THE STAR, TUESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2018

CSR
2 CSR
Walking the talk on sustainability
SINCE aligning itself with the 17
United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (UNSDGs),
Sunway has been a strong
advocate of the cause,
implementing supportive steps
across all its projects in Malaysia.
Sunway Group founder and
chairman Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah
recognises the hardship that
comes with the lack of quality
education and hazards that
present themselves when the
environment is not cared for.
He shared his views at a UBS
conference in Singapore in May,
saying, “My views on sustainability
were shaped by my formative
years growing up in Pusing – a
small town in Perak. I witnessed at
first hand the impact of poverty on
families and how it closed off
avenues for advancement,
particularly in education, for
them.
“Pusing was largely a tin mining
town. You could not fail to notice
the ugly scars on the landscape left
by disused mining pools. Poverty
and environmental degeneration
are not abstract concepts to
me, but part of my personal
experience. They helped form my
conviction that education provided
the optimum route out of poverty
and we need to help heal a
bleeding Mother Earth.
“In short, without recognising it,
the concept of sustainable
development was inculcated in
me. When the time came, these
formative childhood memories
guided me in my entrepreneurial
career and philanthropic
endeavours.”
He is determined to better the
quality of life in Malaysia by
realising UNSDGs under the
Sunway name.
As a matter of fact, all of
Sunway’s public-listed companies
are listed on the FTSE4Good Bursa
Malaysia Index for demonstrating
good environmental, social and
governance practices.
Feeding those in need
Besides education, Sunway is
working towards realising other
United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (UNSDGs). Its
commitment to the second
UNSDG, Zero Hunger, is defined
through its determination to end
hunger, achieve food security and
improved nutrition and promote
sustainable agriculture.
In June last year, Sunway
launched the #zerofoodwastage
initiative in collaboration with
Kechara Soup Kitchen at its buka
puasa buffet at Sunway Resort
Hotel & Spa.
The brainchild of Tengku
Zatashah Sharafuddin Idris Shah,
this initiative acts to fight against
Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah (fifth from right) and Tan Sri Razman M. Hashim (sixth from right) with volunteers for
Sunway's Rise Against Hunger campaign.
Raising the new generation
Based on Dr Cheah’s firm
convictions, it is only natural for
much of Sunway’s operational
focus to be deeply rooted in
Goal 4 of the UNSDGs – quality
education – through the Jeffrey
Cheah Foundation (JCF).
Sunway is committed to
ensuring inclusive, equitable and
quality education, as well as
promoting lifelong learning
opportunities for all, particularly
among those in need.
Since 2005, Sunway has
disbursed more than RM400mil in
the form of scholarships and grants
through the JCF, which is owned
and governed by a distinguished
board of trustees, with Sultan
Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor
as its royal patron.
“I have always believed that
education should never be a for-
profit business. As soon as I was
able to, we established the JCF, to
which I gifted all my equity in
perpetuity to Sunway’s educational
institutions. The gift was valued
at RM720mil then, and the value
has since grown to more than
RM1bil.
“Thousands of deserving
students have benefited from this
initiative. It is my personal goal to
award more than RM1bil in my
lifetime,” says Dr Cheah.
Giving the youth a boost
Sunway recognises the
importance of receiving quality
education from a young age. Last
month, it launched its back-to-
school programme, aimed at
helping more than 3,700
underserved students across
the nation.
These beneficiaries are students
who are from B40 families, at risk,
stateless or from orphanages. The
students come from 11 schools in
Johor, seven schools in Penang,
three schools in Selangor and 38
food wastage by redistributing
food to the needy.
According to the National
Health and Morbidity Survey
2015, 12.5% of children are still
underweight even as Malaysia
fights against obesity, which
affects 44% of the general
population.
In a press conference for the
initiative, Sunway Group deputy
executive chairman Tan Sri
Razman M. Hashim talked about
the importance of educating the
public about food wastage and
feeding the urban poor.
“Many Malaysians are
fortunate to have an abundance
of food and may not give much
Women, Family and Community Development deputy minister Hannah Yeoh (eighth from left) and Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey
Cheah (ninth from left) with the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF) board of trustees and students who received
scholarship awards at the JCF Scholarships and Awards ceremony 2018.
schools in Perak.
Sunway has since provided
school supplies for 600 students of
SK Puchong Perdana and 157
students of Sekolah Bimbingan
Jalinan Kasih.
Management with a global
mind
Besides monetary aid, Sunway
carries out other efforts to provide
quality education to people from
all academic backgrounds.
