KUALA LUMPUR: Participating companies of UN Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei (UNGCMYB) were recently feted for their commitment to embedding environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles into their core strategies.
The highlight of the Sustainability Celebration Night 2024 was the announcement of the UNGCMYB Forward Faster Sustainability Awards, recognising outstanding contributions by private sectors to Malaysia's sustainability journey.
The awards were introduced by UNGCMYB to inspire businesses to take credible, ambitious action in line with the Forward Faster initiative benchmarks.
The benchmarks focus on areas where companies can make the biggest and fastest impacts to accelerate progress toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The awards recognised eight key focus areas for enterprise level: climate action, water resilience, gender equality, anti-corruption, living wage, sustainable supply chains, finance and investment, and nature and biodiversity.
Award recipients included Jireh Consult Sdn Bhd, Creador Sdn Bhd, Tata Consultancy Services Malaysia, Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd, Bintulu Port Holdings Bhd, Permodalan Nasional Bhd, Malakoff Corporation Bhd and Sarawak Energy Bhd.
Additionally, three individual awards and four special recognitions were presented to honour organisations and individuals who pioneer sustainable actions, create awareness by engaging employees internally or offering sustainable products and services externally, and build partnerships to advance the nation's sustainability agenda.
UNGCMYB executive director Faroze Nadar said it is pleasant to see where its Malaysian members are at in their sustainability journey and the innovative methods they internalise to accelerate their sustainability performance.
"The Forward Faster Sustainability Awards are more than just accolades - leadership and innovation of businesses striving to align with the SDG," he added.
Euan Smith, group chief executive officer of Astro Malaysia, said sustainability must live not only in business and public forums but also be part of the conversations "at the dinner table, in the mamak, at schools, to build public awareness and support."
Astro Malaysia is the event's media partner.
"Through our partnership with UNGCMYB, the Forward Faster Louder Programme amplifies credible ESG stories to inspire action and create a ripple effect. Tonight's accomplishments are both inspiring and essential, highlighting the crucial role corporates play in driving this change," Smith added.