Roche Started Green Path
On 11 August 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Roche launched Green Path, an internal initiative introducing its sustainability direction to employees. We were grateful for the invitation to take part in the launch, hosting an educational showcase of our ESG Collection — including our Waste2Gear line, made from recycled ocean-bound plastic, alongside sustainable drinkware and tech accessories. We were later recognised with a Certificate of Thanks from Roche Services & Solutions APAC for "active participation, educational showcase, and invaluable contribution toward environmental stewardship."
Being there also meant seeing what other participants brought to the launch, a reminder that sustainability efforts inside Malaysian companies take many different, practical forms rather than following one template. It left us with a fair question: how common is what Roche did across corporate Malaysia? Is the wider market genuinely moving, or is Roche the exception?
What the Numbers Actually Show
The honest answer is that there's real, measurable movement, though it's concentrated at the top. The number of Main Market public-listed companies achieving a Four-Star ESG rating grew 65.9% year-on-year to 146 by June 2026, while the average FTSE4Good ESG score for listed companies rose from 2.50 to 2.72 over the same period. The pool of companies being formally assessed is expanding too — The Edge Malaysia ESG Awards 2026 covered 1,003 public-listed companies, up from 956 the year before, as more of the smaller-cap ACE Market gets included.
Regulation is tightening as well: Main Market issuers below RM2 billion in market capitalisation must begin climate-first reporting for annual periods starting on or after 1 January 2026, and a carbon tax takes effect this year for high-emission sectors such as energy and steel.
Sources: The Edge Malaysia ESG Awards 2026 and BERNAMA, "Malaysia's ESG Commitment Advances".
Where the Gap Still Is
That progress is real, but it's concentrated at the public-listed, large-cap end of the market, where reporting is becoming mandatory rather than optional. Private companies and SMEs — which make up the large majority of businesses in Malaysia — face no equivalent regulatory push yet. What movement exists there is driven by banks, larger corporate partners, and NGOs offering financing and advisory support, not by a compliance deadline. In other words, much of the momentum visible today is coming from companies that have to report, not necessarily from a broader shift in how mid-sized and smaller companies operate day to day.
Where a Company Can Actually Start, Regardless of Size
This is part of why events like Roche's Green Path matter beyond their own walls: they're a visible example of what a company can do without waiting for a regulator to require it. Procurement decisions — including something as ordinary as what a company chooses for staff and client gifts — are one of the few levers available to any company, public-listed or not, immediately and without needing a sustainability department. It won't close the gap between large-cap PLCs and everyone else, but it's a real, available place to start.
If your company is thinking about where to begin on ESG-aligned procurement, without needing to overhaul your entire supply chain first, we're happy to talk through where corporate gifting fits into that.