JCF owns and governs all 16 of
Sunway’s educational institutions
and entities such as Sunway
University, Jeffrey Cheah School of
Medicine and Health Sciences at
Monash University Malaysia,
Sunway College and Sunway
International School. It is currently
Malaysia’s largest education-
focused social enterprise.
To further fulfil its aim of
making quality education available
to Malaysian students, Sunway
thought to the 270,000 tonnes of
food wasted every Ramadan. By
educating the public about food
wastage, doing good deeds and
feeding the homeless and urban
poor, Sunwayians are doing our
bit to make small changes for a
better and more sustainable
future,” he said.
Sunway continued its
partnership with Kechara Soup
Kitchen beyond Ramadan and
has extended its efforts to its
sister hotels – Sunway Putra
Hotel, The Banjaran Hotsprings
Retreat, Sunway Hotel
Georgetown and Sunway Hotel
Seberang Jaya.
Another initiative by Sunway to
THE STAR, TUESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2018
(From left) Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, Energy, Science, Technology, Climate
Change and Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin, and Prof Jeffrey Sachs
launching the Master in Sustainable Development Management programme.
Education Group has partnered Sustainable Development (JSC) at
with Harvard University, Sunway University advances
University of California, Berkeley Sunway’s goals to realise UNSDGs
(UC Berkeley), University of by promoting green development
Cambridge and University of and social progress through
Oxford, and soon, Massachusetts research and education.
Institute of Technology.
The Jeffrey Sachs Center on > SEE NEXT PAGE
feed the needy is its Rise Against University and Sunway Medical
Hunger campaign. For the past Centre in the Klang Valley,
five years, Sunway’s employees Sunway International School in
have packed more than one Johor, Sunway Lost World Hotel
million nutrition-dense, in Ipoh, and Sunway Hotel
dehydrated meals for Seberang Jaya in Penang – was
underserved communities in completed in 14,000 volunteer
Malaysia, Timor Leste and hours.
Cambodia. The initiative has To make this event a success,
since fed thousands of families in Sunway enlisted the help of six
these countries. non-governmental organisations
In August, 1,750 Sunway to distribute the packed food.
employees from Ipoh, Penang, the These organisations were the
Klang Valley and Johor Baru Rotary Centennial Club (Johor),
volunteered to prepare 500,000 Sahabat Orang Asli, Rotary Club
meals for impoverished families KK South (Sabah), Rotary Club
in these three countries. Kuching (Sarawak), Salesians
The meal-packing, which took Missions (Timor Leste), and
place in five locations – Sunway One2One (Cambodia).
Sunway's #zerofoodwaste campaign provides unserved hotel food to
impoverished families.
THE STAR, TUESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2018
> FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
Sunway Education Group also
launched the Master in Sustainable
Development Management under
JSC in October. This programme
aims to equip people from
multidisciplinary backgrounds to
become adept at management and
problem-solving using analytics
and systems thinking guided by
global concerns.
Prof Woo Wing Thye, director of
the JSC and president of Jeffrey
Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia,
elaborates, “The programme aims
to empower individuals and
organisations to develop
innovative solutions towards
achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals in actionable
ways in their specific sectors or
areas of work.”
Sunway iLabs Makerspace promotes entrepreneurship among students who
aim to lead the future with new innovations.
Soaping up the town
As a conglomerate that
oversees many hotels, Sunway
paves its way towards
responsible processes, which
are aligned with the 12th
United Nation Sustainable
Development Goal (UNSDG) by
ensuring sustainable
consumption and production
patterns in its business
strategies and practices.
The Sunway Resort Hotel &
Spa’s Soapful project is one of
the paths taken to help save
the environment while helping
children in need.
Kick-started in July, the
Soapful event is an ongoing
project by Sunway to help
children’s homes financially by
repurposing used hotel soap
that would otherwise be
dumped in landfills.
These bars of soap can be
used by these homes or sold to
the public as a means of
generating income (only for
selected homes).
Since its inception, some
100kg of leftover soap has been
repurposed into new soap
bars. The leftover soap bars
come mainly from Sunway
Resort Hotel & Spa, Sunway
Pyramid Hotel and Sunway
Clio Hotel. Collection of the
soap bars started in July.
This project will include the
other five Sunway hotels –
Sunway Putra Hotel, Sunway
Velocity Hotel, Sunway Hotel
Georgetown, Sunway Hotel
Seberang Jaya and The
Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat –
next year.
