PLUS Malaysia Bhd’s (PLUS) first voluntary Sustainability Report highlights the organisation’s achievements in the areas of environment, social and governance (ESG).
The country’s largest highway operator has implemented a number of initiatives to provide a safe and comfortable commute while preserving the environment, being socially responsible and upholding good governance.
Very broadly, PLUS’s environmental sustainability initiatives are aimed at reducing carbon emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy; leveraging green technology for operating excellence and competitiveness; and embedding good governance practices and a sustainability mindset in their strategic and operational decision-making
“As Malaysia’s largest highway operator, we are conscious of the critical role we play in supporting the Government’s visions toward being Smart Highway of the Future as well as our responsibilities towards the environment and society,” said PLUS managing director Datuk Azman Ismail.
According to the Sustainability Report, 170 processes were digitalised, resulting in a reduction of 1,300 hours in process cycle time and a saving of three million sheets of paper in 2020 alone.
Aligned with the organisation’s commitment towards continuous learning and developing an agile workforce, it has also successfully conducted 27,000 virtual training hours to over 2,300 employees.
To ensure that it provides positive value in relation to their social stewardship, PLUS has focused its efforts in three key components: the workplace, operations, and community.
In efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the highway concessionaire has developed its health, safety, security and environment (HSSE) prevention and control barrier framework.
The framework applies to all PLUS’s employees, contractors and contract workers, visitors, business partners and customers, and guide the development of COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) for their assets and facilities.
Throughout the pandemic, PLUS has also contributed personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical equipment to medical frontliners as well as PPE for its frontliners in addition to providing daily meals to Warga PLUS (its staff) on duty during the first movement control order (MCO) in March 2020.
The organisation’s COVID-19 response also included efforts taken as part of supporting their fence line communities which involves uplifting the socio-economic status of communities living and working within 30km to 50km radius from its highways.
During the year, zakat (tithe) funds have been channelled to over 7,000 fence line community members and PLUS’s Highway Unsung Heroes which are made up of highway workers responsible for cleaning and highway maintenance.
In terms of upholding good governance, the organisation has put in place various measures and mechanisms, including the introduction of relevant frameworks and policies.
This has resulted in the embedding of governance procedures in all their decision-making processes to ensure the highest standards of accountability and transparency.
An experienced board has also been put in place to steer the organisation, bringing the right insights to the table. The board is supported by relevant board committees which provide insight into key areas.
The organisation’s governance is further strengthened by the establishment of the board governance, risk and compliance committee to provide oversight to their sustainability efforts (comprising ESG elements) to signal their top-level commitment to sustainability. – July 1, 2021
