18/08/2025

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MONDAY | AUG 18, 2025

Tetra Pak walks the talk on net-zero

Sun Bus aims to be leading player in Asean EV bus market

ability agenda. “At a time when workers’ rights are increasingly under threat – highlighted by the 2024 Global Rights Index, which shows that 80% of countries deny collective bargaining and 43% restrict free dom of speech or assembly – we remain committed to protecting and empowering workers across our operations, supply chain and the communities we serve.” Tetra Pak’s approach to social sustainability is rooted in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, with its Human Rights Due Diligence Framework guiding the assess ment, identification and miti gation of human rights risks. “Empowering marginalised workers means ensuring safe, inclusive and fair workplaces,” said Tan. “We work closely with our suppliers to uphold responsible labour practices, guided by our Supplier Code of Conduct covering health and safety, fair working conditions and non discrimination.” Acknowledging the heightened vulnerabilities of workers in agriculture and logistics, Tan said Tetra Pak supports industry-wide collaboration to enhance trans parency and labour standards. “We also embed human rights and environmental considerations into our procurement decisions, viewing social sustainability not only as a moral imperative but as a driver of long-term value—for our people, our partners, and the broader ecosystem.” Tan concluded by emphasising that as food supply chains grow increasingly complex, ensuring food safety and equitable access must remain top priorities. “Food access starts with ensuring that products are safe when prepared, packed, distri buted, and consumed according to their intended use. This is central to our mission of delivering sustainable, scalable solutions that bring food to those who need it – without compromising the future of our planet.” handiwork, fine arts and the values embedded in them. Large grants often go to big organisations, while smaller artisans, the heartbeat of our heritage, struggle to survive.” Zainariah believes Malaysia still has the potential to be a regional creative powerhouse, noting that the country began developing its creative industry earlier than South Korea but lacked consistency. “We have good infrastructure and support, but when there is a change of government or policy, programmes often get disrupted. “In Indonesia, even with weaker infrastructure, they have persistence and long-term focus in developing local talent and content. Thailand leverages its cultural heritage like Muay Thai to promote globally, whereas in Malaysia, we are still not focused on marketing our heritage assets,” Zainariah said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s creative industry micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) need consistent, targeted support to reach their full economic potential, said creative economy veteran Zainariah Johari. She said artisans and small creative businesses form the backbone of the sector, yet are often overlooked in favour of big players. “The most important thing is the quality of our creative ecosystem, and, in my view, the real strength comes from creative MSMEs. Yes, there are big players like Les’ Copaque and Animonsta, they are successful. But the majority of the industry’s movers are small businesses that form the backbone of this ecosystem,“ she told SunBiz . Zainariah noted that the creative JOHOR BAHRU: Sun Bus Tech Sdn Bhd aims to be among Malaysia’s top three bus manufacturers within five to 10 years and a leading player in the Asean electric vehicle (EV) bus market. Its chief executive officer, Shyan Phang, said the outlook for Malaysia’s EV bus sector remains strong, driven by government plans to procure a further 1,100 units by 2030. “At present, the EV bus market in Malaysia is fully dependent on government purchases. Last year’s tender for 250 units has been concluded, and more orders are expected annually. This presents a big opportunity for local manufacturers,” she told Bernama. The Johor-based company has equipped its assembly facility with EV specific infrastructure, including dual gun direct-current fast chargers, portable chargers and special safety containers for battery storage. “We also use Swiss technology for aluminium bus bodies, which are rust resistant and can last 15 years to 20 years. The total life-cycle cost is lower than that of steel-bodied buses,” Phang said. Sun Bus Tech plans to expand its EV bus market to Japan, Indonesia and Thailand, with market visits starting this month. The company also works closely with chassis, battery and charger suppliers to improve efficiency, range and passenger capacity. However, Phang said challenges remain, including high acquisition costs, insufficient charging infrastructure and limited range for long-distance operations. “For EV adoption to truly work here, infrastructure, policy and operator readiness must align. With continued government support, I am optimistic the industry will grow rapidly.” She acknowledged that the main challenges to EV adoption in the Asean region are high costs, limited charging infrastructure and range limitations that do not yet meet the needs of tour or charter bus operators. Ű BY HAYATUN RAZAK sunbiz@thesundaily.com

o Company’s measures to achieve targets include improving energy efficiency, using eco friendly materials and expanding recycling infrastructure in over 70 countries, including Malaysia