Earlier this month, Sunway
presented 1,000 bars of
repurposed soap to
Pertubuhan Kebajikan Anak
Yatim Darul Ehsan Malaysia to
kick-start the home’s social
enterprise project.
The main partners of the
project are Ecolab, Kinder
The first batch intake is full for
this programme. Classes will
commence in January next year.
Joining hands in
innovation
Aside from building a
community of sustainability,
Sunway is keen on creating
entrepreneurs who will carry on
its vision that is aligned with
UNSGDs. It teamed up with KK
Fund to set up a venture capital
fund (Sun SEA Capital) with plans
to spend up to US$50mil
(RM208mil) on digital start-ups in
Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore,
Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam
and Hong Kong.
Sunway also launched Sunway
Innovation Labs (iLabs) and
Soaps and Selangor Youth
Community.
With help from these
partners, the process of
collecting used soap bars,
repurposing them into new
bars of soap, and teaching and
guiding selected homes to
repurpose used soap bars have
been carried out without a
hitch. All repurposed soap bars
are processed according to
stringent standard operating
procedures that adhere to
strict safety and environment
standards.
At the end of the one-year
project, the homes should be
able to produce their own
repurposed soaps for personal
use and to be sold to the
public.
Kelly Leong, Sunway Hotels
and Resorts’ regional senior
general manager, says the
Soapful project was
conceptualised to benefit the
environment, society and
economy in accordance with
the hospitality group’s
commitment to UNSDGs, which
aim to drive sustainable
progress in the world.
“First, the project intends
to benefit the environment by
removing soap waste from
landfills. Second, it helps the
selected home reduce costs as
the repurposed soap bars are
also meant for its residents’
personal use.
“Third, it helps children
cultivate meaningful business
skills that can help them break
the cycle of poverty. Fourth, it
is our hope that besides
utilising the income for their
daily needs, the children will
use these life skills to start
their own business and pursue
social mobility or even start
their own businesses that
employ other youths in the
future,” says Leong.
Sunway iLabs Makerspace to
promote entrepreneurship among
ambitious students who aim to
lead the future with new
innovations.
Partnering with Google, IBM,
Hitachi Sunway Information
Systems, Xperanti IoT and General
Electric, the Sunway iLabs
Makerspace is equipped to help
students and entrepreneurs with a
collaborative space and tools for
innovation.
At the launch of Sunway iLabs,
three new international
collaborations were announced.
These collaborations are with the
European Commission-funded
South East Asia Social Innovation
Network, UC Berkeley and Silicon
Valley accelerator A3 Global
Collider.
Sunway’s partnership with the
(Standing in the middle) SK Puchong Perdana principal Nor Azian Ashar (second from left), Seri Serdang Community
Centre special officer of welfare Sulaiman Ibrahim (centre) and Sunway Group brand marketing and communications
CSR and events assistant general manager Bernard Paul (second from right).
Blooming with life
Sunway strives to produce
sustainable cities and
communities. To do this, it aligns
itself with the 11th United
Nations Sustainable
Development Goal (UNSDG) to
create cities that are more
inclusive, safe, resilient and
sustainable.
Sunway City Kuala Lumpur
has implemented a vast array of
energy-saving and efficient
measures to not only stand its
ground as a smart city, but also a
sustainable one for the 21st
century.
Some examples of these
initiatives are:
l A water treatment plant
and rainwater harvesting tanks
to conserve water
l More than 3,000 24-hour
CCTV cameras to monitor the
township
l Electric buses that run
every five minutes on an
exclusive, 5.4km-long elevated
track
l A Canopy Walkway and Eco
Walk (equipped with solar
panels) that connect Sunway
University, Sunway Pyramid,
Sunway Lagoon, Sunway
Medical Centre and more
There are also plans to
implement intelligent traffic
lights that only turn red when
there are vehicles or pedestrians
in the vicinity.
At a UBS conference in
Singapore, Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey
Cheah retells the history and
successes of how Sunway City
came back to life from its start in
1974.
“More than 25,000 trees have
been transplanted and a
complete ecosystem restored.
The land was completely mined
and washed out, but today, you
can even find earthworms in the
ground. There are now more
than 150 species of flora and
European Commission will fund
the Sunway Social Innovation
Support Unit to extend assistance
to social innovators while its
partnership with UC Berkeley will
help it develop entrepreneurship
programmes.
