PUTRAJAYA, Mar 28, 2018 - Ecoverse, a Sabahan youth-led social enterprise initiative, entered a momentous CSR partnership today with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sime Darby Plantation Berhad to promote sustainability in Malaysia.

At the signing ceremony, Ecoverse was represented by Mr. Christopher Louis Tan, the Founder of Ecoverse while Sime Darby Plantation Berhad was represented by Mr. Lee Ming Enn, its Principal Sustainability Officer. Mr. Lee Ming Enn was representing Dr. Simon Lord, the Chief Sustainability Officer of Sime Darby Plantation Berhad, at this ceremony as Dr. Simon Lord has been appointed as one of the National Sustainability Champions for Ecoverse’s environmental initiatives.

Speaking at the event, Yang Berhormat Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau, the Minister of MOSTI, who witnessed the signing ceremony, said, “The Government is committed to promote innovation within the social enterprise ecosystem especially on matters relating to environmental sustainability as Malaysia is a signatory of the Paris Agreement. This is in line with our sustainability goals under the 11th Malaysia Plan and it is essential for us to engage not just the private sector but to also empower youths to be part of the TN50 agenda from a sustainability perspective.”

Also present at the signing ceremony was Ashran Dato’ Ghazi, the CEO of the Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC), to witness this significant milestone since the launch of the Impacts Driven Enterprise Accreditation (IDEA) and Social Impact Exchange (SIX) program. Ecoverse will be the first Sabahan Bumiputera youth-led social enterprise initiative to be incubated under MaGIC’s IDEA program to promote environmental sustainability through its ecotourism and volunteering programs.

“None of this would have been possible if not for the guidance support that YB Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau has provided to the native communities in Sabah especially to inspire native youths like us to aspire for not just national impact but to showcase our Sabah Youth Boleh spirit on a global scale.”

“Our goal is to create Malaysia’s first youth-led sustainability hub revolving around bamboo plantation on our 79 acres of native lands where visitors can not only experience what sustainable living lifestyle looks like through our homestay programs but they can also be part of the creation process by joining our volunteering programs and workshops to build bamboo crafts and buildings with the local communities. Basically we are providing ecotourism experiences but with a good cause to raise awareness on sustainability through our volunteering and conservation activities in Sabah,” he added.

Sime Darby Plantation Berhad will be providing technical support to assist Ecoverse with its bamboo plantation program to create a bamboo forest carbon sink while also providing sustainable plantation training to the local communities in Labuan and Sabah through Ecoverse. As a leader in plantation sustainability and the world’s largest producer of certified sustainable palm oil, Sime Darby Plantation Berhad’s collaboration with Ecoverse aligns well with the company’s sustainability aspirations and the belief that businesses must not only operate in a sustainable manner, but also contribute towards a better world for the future generation.

“We believe that this initiative has the potential to create a long lasting impact to the environment and local communities through youth skills enrichment, income creation and sustainable use of lands. Sime Darby Plantation is looking forward to work together with Ecoverse in driving positive messages on sustainability and environmental conservation to the general public,” said Dr. Simon Lord.

For more information, please visit www.ecoverse.my