• Categories for nomination are waste management, digital greentech and renewable energy
• Winners get to showcase themselves, learn from others and gain feedback

THE Malaysian Dutch Business Council (MDBC) Innovation & Sustainability Awards (MISA) returns for its eighth edition on Wednesday, Oct 9, 2019.

This year, MDBC is excited to announce that it has been invited by GreenTech Malaysia to organize its much lauded, signature awards program in conjunction with the 10th edition of the International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM) – which is scheduled to take place from Oct 9to 11 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The bodies were lying in the streets un-buried. All railroads and vessels carrying food and such things into the great city had ceased runnings and mobs of the hungry poor were pillaging the stores and warehouses. Murder and robbery and drunkenness were everywhere. Already the people had fled from the city by millions—at first the rich, in their private motor-cars and dirigibles, and then the great mass of the population, on foot, carrying the plague with them, themselves starving and pillaging the farmers and all the towns and villages on the way.

This tie in guarantees more excitement, a deeper knowledge pool to draw from for the competition, increased exposure, a bigger audience, and the attendance of Yeo Bee Yin (Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment & Climate Change) as the guest of honour at the MISA Awards Dinner & Ceremony. Due to the inclusion of MISA in the IGEM program, the MISA Day Programme will take place in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, while the MISA Awards Dinner & Ceremony will be held at the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur.

Organising MISA for the eighth time, MDBC’s executive director, Marco Winter, noted a steady increase in the quality and quantity of submissions although the benchmark has always been set high. As a whole, the MISA audience and the Malaysian business community have moved past sustainability and innovation as marketing buzzwords, he believes.

“Sustainability is more than just being environmentally friendly, you have to balance the three core pillars of people, planet, and profit.  As we ourselves have found, and learned through the years, in order to be truly sustainable, you must also innovate; both are deeply and intrinsically intertwined,” shared Winter.

This year, the categories open for nominations are:

Best Innovative Waste Management Project

Waste management contains the activities and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. Companies in this category manage their waste with an innovative program (new to market) and take into account the impact their waste is having on their environment.

Best Digital Green Tech

In this category, MDBC will showcase digital technology used for achieving green and clean goals; tech that results in transformational innovation through data. Now, more than ever, achievements in green tech are necessary to address some of the most pressing issues brought about by problems such as climate change and food shortages. Recent advancements in digital tech, such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, and blockchain, mean that new and exciting solutions are appearing in green tech. As digital tech itself is not sustainable (consuming a lot of energy), the digital green tech innovation in this category needs to add value to conducting sustainable business.

Best Practice for Renewable Energy

In this category, MDBC is looking for companies who implement and encourage a broad based innovative and sustainable use of renewable energy models. Renewable energy is energy from, but not limited to, renewable resources. For example: sunlight, movement, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat.

Participants can fill in the nomination forms via the MDBC website. Participation is open to all (MDBC members and non – members). The deadline for submissions is Thursday, Sept 12, 2019.

Winners of the award gain recognition amongst peers and the wider business community.  

“It is an opportunity for them to showcase themselves and their project and learn from those they may be going through the same journey. As MISA is a platform for the sharing of best practices in innovation and sustainability, they can exchange ideas and gain insights from who are tackling the same or similar issues, allowing them, in essence, to crowdsource a solution,” said Winter.

Furthermore, winners also get direct feedback from independent innovation and sustainability experts and potential customers.  

“Surrounded by those with the same interest in innovation and sustainability, but from a wide variety of business industries, the opportunities are plentiful for new business opportunities and partnerships.”

MDBC is also inviting organisations who are interested in supporting MDBC’s goal of helping the general business community develop a more complex understanding of Innovation & Sustainability through the recognition and sharing of best practices to become MISA sponsors or advertisers. Additional information on the exposure opportunities are available at here.

For additional information on MISA, including competition guidelines, click here.

Source : Digital News Asia