The A3 Global Collider
partnership will fund and nurture
start-ups for regionalisation and
internationalisation. It is
anticipated that the partnership
will provide students and
entrepreneurs with additional
sources of capital, mentorship
and links to international markets.
At the event, the Higher
Education Ministry director-
general Datin Paduka Dr Siti
Hamisah Tapsir commended
Sunway iLabs’ commitment to
advance the higher education
industry by encouraging the
fauna within the township.
“We also have our own public
transport system with electric
buses that run on specially
designed elevated bus lanes.
Almost 50% of Sunway City is
open space and 24% of the city is
green space. Both figures are
well above the regulated
minimum.
“We have built certified green
buildings and last year, we
constructed and commissioned
our own water treatment plant
to purify water from two sunken
mining lakes to meet potable
water standards set by the
Government. We initiated a
whole range of energy-saving
and efficiency measures within
the city.
“We are not finished yet. We
will be building a combined
generation plant for Sunway
City, which will use natural gas
to generate electricity and hot
and cool water to further reduce
our carbon footprint. We also
plan to integrate technology
more deeply to establish Sunway
City as a model ‘smart
sustainable city’ of the 21st
century.”
Sunway holds the
preservation of nature, heritage
and culture close to its business
plans and values. Through this
The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, Ipoh.
CSR 3
development of entrepreneurship
and innovation skills.
“Sunway iLabs’ initiatives and
the launch of the Sunway iLabs
Makerspace facility ensures the
availability of future talent by
equipping students with the
necessary skill sets and preparing
them for the Fourth Industrial
Revolution as aligned with the
Higher Education Ministry’s
commitment to equip students
holistically to enable their success
in the 21st century,” said Dr Siti
Hasimah.
The state-of-the-art space has
all the right tools for innovation
such as 3D printing machines,
laser cutters and electronic
gadgets.
n For more information, visit
www.sunwayforgood.com
foresight on environmental
conservation, Sunway City Ipoh
was developed without
destroying any of the natural
landscape. The Banjaran Hot
Springs Retreat, an eco-friendly
wellness retreat set amid a
pristine tropical jungle, is the
highlight of the project. Endowed
with an array of natural features,
including 260-million-year-old
Paleozoic limestone caves and a
geothermal spring, it is truly a
healing balm to the soul.
Sunway worked to conserve
these precious natural features
and willingly extended the
development period of the
16-acre (6.4ha) resort from 15
months to three years. The
property was integrated with the
topography of the land and
natural features were
incorporated into the design.
The tree population was
preserved and existing limestone
caves were adapted for different
functions such as meditation
areas and wine cellars.
The Banjaran Hot Springs
Retreat received the prestigious
FIABCI Prix d’Excellence Award
in 2012 for the resort category in
recognition of the effort Sunway
went through in the name of
environmental conservation and
sustainability.
4 CSR THE STAR, TUESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2018

Growing financial literacy

SINCE the beginning of human
civilisation, education has played a
critical role in providing essential
skills and knowledge that allow a
person to contribute to personal
growth and that of her community.
In recent times, with Malaysians
growing increasingly aware of the
importance of financial planning,
financial education has taken the
spotlight. The financial literacy gap
in Malaysia is acutely pronounced,
and the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development
reports that Malaysia ranked 20th
out of 31 countries tested on
financial knowledge, attitudes and
behaviour.
Recognising that financial
education needs to start at a young
age, Prudential Assurance Malaysia
Bhd (PAMB) aims to inculcate
financial resilience in society
through two financial education
programmes for children – Cha-
Ching and Duit Right.
Launched in 2011, Cha-Ching is
an initiative of the Prudence
Foundation, the community
investment arm of Prudential
Corporation Asia.
It is an award-winning financial
education programme that
provides a platform to instil
money-smart skills in children Teaching children good financial habits can help create financially intelligent adults.
aged between seven and 12. It also
instils positive values such as It is a practical and engaging Building on the success of Cha-Ching Curriculum. Financial Industry Institution with
saving before spending, the experiential learning programme Cha-Ching, the Cha-Ching Cumulatively, PAMB’s financial the Best Financial Education and
importance of working hard and that empowers youths by helping Curriculum was introduced to education programmes have Awareness Award.
honestly, spending wisely by them make better-informed equip teachers with the right reached out to more than 86,000 More importantly, by equipping
distinguishing needs and wants decisions and supports the knowledge and tools so that they individuals from 460 schools and children and youths with financial
and giving back to the community. Education Ministry’s aspiration to can provide children with a good communities. literacy, they can grow up to be
In Malaysia, Cha-Ching was develop more values-driven understanding of basic money With its continuous efforts in financially responsible and
adapted as an on-ground financial Malaysians. Both Cha-Ching and management concepts. promoting good financial habits empowered adults.
