Berani dalam Benar – Synthesis beyond ESG. Dzulkifli Abdul Razak. August 1, 2026

A two-day inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Summit 2026 was successfully convened last week on the initiative of Malaysia Association of Public Advocacy for Nature (MAPAN).

 

Based on the theme: A Synthesis Beyond ESG it raised the critical question as to why ESG remains incomplete without peace and partnership as the common outcome in the local context where Sejahtera is added to the equation. Indeed, according to some sources, ESG has arrived at a crossroad. After being taken into mainstream a few years ago, it is now facing an uncertain future first exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and now more so with the crisis situation created by the West Asia conflict, even before the former has time to fully readjust.

The issue is clearly beyond environment, social, and most certainly governance which is now compounded several times over. It has been gradually reduced to a tick-box exercise to comply with what is expected by the relevant agencies, and governmental authorities, with the looming prospect of greenwashing and the like. Hence, turning “governance” into “greed” to improve rating over the short term instead of being more sustainable over the longer term. Sustainability is a journey towards the merging of the 5Ps (planet, people, prosperity, peace and partnership) into a fully balanced, harmonious ecosystem that delivers long-lasting well being globally. While planet and people are important, this is where ESG is deemed inadequate, if the other imperatives are not addressed at the same time.

   

In other words, the failure to connect to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) holistically is the gap that must be urgently filled to ensure that governance is not consumed by “greed,” intentionally or otherwise! Whereas, there is no more room for making outlandish long-term promises, especially in terms of the 5Ps, in transforming the Triple Bottom Line to a Quintuple one where the overall metrics and targets redefine the “new” ESG in a comprehensive way. The former was deemed to be inadequate. In fact, for the longest time, there were no metrics to satisfactorily indicate if ethical standards and values were violated, as in the case of the worst oil spill disaster in the petroleum industry’s history barely two decades ago.

 

In attempting to resolve this the context is vital, namely, it is not a one-size-fits-all devoid of cultural presence and practices. Meaning to say, it is not just about navigating the “present” towards an uncompromised “future” – as SD is defined by the Brundtland Report of 1987, it is also about the “past” where ethical values are deeply rooted as compass for the entire humanity to interconnect as a shared legacy in a meaningful way. In Malaysia, this is encapsulated in Sejahtera – a balanced and harmonious way of life – connecting humans with nature, with the Creator, with fellow humans, and with him/her inner self. Thus, extending the meaning and need for governance beyond the conventional macrocosmic imperatives to that of the intuitive microcosmic equivalent of human governance. This is regarded as the singular meeting point where ESG and UN’s SDGs (5Ps) coalesced in order to bring the need of humanity to the fore as the ultimate end, collectively. Their goals are aligned recognising, at once, that serving human society’s long-term needs transcend that of the company, organisations and institutions no matter where – reoriented towards the benefit of all stakeholders, inclusively. No longer limited to some shareholders as conventionally understood and delivered.

During the Summit, many ideas were presented and debated as outcomes of rigorous sessions involving a multidisciplinary team of committed participants (not necessarily “experts”) between the industry and the academe like never before. The ultimate goal is to deeply explore the future while embracing past traditions and practices without being sidelined by some vested interest (read “greenwashing”) infested with “greed.” This overall intention is to reorient ESG towards a human-centric endeavour in the midst of the Anthropocene era that is making ESG more irrelevant as humans continue to dismantle their civilisation given the state of affairs today. And putting 5Ps in jeopardy.  In this respect, MAPAN believes in a sustainability trajectory relying on a strong intersection of industry practices grounded in well-researched knowledge that is not only cost-effective but also current, localised, and relevant. We promote a Theory-to-Practice approach to ESG adoption, where carbon is treated as a currency (where reduced use of electricity, for instance, minimises carbon emissions to save production cost) so as to realise widespread carbon reduction and help address global warming. These are well documented in a special volume, entitled: MAPAN Sustainability Compass (MSC), launched during the Summit as guardrails to meet the desired targets including the bulk of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). As companies are run by people, regardless of the state of digitisation or automation, the MSC therefore narrates the important aspects of ethical, transparent, and honest conduct, chiefly at the individual and spiritual (soul) level needed to uphold the highest standards of ESG. Through model like SHARP (Strategic Approach, Holistic Perspective, Authenticated Reporting, Realistic Impacts, Purpose-Driven) aligned to the 5P frameworks (People, Planet, Prosperity, Process, and Product) and that of People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership, as per SDGs, a broader synthesis beyond the conventional ESG is achievable. Framed as a quick, practical ESG source of reference towards a human-centric approach, the next evolution of ESG (2.0) post-2030, is now ready to move from mere compliance and reporting towards the real-world implementations for solutions.