IEMA's message in Malaysia

IEMA's Nicholas Fekete Perez has met Malaysian business leaders to discuss the skills and tools needed to successfully drive sustainability

The Institute was invited to speak at an event discussing sustainable business practices following the recent announcement by the Malaysian prime minister that a national programme requiring firms to disclose their carbon emissions is to be introduced.

The event was hosted by Kuala Lumpur based consultancy SHEMSI (Safety, Health and Environmental Management Services International) and Fekete Perez, IEMA’s partnership liaison officer, was joined by its principal consultant Stan Rodgers and consultant Amarjit Kaur in presenting a session on sustainability in business.

“Business in southeast Asia can no longer ignore the need for resilience in managing environmental issues,” commented Rodgers, a principal consultant at SHEMSI. “Sustainability requires companies to better understand their supply chain and its relationship with the environment.”

The presentation discussed how ISO standards can be used by businesses to manage their environmental impacts, risks and opportunities, and the important role played by skilled environment practitioners in successfully delivering an organisation’s sustainability goals.

“IEMA believes that environment and sustainability professionals have a significant role to play in every organisation to deliver sustainable solutions and in driving the transition to low-carbon economies across the world,” Fekete Perez told delegates.

He went on to discuss the importance of ensuring, and improving, the professional competences of sustainability practitioners and the support offered by IEMA. “Professional development is essential to ensure that practitioners are at the forefront of environmental leadership in their respective business sectors,” he said.

Kaur, a senior consultant at SHEMSI, agreed: “Personal competence development is necessary through training and professional affiliation with registered organisations recognised worldwide such as IEMA.”