Lai (left) and Perry at the Danish Chamber of Commerce Malaysia’s 32nd AGM in Kuala Lumpur. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/ The Star
DANISH businesses in Malaysia are stepping up their commitment to promote awareness on sustainability and green transition through a strategic public-private alliance.
The Green Transition Alliance (GTA) is poised to accelerate this shift in Malaysia and raise awareness of environmental efforts made by Danish businesses, with leadership from the Royal Danish Embassy in Malaysia and co-founding support from five leading Danish companies.
Royal Danish Embassy in Malaysia trade head Mark Perry told StarMetro that the GTA formation was driven by the lack of awareness of green transition efforts carried out by Danish companies in Malaysia.
“Upon reopening of the Royal Danish Embassy in Malaysia last year, our ambassador engaged with prominent Danish companies.
“A consistent observation was that, despite numerous green initiatives, awareness remained insufficient.
“If we could bring together Danish companies through an alliance and utilise it to connect to the Malaysian government, we can support both countries in terms of green transition.
“This is how we started GTA.
“GTA has five of the biggest Danish companies on board – Blue Water Shipping, Carlsberg Malaysia, Novo Nordisk, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Rockwool Asia,” he said after attending the 32nd annual general meeting of the Danish Chamber of Commerce Malaysia (DanCham Malaysia) in Kuala Lumpur.
He also said various initiatives had been planned under GTA’s framework, with one of them being a visit to Sarawak in August.
“Danish Ambassador to Malaysia Kirstine Vangkilde Berner will visit Sarawak in August to meet with key government stakeholders, officials and agencies such as Invest Sarawak.
“Utilising this occasion, Danish companies in Malaysia will be brought along to join these meetings and talk about GTA.
“Besides, individual programmes will also be organised for each participating company to meet private stakeholders,” he said.
Some other initiatives under GTA’s framework, according to Perry, were making data centres in Malaysia more energy-efficient, utilising biomass in Malaysia instead of shipping it across the world and upgrading facilities in local schools to reduce energy consumption and improve performance (energy retrofitting).
“We want to help Malaysian schools to be more energy-efficient and provide students with a better learning environment,” he said.
Also present was DanCham Malaysia chair Pearl Lai, who said GTA exemplified how businesses could align commercial success with environmental responsibility.
Lai, who is Carlsberg Malaysia corporate affairs and sustainability director said GTA could offer numerous opportunities for the company in various fields related to nature preservation, which it was committed to.
“Through GTA and the strong network of the Royal Danish Embassy in Malaysia, we can forge strong public-private partnerships.
“For example, Carlsberg Malaysia is currently exploring collaboration opportunities with the Sarawak government in biodiversity, which is part of our commitment to nature,” she said.
“We are planning to visit the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre.”
She added that GTA could also help educate the younger generation preserve the environment.
“We need to cultivate a generation that is mindful of their responsibilities to nature. Carlsberg Malaysia’s vision encompasses this, and GTA’s support can help achieve it,” she said.
