Sustainable Plastics - January/February 2023 - 22

global
Promoting plastics
circularity at K 2022
Zuhaila Sedek
Malaysia is looking
ahead towards a
sustainable future
Once known as a low-cost, low-wage country, Malaysia today
boasts a business sector made up for the most part of highly
digitalised industries and e-commerce-oriented SMEs, said
Zuhaila Sedek, the Frankfurt-based trade commissioner for
Matrade, the national trade promotion agency for Malaysia.
And as the sustainability trend continues to grow, Malaysia's
industries, keen to explore the worldwide market, are joining in.
W
ith government
support and a
focus on digitalisation
and
automation, the Malaysian plastics
and rubber industry has
been working to achieve higher
levels of technological expertise
and efficiency.
" However, in order to compete
in the global marketplace, it is
necessary to be more responsible
and sustainable nowadays, "
Zuhaila Sedek told Sustainable
Plastics at the K fair in Düsseldorf,
Germany last year.
The Malaysian government
has created numerous facilities
to influence and support
the industries' transformation
in that direction.
This support is essential, as
some 97% of the businesses in
Malaysia are SMEs, and these
also provide great social value.
" This is why it is important for
these companies to be nurtured
by the government, " Sedek
explained.
As a trade commissioner in
Western Europe for Matrade, a
22
government agency for trade
development and promotion
under Malaysia's Ministry of
international trade, Sedek is
tasked, among others, with providing
Malaysian companies
with the guidance they need to
comply with the evolving legislation
and standards in Europe.
Malaysia, she emphasised,
is dependent on external trade.
" We are currently listed in the
top 25 trading nations in the
world and in the top 5 ASEAN
nations, notwithstanding a wide
range of political and geopolitical
situations, including market
conditions and, of course, the
pandemic, " she added.
Because of this, it is vital for
the company to align its policies
on sustainability with the partners
it trades with. In fact, the
EU is one of the country's top
trading partners, with Germany
as the largest destination market
on the continent.
Malaysia is one of the signatories
of the Paris agreement;
the country also collects data
on the readiness of its indusJanuary/February
2023
trial sector for achieving the
SDGs as well as developing
fblueprints to drive sectoral
transformations in the area of
sustainability.
Currently, however, only the
listed companies in Malaysia are
required to report their sustainability
practices, 'although we
are encouraging the SMEs to
explore sustainability reporting'.
" It can be a good tool to articulate
sustainability readiness, for
when they are approached by
the prospects in the EU region, "
she said. " Besides, it's no longer
an option: it's a necessity if you
want to access the EU market. "
Sustainability in plastics
Malaysia has developed the
Malaysia plastics sustainability
road map: a policy launched by
the Ministry of the Environment
and Water of Malaysia aimed at
addressing plastic pollution in
a sustainable way, promoting
sustainable business practices
and harmonising approaches
along the value chain through
the adoption of a life cycle approach.
This
will be attained by phasing
out the use of virgin plastics
through the development of recycled
and recyclable products,
encouraging reuse and creating
the infrastructure to promote
plastics circularity.
For this to succeed, however,
various preconditions must be
fulfilled in terms of the market
economy and technology; plus,
a functioning regulatory framework
must be in place and the
commitment of the population
is required, said Sedek. As well,
support from the community, in
the form of public-private-people
partnership, is needed to
transform the industry.
" In Malaysia, we're looking at
identifying specific strengths in
the sustainability pillar. Right
now, ocean-bound plastics and
PET recycling are a focus, and
we're also looking at service
provision, such as traceability
solutions. Several startups are
showing some potential, and
we have some prospects that
we want to work with, especially
in the commodity sector.
They use blockchain to secure
the information, but we do have
to be careful on data gathering,
especially in a highly regulated
market such as the EU. "
" In fact, " she added, " I
think this is going to be a
game-changer. They are creating
a whole new industry of
providing services and solutions
to help companies become
more sustainable. I think
it's an economy driver. And I
think it's important for Southeast
Asian companies in general
to be at the forefront of this
development. "
The country has a strong focus
on enhancing its sustain
Sustainable Plastics - January/February 2023

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