Promoting SCP in ASEAN countries
ECOTHON IN MALAYSIA 2021: Impact Startup and Idea Competition for Sustainable Consumption and Production
International mentors, coaches, judges and Malaysian competing teams in ECOTHON Malaysia 2021
HSF
ECOTHON (short for Eco-Entrepreneurs’ Marathon) co-organised by the ASEM SMEs Eco-Innovation Center (ASEIC) and Hanns Seidel Foundation Vietnam (HSF) since 2019 is a competition for promising sustainable business ideas in ASEAN countries. This year, following the success of the ECOTHON series in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Indonesia, the fourth competition was held for the first time in Malaysia with the supports from the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MEDAC) of Malaysia, and SME Bank (Bank Perusahaan Kecil & Sederhana Malaysia Berhad). Like the ECOTHON in other countries, ECOTHON Malaysia 2012 was organised virtually due to the pandemic, comprising 36 hours of intensive training and mentoring session and a final pitch to find out the winners who will join the “K-Startup Week Come up 2021”.
Team Sandy Ridge Farm during the Q&A session after pitching their business idea
HSF
Among many applicants, 12 project teams and early start-ups were selected to participate in the bootcamp and the final pitch of the ECOTHON 2021 in Malaysia. The competing teams brought to the competition many interesting ideas for running profitable businesses that incorporate all aspects of the sustainable development in several sectors. For instance, team Golden Tribe Movement presented their idea of providing unique staycation facilities which promotes sustainable tourism in rural areas by reducing transport costs, protecting landscape and preserving cultural heritage of local people. Another example is team Sandy Ridge Farm with the idea of developing a sustainable agriculture model which addresses all social and environmental issues. Other highlights include business models that promote sustainable urban aquaponic farming and organic food consumption, zero-waste agriculture models, recycling and upcycling models, and an affordable custom industrial automation system.
Dr Dato’ Mohammad Radhi bin Abdul Razakv – Deputy Secretary-General (Policy and Monitoring) of the MEDAC spoke at the event
HSF
Joining the competition as the representative of one of the local hosts of the ECOTHON Malaysia 2021 Dr Dato’ Mohammad Radhi bin Abdul Razakv – Deputy Secretary-General (Policy and Monitoring) of the MEDAC – expressed his appreciation for the organisation of such a competition in Malaysia as well as the enthusiasm and determination of all competing teams which are incredibly diverse in terms of age, gender, location, and educational background. Moreover, he also believed that the experiences of joining the ECOTHON Malaysia 2021 will be valuable for all competing teams throughout all stages of their sustainable business development and support them significantly in the pursuance of the ultimate goal of tackling current social and environmental issues.
First prize of the ECOTHON Malaysia 2021 went to team Materials in Works whose idea is to turn waste paper liner into raw materials for manufacturing labels and papers.
Materials in Works – First prize winner of ECOTHON Malaysia 2021
HSF
Their brilliant upcycling idea will not only help minimise the amount of waste paper liner ending up in landfill sites and contribute to the reduction in CO2-emissions, but also save many trees from being cutting down for the paper and label production. Meanwhile, with the idea of producing eco-friendly anti-slip footwear from recycled materials, the early start-up GEOMAX Rubber won second prize. In addition, third prize was awarded to team moopt.com with the idea of providing small manufacturers with a faster and cheaper custom industrial automation system.
The last competition of the ECOTHON 2021 series is scheduled from 26th to 29th October in the Philippines.