Sustainability - the name of the game

WHAT started in 1984 as a family business began to take on a life of its own, necessitating a change of name in 1989 from Syarikat Perusahaan Berjaya to Berjayapak Sdn Bhd.

The company has made it a point to function in ways that are sustainable to the environment, and ethical to human labour. In an industry like wood-based manufacturing, known for its negative impact to the ecosystem, Berjayapak has introduced unique methods that champion a cleaner Earth.

It does this by sourcing wood for its products from reliably managed forests, and forests certified under the Forest Stewardship council. It started the Pallet Recycling Program to give customers the opportunity to dispose of their pallets responsibly.

The disposed pallets are repaired and repurposed. The repairs usually involve replacing a singular component, or dismantling the pallets in their entirety and salvaging usable components. This initiative has helped the company reduce approximately 6,700 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which is equivalent to removing 23,000 cars from highways. Other notable Earth stewardship initiatives include supporting forest regeneration through its affiliation with international organisations, and using wood waste in its boilers to generate electricity for the pallet heat treatment process.

The founders of Berjayapak believe that it was the entity's genesis as a family business which has made it a people-centric organisation, and growing from strength to strength has not diminished the company's care for its staff and personnel.

The corporation relies heavily on human resources in its operations. From treating wood, cutting trees and collecting old pallets, most of the work done still depends heavily on manpower and human labour. In 2017, Berjayapak re-evaluated its work benefits and wages to employees. It restructured wages parallel to competitive market rates, and refined work benefits for the staff members. That same year also saw the corporation identifying t operational gaps hindering the efficiency of its business practices under the supervision of the Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB).

Berjayapak believes in investing in its people, namely the younger generation, who are emerging leaders. Initiatives carried out by the wood-based packaging giant include sponsoring local schools so as to inspire students in their academic journeys, and equipping special education classrooms for local children. ACES Awards' lead juror, Jayanthi Desan noted that Berjayapak has 80 per cent of multinational corporations in northern Malaysia as their customers.

"With that comes the responsibility of manufacturing a product of the most superior quality - something Berjayapak has done by updating its quality management system to the latest ISO 9001:2015 standard.

"The CEO and management team also actively participate in international conferences in the USA and Europe to further enhance their knowledge, keep up with global trends, and network. Part of their mission is to ensure sustainability at all levels, such as working with reputable and legitimate timber suppliers, meeting clean air regulations and implementing environment-friendly waste management at the factory."

The organisation was the only Asian company invited to speak at the Global Wood Packaging Forum, where a small group of leaders from around the world came together to dialogue about the development of common positions, and issues of mutual interest; sharing global policies for the wooden packaging and container industries; and coordinating action and distributing information through its member associations.

The wood-based packaging firm's awards have only motivated growth, leading to its expansion into Vietnam in 2019, where the factory is located in Bau Bang Industrial Park in Ho Chi Minh. This expansion granted it a 23 per cent increase in overall business revenue, largely driven by sales in Vietnam.