KUALA LUMPUR: Nordic countries Sweden, Finland and Norway are seeking to enhance their cooperation in Malaysia's green transition.
Speaking to reporters at the Nordic Day event, here, Swedish ambassador to Malaysia Dr Joachim Bergstrom said that sustainability and green transition are areas where the Nordic countries have made enormous headway and progress over the last decade.
"These are the areas that all our countries care deeply about and we have made considerable advancements in green transition efforts, often leading global indices in these areas," he said.
He added that approximately 100 Swedish companies operate in Malaysia, and many of these companies have implemented sustainability efforts, programmes, and benchmarks that go beyond what is legislated or required by formal policy.
"I think that is one example of how the Nordic countries have been committed to green transition as you've seen sustainability come from different points and directions.
"Here in Malaysia, we try to maintain continuity by bringing together actors from the government sector, society, and private industry for dialogues on how to take the next steps within their respective industries.
"This will take awareness, knowledge, political will, and some early investments that will play out economically viable over a long time," he added.
As such, by remaining active in the areas of sustainability and continuing to speak and raise awareness around these issues, the Nordic countries have a lot to offer when it comes to Malaysia's green transition as a whole.
Norwegian ambassador to Malaysia, Morten Paulsen, believes that the Nordic countries can assist and promote green transition projects in Malaysia.
Paulsen said Malaysia has the potential to become a hub for green hydrogen production, as it has a vast surplus of renewable energy, especially in Sarawak.
"Malaysia has the potential to become a hub, for green hydrogen production in the region, and we think we can have some assistance to that.
"As such, next month, we are doing a joint activity where we will host a business congregation of Nordic companies to the Green Hydrogen Conference in Kuching, Sarawak," he said.
Meanwhile, the Finnish ambassador to Malaysia and Brunei, Sami Leino said Finland could also assist the country in green transition and sustainability through its recent investments.
"When we talk about green transition and sustainability, I think the last two investments from Finland in Malaysia have been in sustainable construction materials, with one factory built in Johor, and in environmentally friendly paints.
"So there are so many aspects that this sustainability covers where our companies are working in so many areas with its Malaysian partners," said Leino.
