The participation in the 2024/2025 Prime Minister’s Hibiscus Award (PMHA) reached a historic high, as evidenced by the involvement of 81 companies, predominantly due to the increased participation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The awards ceremony, which took place yesterday evening, was led by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup. It was a platform to acknowledge organizations that have excelled in environmental management practices and have shown a steadfast dedication to sustainability.
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Established in 1996, the PMHA functions as a recognized standard for companies aiming to evaluate, enhance, and display their environmental sustainability. In this particular cycle, submissions were received from a diverse array of industries such as manufacturing, energy, construction, hospitality, oil palm plantations, and oil and gas.
This highlights the necessity for a comprehensive and all-encompassing approach to environmental management across the economy.
Christina Tee, chair of the organising committee for PMHA and president of the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MICCI), expressed that the enthusiastic participation demonstrates the increasing sophistication of Malaysian businesses and reinforces the significance of PMHA in promoting environmental excellence. She mentioned that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are driven by the chance to be acknowledged and to increase their exposure for their environmental initiatives.
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“We are proud to see the highest participation recorded in the history of the Prime Minister’s Hibiscus Award, including increased involvement from SMEs. These developments point to a growing level of maturity across participating organisations.
“Looking ahead, we are targeting 150 participating companies in the next cycle and encourage more organisations to step forward to benchmark their practices and demonstrate leadership in environmental management”, she says.
This is especially true as environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, demands from supply chains, and the advantages of green financing are becoming more significant in shaping business prospects.
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Examinations indicated positive progress in all areas, as a greater number of small and medium-sized enterprises implemented structured environmental management protocols, and larger corporations developed more defined objectives for reducing carbon emissions and enhancing environmental, social, and governance considerations.
The award is a collaborative effort between MICCI, the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers, and the Environmental Management & Research Association of Malaysia, with backing from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability as well as the Department of Environment.