education programme. Duit Right support the United It was endorsed by the among children through impactful
Duit Right is designed for youths Nations Sustainable Development Education Ministry last year financial education programmes, n For further information
aged between 13 and 15 and takes Goal of ensuring inclusive and and to date, PAMB has reached PAMB was recognised at Karnival regarding Cha-Ching and Duit
the four key concepts of money quality education for all and out to more than 46,000 children Kewangan 2017 by Bank Negara Right, visit www.prudential.com.
management further. promoting lifelong learning. from 344 schools through the Malaysia and the Malaysian my

Working together for better outcomes

ACCORDING to a survey in July conducted
by Corporate Social Responsibility Malaysia,
RHA Media’s not-for-profit social enterprise
division, 70% of public-listed companies are
involved in corporate social responsibility
(CSR) activities in one way or another.
Such activities aim to benefit
communities and may include providing
school supplies and educational support to
underprivileged children, distributing food
to the poor or adopting sustainable
practices.
Sunway Group deputy executive
chairman Tan Sri Razman M. Hashim
recognises that there has been a change in
corporations’ attitudes towards CSR
activities.
“Many companies are realising that
sustainability initiatives are delivering
value through growth, risk management
and returns on capital. It’s not difficult to
see how saving energy, developing greener
products or retaining and motivating
employees through acts of kindness can
make a positive contribution to their
company’s short- and long-term value,” he
says.
However, there is also a need to shift
focus in terms of CSR support, from one that
focuses on handouts to activities that are
designed to help underserved communities
stand on their own two feet.
One way to carry out these initiatives
successfully is for corporations and non-
governmental organisations (NGOs) to
collaborate with each other.
Sharing the burden
When working together to serve the
community, both corporations and NGOs
support each other by leveraging their own
strengths and resources.
“We have partnered with a long list of
NGOs simply because they have the
resources that we do not have, in terms of
data, networks and skill sets, to better
advance our causes and create real impact,”
says Razman.
Collaboration between organisations bring about bigger, better and faster change in the
community.
“By partnering with them, we save time,
energy and resources by leveraging their
expertise.”
Corporations can, in turn, provide
financial and material support for the
NGOs to ensure the successful undertaking
of their community service efforts.
One example is the CyberCare Youth
Organisation (CyberCare), a non-profit
organisation that seeks to empower youth
through information technology and life
skills coaching.
CyberCare founder Cheong Yuk Wai
says, “We needed a youth development
programme targeted at youths between 15
and 17 years old. A global management
company that we partnered with provided
us with a team of consultants to research,
design and develop the training
programme we needed. They brought a
high level of professionalism and structure
to the programme, and implemented
processes to help us raise our game.
“They also focused on teaching the
necessary skills to people who most
needed them, which was a godsend for
CyberCare, because we wanted our youth
to be equipped with the life skills needed
to succeed. This alignment of purpose,
focus and mission allowed both
organisations to focus on what we are
good at while also bringing out the best in
each other.”
Cheong says over the last four years,
CyberCare has implemented youth
empowerment programmes, focusing on
career advice, community projects and
entrepreneurial training.
One way to carry
out these initiatives
successfully is for
corporations and non-
governmental organisations
(NGOs) to collaborate with
each other.
Spirit of giving
Women, Family and Community
Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan
Azizah says her ministry’s welfare policy is
moving past mere handouts, and is looking
to implement productive welfare.
Speaking at the CSR Awards in July, the
Deputy Prime Minister said, “Rather than
focusing on aid programmes, we are
moving towards national policies that
empower communities in need and
provide the needy with tools to become
valuable contributors to our nation and
economy.
“We help the needy get on their feet,
stand on their own and become self-
reliant.”
She also reminds corporations to
understand the spirit behind CSR activities,
and not do it because it is mandatory.
“In this world of key performance
indexes (KPIs) and financial returns, we
often create myopic leaders who lack
empathy and whose concerns are just
about meeting next quarter’s KPIs. We need
leaders who participate in CSR because
they believe in it, not because it is
mandated by the authorities.”
When it comes to serving the community,
the Government, corporations and NGOs
have to band together to ensure better
results and extend the most help that they
can to as many people as they can.