Malaysians currently look forward to the further relaxation of restrictions imposed under a long-standing movement control order following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and rightly so. Months of painful disruptions to the beautiful lifestyles that they had been enjoying before the pandemic are pushing many to the brink of despair as businesses close down, jobs are lost, mental health of people deteriorates, personal freedom is severely limited and what more with the daily depressing statistics of the victims of the potent virus. The current relaxation of restrictions sees economic sectors opening up and many businesses re-starting. People are also hopeful that social activities and events can also take off soon as more and more people in the country are vaccinated against the virus.
Despite the pandemic and the inevitable restrictive conditions, preparation has been on-going for the organising of the annual Sustainability & CSR Malaysia Awards (formerly known as CSR Malaysia Awards) in the hope that the event can take off as soon as conditions permit. The event is a joint effort by CSR Malaysia (a publication and social initiative) and Pertubuhan Amal Tanggungjawab Kemapanan & Korporat Malaysia (Malaysian Welfare Society for Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility). The awards ceremony is a meaningful platform that gives the desired recognitions to corporations in Malaysia that have made outstanding contributions in the sustainability and corporate social responsibility arena.
Since 2016, CSR Malaysia has been the main organiser for this annual event which receives some 200 award nominations every year. The prestigious awards given under various categories are much sought-after by companies in Malaysia, most of which are public-listed companies and multi–national companies, engaged in sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Distinguished guests of honour who have graced the past years’ award ceremonies included Datuk Sri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the then Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Sri Rohani Abdul Karim, the then Minister of Women, Family & Community Development and Puan Hannah Yeoh, the then Deputy Minister of Women, Family & Community Development. The award ceremony honours and celebrates the outstanding achievements of Malaysian companies that have played an inherent role as change agents in the socio-economic transformation of the nation and their noble initiatives in promoting sustainable economies in Malaysia and in serving the needy. “We want to highlight and give recognition to companies that have done their part to promote sustainability in areas such as adopting greener supply chain, reducing pollution and waste, optimising product life cycles, increase productivity and optimising material usage, adopting good labour practices, looking after employees’ welfare, promoting health and safety while not forgetting to do good for the communities,” says Dato’ R. Rajendran, Chairman and Founder of CSR Malaysia and Pertubuhan Amal Tanggungjawab Kemapanan dan Korporat Malaysia.
Prior to the award ceremony, the selection of an award recipient is carefully made by an esteemed panel of judges consisting of members of the media and members of Pertubuhan Amal Tanggungjawab Kemapanan dan Korporat Malaysia, which is the national body for sustainability in Malaysia. The existence of a clear purpose and goals of the company in the sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiative; its frequency, creativity and impact; the transparency in reporting and the financial outlay for the initiatives, are among the judging criteria used. “It’s important for the judges to evaluate each nomination carefully based on the judging criteria for the awards to select the award recipients.” says Dato’ Rajendran. “These recipients should be an embodiment of charity and hope in their very own ways for our aspirations for Malaysia go beyond that of just generating profits and developing world-class buildings and infrastructures.”
Some notable past recipients of the Sustainability & CSR Malaysia Awards include corporations such as Bank Rakyat, AirAsia, Shell, Nestle, Petronas, Sunway Group, Axiata, Mondelez, Fedex, Malaysia Airports, RHB Bank, McDonald’s Malaysia, Berjaya Starbucks, Top Glove, Great Eastern Life, MahSing, Star Media Group, Pharmaniaga, KPMG, Celcom, Serba Dinamik and Prudential.
However, CSR Malaysia’s reach and influence go very much beyond its annual awards ceremony. Since its inception, CSR Malaysia and Bernama have been engaged in numerous collaborative projects that included a TV programme called ‘CSR Malaysia’ featuring CSR heroes and winners of the Sustainability & CSR Malaysia Awards which was aired on Bernama TV in 2018 and in 2019. Between 2019 and 2020, the continued collaboration saw the airing of another Bernama TV programme called ‘Pit Stop’ which carried a CSR Malaysia segment featuring and highlighting efforts of many Malaysian companies and personalities engaging in corporate social responsibility and sustainability causes.
The CSR Malaysia magazine, launched in 2013, is a quarterly publication that endeavours to promote corporate social responsibilities (CSR) initiatives and sustainable economies by featuring CSR and sustainability initiatives carried out by corporations in Malaysia – initiatives undertaken to serve the underprivileged and the needy (people as well as animals), and efforts made in protecting the environment. “We hope that the many heart-warming stories of charity featured in the CSR Malaysia publications together with our annual Sustainability & CSR Malaysia Awards will inspire more corporations, organisations and individuals to rise up to extend the much needed helping hand to make our world a better place for all,” says Lee Seng Chee, Managing Editor of CSR Malaysia publications and Co-Chairman of CSR Malaysia.
