yeah and of course

there's a direct benefit for them

because there's a dollars and cents

benefit for them by restoring the

environment uh uh yes these mangroves

yes exactly and the Corpus that around

can see as well when the community is

saying hello here we have to have you

helping us to save our mangrove

you see so that the message while we are

giving through the government through

the organizations we can give this

awareness to the communities so that

they can make those noises to the

organizations that are operating around

them as well so that we can take care of

our environment together and that is

what is happening in Malaysia right now

we are addressing it from all angles

from the government giving tax

incentives from the awareness to the

organizations through philanthropy as

well as to the communities on the ground

it's been a fascinating conversation in

fact I've learned a lot and I just

realized how much time there'll be is

doing and making an impact but before we

leave any final words or thoughts you'd

like to share with the audience

okay so

um it's never too late to start we have

to live sustainably doing those small

small changes in our lives right oh now

daily lives as well as where we are

attached to our resident Association

our student alumni our

um uh what our company that we work with

we need to instill the idea that ESG is

so important for us to have that future

that bright future for us

for our children and for our

grandchildren after that yeah Dr yatila

thank you very much for coming on the

show

thank you pleasure now we've been

speaking to Dr yatila zainabiden the

Chief Executive Officer of Yaya Sunshine

Dabi or the sign Derby foundation on

bistax inaugural ESG conversation show

I'm Brian Fernandez this interview will

be on our website

www.biztec.asia as well as our social

media platforms it'll also be on our

syndication Partners TV stations radio

stations and websites thanks a lot for

tuning in

[Music]

thank you

foreign