In Malaysia today, sustainability has broken free from the confines of corporate social responsibility reports. It is no longer about tree-planting campaigns or symbolic gestures—it is about financial strategy, operational efficiency, and long-term business viability. Sustainability has shifted from being “nice to have” to “need to have.”
More Malaysian businesses are realising that green investment is not just a feel-good initiative. It is a high-return, risk-adjusted decision that boosts the bottom line. It reduces operating costs, unlocks new market opportunities, and improves access to capital. And for those of us in the financial profession, it has become increasingly clear that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance is now a core indicator of long-term business resilience.
Consider a Malaysian beverage manufacturer that recently invested in a solar energy system for its production facility. This installation isn’t merely a symbolic gesture, it’s a strategic financial move expected to yield significant annual electricity cost savings, directly enhancing profitability and improving cash flows. Moreover, the solar system will generate 20% of the facility’s energy, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by an equivalent 20%. For this company, sustainability isn’t an expense; it’s an investment in operational efficiency, financial performance, and long-term competitiveness.
This case is not an isolated anomaly. It is part of a quiet transformation happening across Malaysia, among businesses that see the writing on the wall and are acting accordingly.
Yet many SMEs still view sustainability as an unaffordable luxury. However, a recent Alliance Bank survey found that nearly 40% of SMEs that invested in ESG practices reported revenue growth exceeding 50% due to access to new markets. So here is the real question: what is more expensive, retrofitting a factory today or losing access to key export markets tomorrow?
This question is more urgent than ever. The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), set to roll out fully by 2026, will impose carbon tariffs on imports from countries with weaker climate policies. (CBAM is a climate policy tool that applies carbon pricing to imported goods, ensuring they meet the EU’s environmental standards.) If Malaysian exporters cannot credibly demonstrate low-carbon footprints, they will face cost penalties that make them uncompetitive. ESG reporting and emissions transparency are no longer optional; they are becoming prerequisites for global trade.
Domestically, the pressure is also rising. Malaysian Government-Linked Companies (GLCs), public-listed corporations, and large multinationals are embedding ESG into procurement decisions. Vendors and suppliers without a sustainability strategy are quietly being filtered out. Banks are following suit, offering preferential loan terms, higher credit ceilings, and green asset ratios that reward low-risk, ESG-aligned businesses.
To its credit, the Malaysian government has taken proactive steps. The Green Technology Financing Scheme (GTFS) has helped hundreds of companies invest in green upgrades. The MyHIJAU mark, the Low Carbon Cities Framework, and National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) all contribute to building a national sustainability architecture.
More recently, Budget 2024 introduced targeted tax incentives and policy updates. The Green Investment Tax Allowance (GITA) and Green Income Tax Exemption (GITE) were extended through 2026, encouraging investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable waste management technologies. The government also announced tax support for carbon capture and storage (CCS) development—further underscoring Malaysia’s ambition to attract green capital and position itself as a regional sustainability leader.
Bursa Malaysia has raised the bar too. Its phased ESG reporting mandate, starting with listed companies and expanding through the value chain, will soon impact thousands of SMEs. This framework is being aligned with global best practices, notably the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Sustainability Disclosure Standards, specifically IFRS S1 and IFRS S2, which set out requirements for general sustainability-related disclosures and climate-related disclosures, respectively. This regulation will push businesses to collect emissions data, report climate risks, and embed governance structures—practices that many companies are still unprepared for. But with support, this can also be a turning point.
Meanwhile, carbon pricing in Malaysia is taking shape through both federal and state-level initiatives. At the federal level, the Climate Change Bill is expected to be tabled in Parliament. Significantly, Sarawak has already taken the lead by passing the Environment (Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emission) Bill in 2023, making it the first state in Malaysia to legislate carbon emissions reduction. The Sarawak law introduces requirements for emissions monitoring, reporting, and green energy incentives, laying the groundwork for carbon pricing at the state level. That support must be scaled and strengthened. Adoption of sustainability policies remains uneven, especially among small and medium enterprises. We need enhanced tax incentives, such as accelerated capital allowances for energy-efficient upgrades and double deductions for ESG certifications, audits, and sustainability training.
We also need a practical ESG reporting framework that recognises the realities SMEs face—tiered requirements based on company size, coupled with technical assistance and digital tools to reduce compliance burden. For green financing to truly take off, application procedures must be streamlined, with local banks empowered to provide tailored financial products for sustainability-linked projects.
Meanwhile, countries like Singapore are already gaining investor attention with carbon pricing, robust green bond frameworks, and policy certainty. Malaysia must act fast or risk watching green capital and innovation drift away from our shores.
Going green is not about optics. It is about resilience, relevance, and results. The global economy is tilting toward sustainability—and businesses that lag behind will find themselves penalised, if not excluded entirely.
By 2030, companies that invest in sustainability today will dominate market share. Those who delay risk obsolescence. The winners of tomorrow are already embedding ESG into their operations, strategy, and capital structure—not because they must, but because they understand it’s the smartest path forward.
As Chartered Accountants and members of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), we have a responsibility to translate this transition into tangible business terms. We can quantify the savings, structure the financing, project the returns, and help our clients future-proof their operations, not based on hype, but on real value.
For Malaysian businesses, the decision to go green is no longer a philosophical one. And in today’s economy, sustainability is not the cost—it is the payoff.
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