The creation of an ideal level of awareness on sustainable practices in the marketplace requires a combination of government and market regulation, leadership within the organisation, and public education. But ultimately, regulatory push is required to build a new ecosystem while equipping companies with the necessary tools and policies to face the changing context of business, according to Dr Jayanthi Desan, managing director of Synergio Sdn Bhd, one of Malaysia’s leading sustainability strategy consultancies. “Information and disclosure alone do not lead to change,” she tells FocusM. “Scandal-ridden Volkswagen was a star on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and many years ago, Enron was the beacon of corporate disclosure.Hence, Jayanthi insists that the change towards a sustainable economy – one that involves transformational linkages between financial and non-financial matrices – must involve focus and leadership alignment. The real change can occur only if companies step forward to carry the sustainability torch lit by the regulators, she said.

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Focus Malaysia