The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre), Malaysia’s premier purpose-built venue, is proud to announce the establishment of its ‘Sustainable September’ initiative. To kick-off ‘Sustainable September’, the Centre hosted the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Business Events Alliance (KLCCBEA) and Urbanice Malaysia Symposium, which was held to initiate the development of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) precinct as an SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) hub.
In addition to the symposium, the Centre hosted a keynote presentation and workshop by Guy Bigwood, a global expert, consultant, teacher and speaker on regenerative tourism and business events, who shared his experience and knowledge on ways to make the KLCC precinct a more regenerative, flourishing and sustainable place to visit, meet and stay.
Elaborating on ‘Sustainable September’, the Centre’s Deputy General Manager, John Burke, shared, “We are delighted to unveil this initiative, which we plan to replicate annually every September, to add momentum and drive our sustainable operations and initiatives in line with the United Nations SDGs and our net zero-carbon pledge. We are committed to supporting the long-term sustainability of the Malaysian business events industry, the environment, society and communities at large. By initiating this ongoing engagement with our stakeholders and partners to create a sustainable venue, precinct and supply chain, we aim to lead by example and inspire other local industry players to follow suit.”
He continued, “Through the collective effort by our KLCCBEA partners, we aim to establish the first SDG precinct in Malaysia, supporting the Malaysian Government’s SDGs and providing a blueprint which can be utilised to develop other sustainability hubs throughout the country. We are sure that our initiatives will help us to deliver environmentally-responsible events and provide the opportunity for clients and delegates to create long lasting positive impacts for Malaysia, whilst also attracting more international meetings to our shores now and in the future.”
As part of ‘Sustainable September’, the Centre also teamed up with the co-producers of Teater Muzikal Upin & Ipin – Pin Pin Pom! – Les’ Copaque Productions Sdn Bhd and Star Fortress Sdn Bhd – to invite underprivileged children from Living Hope to enjoy the opening show of the musical. This activity, under the Centre’s ‘Care & Giving’ pillar of its SDGs Legacy Programme, is part of the venue’s contribution to the community in which it operates.
Earlier in the year, the Centre signed the first public-private sector SDGs Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Urbanice Malaysia, to contribute towards the SDGs of the nation and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) efforts to create a sustainable city. The Centre has also undertaken a variety of activities to boost awareness and develop a supportive environment for its sustainability journey amongst internal and external stakeholders.
The Centre has implemented various technologies and solutions to help create a sustainable venue and KLCC precinct. Some recent examples include, the Winnow food waste solution, an AI-enabled food waste tracking system to help run a more productive, profitable and sustainable kitchen; smart recycling machines to positively reinforce responsible actions through points-system in the venue; gravity-reliant rain-water harvesting system; and a hydroponic farm on its rooftop to reduce carbon footprint and provide healthy food to event delegates and guests.
The Centre has many more sustainability projects in the pipeline, which the venue’s SDG Taskforce is looking to implement. Some of the initiatives include a rooftop beehive project and complementary rooftop wild flower garden to provide an ecosystem for the bees, and a food composter to convert food waste into nutrients for the 50-acre KLCC Park. The team is also looking to increase the collaboration between KLCCBEA partners to drive a collective SDG agenda for the KLCC precinct.
For the latest news and highlights at the Centre, visit the Centre’s Newsroom at www.klccconventioncentre.com.