A RECENT online event with John Elkington and key policy contributions helped me think about the need for a new understanding of what Malaysia must do. Elkington, the author and thinker behind the concept Triple Bottom Line (people, planet, profit), spoke about an urgent need to be bolder and braver, calling for a more system-changing approach, also known as TBL.
In Elkington's latest book, Green Swans, The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism, he defines a green swan as a "profound marker shift" that "delivers exponential progress in the form of economic, social, and environmental wealth creation".
The recent virtually held World Economic Forum launched the "Davos Agenda", which highlighted ambitious ideas to advance practical solutions to rebuild and rethink the way our economies work.
We all know that governance is essential. We have seen United States President Joe Biden pushing ahead with a new transformative agenda and European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, a moderate, embracing a radical agenda with the New Green Deal.
The administration of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has shown, through the relief packages, some promising measures to reboot the economy by sustaining the business sector and the citizenry alike. The real challenge is to come up with a more holistic, long-term approach based on effective public policies.
With Malaysia gearing up to submit its Voluntary National Review, presenting its work on the Sustainable Development Goals to the upcoming United Nations backed High-Level Political Forum this year, civil society, the private sector, policymakers and politicians in general need to find practical ways to define the future of the country. That should include clear indications on when Malaysia will achieve a net zero economy, explaining how Agenda 2030 should be the centre of policymaking.
A middle-income country like Malaysia needs to be ambitious and details must be worked out as well. Let's talk about some of these details.
Jazlyn Lee, a regional policy analyst for WWF in Southeast Asia, in an article, calls to attention the efforts taken by Malaysia in creating a circular economy. Interestingly enough, the policymakers are working on this issue. This article is based on the remarkable report published last year by WWF Malaysia titled, "Waste Not Want Not: Malaysia Moves to Become a Leader in Tackling Plastic Waste", that proposed the adaption of "Extended Producer Responsibility" or the EPR approach. It means that "an environmental policy approach based on obliging producers to assume full responsibility for the products – not just during the in-use phase (for example, through complying with health and safety standards) but also during the end-of-life phase once their products and packaging have become waste".
There is a need for the establishment of a "central organisation or Producer Responsibility Organisation", taking over the take-back responsibilities of all producers and importers. This policy can be essential and the government must play a big role.
Lee also explained that there is also a Malaysia Plastic Pact, a catalyst to deal with plastic reduction and recycling. How many more companies could join it? What about universities and learning institutions in general? Is it designed to easily engage and partner with stakeholders from all walks of life or can it be simplified and made more attractive?
These are interesting questions to be asked in order to involve and engage as many stakeholders as possible. In addition, we know the country has a huge informal recycling sector that should be involved in the discussions, which may produce innovative ideas on how to better recycle low-valuable plastic disposables.
Lastly, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific has come up with a new report, "The Future of Asian and Pacific Cities: Transformative Pathways Towards Sustainable Development in a Post-Covid-19 Era". It is so full of practical proposals that politicians should spend time looking at it because cities must be transformed for better, turning more sustainable and resilient with better services being provided.
We need a new consensus in Malaysia. Policymaking should be revised and focused on what Elkington calls, "Responsibility, where most current practice clusters, Resilience, where too little effort yet focused, and Regeneration, where the spotlight must now shift".
The writer is co-founder of ENGAGE and writes on social inclusion, youth development, regional integration and SDGs in the context of Asia Pacific
