“I am encouraged and supportive of this commendable initiative because it promotes proactive climate action among residents and businesses,” Mahadi said.
Through the ‘Food Waste to Wealth’ initiative, Panasonic Malaysia has partnered with GreenSteps Malaysia to create low carbon communities to assist residents of Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) in taking climate action.
Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah, the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, launched the initiative. “I am encouraged and supportive of this commendable initiative because it promotes proactive climate action among residents and businesses,” Mahadi said.
“I would like to congratulate both organisations on this fantastic approach to nature-based community solutions that emphasises the importance of recording carbon emissions reduction data via the GreenSteps Malaysia app to guide climate action now and in the future.”
Panasonic is one of Malaysia’s first corporations to take a whole-of-community approach to better waste management practises, backed by data-driven, nature-based community solutions.
“Our long-standing mission, established by our founder, is that our corporation should contribute to society, and this includes tackling global challenges around climate change,” said Panasonic Malaysia managing director Keisuke Nishida.
He also stated that the brand action tagline “Create Today. Enrich Tomorrow.” underpins the company’s commitment to working towards a greener planet and forming a strategic partnership with GreenSteps Malaysia.
This collaboration aims to promote source separation as a key driver in diverting waste away from landfills while also addressing the issue of food waste through long-term behavioural change. Panasonic Malaysia and GreenSteps Malaysia have formed a strategic partnership to address four United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), Climate Action (SDG 13), and Partnership for the Goals are all part of this (SDG 17). All of this is consistent with Panasonic’s long-term environmental goal of contributing to the well-being of people and society as well as a sustainable global environment.
Meanwhile, Azlan Yaacob, the chief executive officer of GreenSteps Malaysia, stated that previous attempts to address food waste in the TTDI community were ineffective and needed to be redesigned.
GreenSteps Malaysia, he explained, proposed a circular economy model that emphasises source separation as a critical first step for households and cafes to efficiently treat both organic and recyclable waste streams.
GreenSteps Malaysia, he went on to say, advocates for a circular economy approach that emphasises source separation as a critical first step for families and cafés to efficiently process both organic and recyclable waste streams.
“By correctly practising source separation, the community can ensure recyclables are clean, resulting in a higher rate and better quality of recycling in Malaysia,” he added.
Panasonic Malaysia, in partnership with GreenSteps Malaysia, is hosting a three-month ‘Food Waste to Wealth’ event from April 1 to June 30, 2023, during which TTDI residents can win up to RM15 000 in cash vouchers.
Residents can help by categorising their garbage into three categories: organic waste (food waste), recyclable garbage (plastics, aluminium, glass, paper, and e-waste), and non-recyclable garbage (face masks, soiled diapers, and sanitary products).
Households can receive up to RM10,000 in Panasonic vouchers if they download the GreenSteps Malaysia app and create a household account to begin tracking the amount of food waste composted.
This also allows people to track and quantify their carbon reduction emissions while earning GreenPoints. Panasonic Malaysia has installed a source separation system at its headquarters with the assistance of GreenSteps Malaysia as part of the company’s global promise to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Azlan escorted Nishida on a tour of the Zero Waste Zone along Jalan Datuk Sulaiman during the event to demonstrate the importance of proper trash management in a city.
One of the primary options is to divert leftover coffee grounds and tea leaves from landfills and into composting rings for the development of urban gardens and neighbourhood trash reduction.
“We are excited to collaborate with GreenSteps Malaysia to enrich the lives of the TTDI community and hope to inspire more people to take climate action towards a greener and cleaner planet,” Nishida said.