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Izah Azahari
Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam launched yesterday the Sustainable Nation campaign through its SME360 Series campaign. This whole-of-nation initiative aims to encourage small but effective actions to combat climate change and move towards a circular economy, specifically for small businesses.
The Community for Brunei organized the initiative. It runs from February through July. The campaign is the first of its kind – a multi-level, multi-agency campaign bringing together various partners across various sectors including government agencies, such as the Brunei Darussalam National Council on Climate Change and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS), non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as the ASEAN Youth Advocacy Network, BruWILD, Borneo Futures and MySDG’s, and entrepreneurs such as Thryffy.
BIBD’s Head of Corporate Digital and Business Development from the Corporate Banking Group Haji Shamri bin Haji Mahali said, “The Sustainable Nation campaign part of our business follows through on one of our three pillars of our BIBD Sustainability Framework – Responsible Entrepreneurship.
“The topic of sustainability may be new to a lot of us and we hope the education and awareness we bring through the series of events under Sustainable Nation will help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) understand how we can help to create a more circular economy. There is no doubt that SMEs have the potential to become the foundations of the domestic and global sustainability agenda.”
He added, “We have one Earth and resources are finite. Whatever our business or role in society, we need to remember that we need to leave a better life and a livable Earth for our future generations.”
The Eco-Chat Series is the heart of the Sustainable Nation campaign. It is run in partnership by AYAN Brunei and is intended to be a catalyst and educate the public through a conversation with industry experts and other stakeholders.
The series will cover topics such as climate change, sustainable development goals and plastic pollution. The series will be available to the public and live streamed for the wider community. Speakers include BIBD and the Brunei Climate Change Secretariat.
Community for Brunei will also be partnering with the MCYS in activities related to International Women’s Day under the Sustainable Nation campaign.
Acting Director of Social Services at MCYS Hajah Noraidah binti Haji Abdul Hamid said, “This year marks the ninth year of International Women’s Day celebration in Brunei Darussalam, where we join the global campaign to raise awareness on issues relating to women and welfare issues as a whole. The MCYS will be involved in the Eco-Chat Series, whereby the topic ‘Female Champions of Sustainability’ is in line with the theme of International Women’s Day – ‘Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Future’.”
Hajah Noraidah expressed gratitude and stated that the MCYS is looking forward to its implementation, which will bring about a lasting and sustained change in the lives and livelihoods of women in the Sultanate.
There will be a Produce Paper Bags Initiative, which aims to combat plastic pollution. A youth-led Sustainable Fashion Entrepreneurship platform, tree-planting initiatives towards net zero by 2020, a Sustainable Schools initiative, an Eco-Cinema Festival, and a Sustainable Fashion Entrepreneurship Platform.
Vendors using the Community for Brunei virtual platform can also work together to reach sustainability goals by pledging one percent of their sales during campaign period to help fund the planting of trees. An impact model will be published on the Community for Brunei website to show the contributions made by the MSMEs towards reducing Brunei’s carbon footprint.
The public is invited and encouraged to support MSMEs vendors at Community for Brunei.
The Sustainable Nation campaign is part of BIBD’s SME360 Series, and aims to foster the development of a wider community of eco-allies in the effort to move the Sultanate towards a circular economy.
