SMK Taman Melawati English teacher Rosmira Ramlee (front-fourth from right) posing for a picture with school staff and Zero Waste Malaysia's (ZWM) team members after successfully raising funds for her EcoSmart Energy project.
PETALING JAYA: In a world drowning in waste, a quiet revolution is taking root in the country – one led not by corporations or policymakers but by its youth.
Armed with passion, persistence, and a deep sense of responsibility, these youngsters are rewriting the nation’s sustainability narrative, turning ideas into impactful movements.
Among them are Zero Waste Malaysia (ZWM) and Altoration – movements that sprouted from simple groups and later became forces for change.
ZWM’s co-founder Khor Sue Yee said ZWM started in 2018, with the goal of proliferating zero waste culture among youth across the country.
Khor said ZWM has since grown to become a platform for communities to learn and find the resources they need to begin their own zero waste cultural movement.
“It was financially challenging at first, as we were reliant on individual donations to help keep alive our desire to provide our resources online for free to ensure everyone has access to learn about zero- waste living.
“To overcome this, we then diversified our revenue by providing corporate education engagement and educational services on zero waste management through LinkedIn,” she told The Star.
Among the NGO’s biggest accomplishments has been its Green Wira Programme (GWP), which provides local teachers with the know-how they need to integrate zero-waste culture among their students.
The programme, which began accepting applications in 2023, first helped train and empower educators with zero waste knowledge and sustainable skills.
It then helped educators develop and propose zero waste or environmental projects to their respective schools while also helping to provide funding and educational support for the project.
The GWP saw significant success as its first three pilot projects received massive support from both the schools and students involved.
“By 2030, we aim to empower 10,000 educators and 1,000,000 students in 100 schools to be highly competent and committed to zero waste and environmental causes for a waste-free and sustainable future for Malaysia,” she added.
Ng founded Altoration to help jumpstart the circular fashion economy by reducing Malaysia's textile waste.
Meanwhile, Altoration’s founder, 29-year-old Adeline Ng Kai Wen, set up the movement to address the nation’s growing textile waste problem, which contributed to nearly 900 tonnes of daily solid waste.
Determined to change this, Altoration became a digital platform connecting customers with local tailors to alter, restore and repurpose old clothes.
Using AI-powered booking and a network of skilled tailors – including single mothers and elderly artisans – Ng’s startup is pushing for a circular fashion economy while providing economic opportunities to marginalised communities.
Since its launch in 2023, Altoration has processed over 5,000kg of clothing, and through initiatives like The Sewcial Club, it has trained over 500 people in sewing skills.
Customers first book Altoration’s services by visiting their website, which takes in precise body measurements and receives details of the request from the customer.
The AI-powered booking system then matches the request with nearby local tailors, including single mothers and seniors commissioned by Altoration, who then complete the alterations or repurpose the clothing to the customer’s desire.
Customers can then opt for either pickup from the tailor’s location or delivery, making sustainable fashion more convenient.
“As Altoration grew, I realised we could have a much greater impact beyond sustainability, which is why we now empower marginalised communities, such as single mothers and elderly tailors, by providing them with income opportunities through our services.
“We have also expanded our services to include not just clothing alterations but also fashion repair and care services for bags and jewellery,” she told The Star.
Ng also mentioned that she has since introduced The Sewcial Club, an initiative offering free sewing workshops to teach sewing as a skill and a therapeutic practice to marginalised communities.
In 2021, fabric waste accounted for a whopping 432,901 metric tonnes of the country’s total waste, according to Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation.
A more recent report by The Star in January found that textile waste makes up 2.3% (or 898.8 tonnes) of Malaysians daily solid waste.
