Beverage manufacturer Etika Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) has launched a “It’s Time for Our River” campaign to strengthen sustainability commitment to a cleaner river in conjunction with 2022 World Environment Day.
The campaign focuses on promoting river water quality treatment through an engaging exhibition with a biological approach, while educating community members on the importance of sustaining water resources.
Etika is working closely with UKM’s Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) by doing their first river clean-up programme, supported by 300 participants, that was held recently at Sungai Langat Recreation Park, Bangi.
“Over the years we witnessed a degradation in water quality due to heavy pollution caused by irresponsible individuals and this has caused growing concerns to our environment, especially how we are treating our rivers.
“Each of us has some level of accountability for its current state. However, not everyone is aware of where or how to begin when it comes to caring for the environment. Because of this, the faculty members of FST have been very involved to share with us their knowledge and expertise on how we can accomplish this,” said Santharuban Thurai Sundaram, CEO of Etika Group of Companies (Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei).
Santharuban said the large turnout of over 300 participants in the first river clean-up program proved that there are individuals who still care for the environment.
“In light of this, we are confident that we can continue efforts as such to have our rivers being cared for, and future generations can enjoy the fruits of our labour,” he added
The campaign participants also prepared a few exhibitions to educate the community on how to preserve and assess the river’s health through various activities to promote some of the services that can be done for biodiversity conservation and nature-based solutions, such as water sampling demo and water quality analysis by Water Analysis and Research Centre (ALIR), and AQUASense drone demonstration.
The programme became a colourful spectacle as participants painted the staircase with motivational slogans to serve as a gentle reminder for others to keep the river clean for future visitors to the river area.
The “It’s Time for Our River” campaign is also a part of Etika’s efforts in contributing to preserve and prolong the planet’s resources. Other sustainability initiatives include solar panel installation, purchase of green Energy from the grid, repurposing plant waste to fertiliser in reducing landfill and other endeavours that will reduce carbon emission and conserve water.
“Etika has always been in the business of ensuring that our sustainability practices and initiatives align with our mission to become a greener corporation for our consumers, communities and environment.
“Efforts such as this will not only lead the organization to become sustainable but will also respond to pressing environmental and societal challenges which being one of the leading brands in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, we want to drive impact on a larger scale,” said Santharuban.
