Supporting the ESG Agenda for SMEs

Datuk Kamarudin Hashim is the Securities Commission Malaysia managing director and co-chair of the Joint Committee on Climate Change (JC3).

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) wield significant influence in shaping the future of the domestic and global economy. In Malaysia, SMEs are the backbone of the economy. More than 97% of all businesses are SMEs, contributing to over 38% to GDP and employing 48.2% of the workforce. These remarkable statistics show that SMEs are a major catalyst in our nation’s sustainability agenda.

Some SMEs are integral part of supply chains which has led to growing pressure for them to incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into their business.