Ű BY JOHN GILBERT sunbiz@thesundaily.com

making recycling more accessible to local communities.” Tetra Pak’s cartons, made primarily from renewable paper board, are designed to be easily recycled through the intuitive “Flip, Flap, Flatten” method. Tan said the paper fibres from cartons are repurposed into products such as boxes and shop ping bags, while the polymer aluminium layers are transformed into durable goods such as roof tiles, furniture, pallets and con struction panels. In Malaysia, the company has partnered with retail malls to set up in-store drop-off points for UBC, enhancing recycling accessi bility. In addition, collaboration with local governments, businesses and waste sorters is under way to raise awareness and incentivise recovery at scale. “Our long-term ambition is to create the world’s most sustainable food package – one that is fully recyclable, made from renewable or recycled materials, and has the lowest possible carbon footprint. Achieving this at scale requires making recycling simple and convenient and fostering colla boration across the entire value chain,” said Tan.

KUALA LUMPUR: Tetra Pak, a global leader in food processing and packaging solutions, has reaffirmed its commitment to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations by 2030 and across its entire value chain by 2050. This ambition is supported by key initiatives such as reducing fossil-based materials in packaging, improving energy efficiency across facilities and investing in renewable, lower-carbon alternatives – such as paper-based barriers, which have already been rolled out in millions of packages across Europe through a partnership with Lactogal. According to Tetra Pak’s director of sustainability for Asean, Terrynz Tan, the company is scaling up its recycling infrastructure, participating in over 200 recycling initiatives across more than 70 countries. “This includes co-investing in the modernisation of our recycling partner’s polyaluminium recycling facility in Malaysia,” she told SunBiz . “We are also expanding part nerships with various stake holders to increase the collection of used beverage cartons (UBC),

With the global population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050 and food demand projected to rise by 60%, Tetra Pak believes the food industry must evolve to meet this challenge while safe guarding the planet. “Our approach focuses on enabling access to safe food through sustainable innovations, decarbonising our value chain, and supporting a circular eco nomy,” Tan said. The company’s aseptic packaging solutions, for example, allow food to be stored and distributed without refrigeration for up to 12 months, reducing food waste and emissions from cold chains, particularly in areas with limited infrastructure. Tan also addressed the im portance of putting people at the centre of Tetra Pak’s sustain Tan says Tetra Pak’s long-term ambition is to create the world’s most sustainable food package. capabilities and help them build sustainable businesses.” Zainariah, who recently completed her two-year contract as CEO of MyCreative Ventures Sdn Bhd, said one of the biggest challenges during her tenure was the lack of business discipline among grant and funding recipients. “Many creatives are talented but lack the skills to manage operations or grow their businesses sustainably,”she said, adding that grants or loans without proper monitoring rarely translate into long-term growth. “Otherwise, we risk losing many creatives who are talented but do not know how to build a business.” She said that in chasing artificial intelligence and new technology, the country must not forget the hard work and human uniqueness that machines can never replace. “Machines can never replace

Local creative industry MSMEs need support to reach full potential: Expert

industry has historically contributed less than 2% to the country’s gross domestic product, with the most recent figure she has seen at 1.97%. “That is a relatively small slice of the overall economy. But our potential is far greater than that,“ she said. Citing Kelantan’s world-class silversmiths, she questioned why their work is not promoted internationally. “If we do not support them, these skills will disappear just like Mak Yong and other crafts that have already moved to Singapore for better opportunities. Malaysia risks losing not just individual talents, but whole segments of our cultural heritage,” she warned. Zainariah expressed deep concern over Malaysia’s artistic and cultural heritage and called for skill gap mapping to better target support. “We must identify those with high potential but weak management

Zainariah says the country must not forget the hard work and human uniqueness that machines can never replace.