UMPSA recognised globally in ESG

PEKAN, 6 December 2023 - Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) was recognised by the world when it was ranked among the 565 best in the world and 133 best in Asia in the QS Sustainability Ranking 2024 which assesses universities based on actions taken on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues.

This rating is based on three main assessment scopes, namely Environmental Impact 45%, Social Impact 45% and Governance 10% involving 1,403 universities listed worldwide.

According to the UMPSA Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Ts.  Dr. Yuserrie Zainuddin, the university continues to demonstrate its commitment in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and assess the university’s efforts in addressing ESG-related world problems.

“In order to achieve the Sustainable Campus Development Goals through the UMPSA 2021-2025 Strategic Plan for Key Performance Indicator 5C (2), UMPSA has succeeded in achieving the target of sustainable campus development progress set.

“In addition, UMPSA also applies technology and adopts a better lifestyle among university residents by reducing the carbon footprint which will provide innovative solutions to energy use.

“At the same time, UMPSA always strives to introduce sustainability technologies and practices to the community, educate and become a role model on the principles of sustainability,” he said.

Through this initiative, to encourage the use of low-carbon and smart energy-efficient vehicles, UMPSA has two electric buses and two electric vans with EV charging stations on campus.

In addition, UMPSA actively carries out initiatives on efforts to foster awareness of sustainable practices, including solar installation at the university involving three methods, namely installation on the roof of the building, installation on the parking lot or, in technical terms, Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) and solar installation on the surface of the lake.

“This 3.58 MWp solar installation will be able to reduce carbon dioxide production in the UMPSA Pekan Campus by 47% equivalent to saving on electricity bills of RM400,000 to RM600,000 per year,” he said.

This ranking also places UMPSA in the top position of MTUN, 12th best out of 26 universities in Malaysia.

He added that in the UI Greenmetric World University Rankings (UIGWUR) 2023 announced yesterday, UMPSA was ranked 68th in the world compared to 1,183 universities evaluated.

This UIGWUR rating also measures greenness and environmental sustainability initiatives initiated by the Universitas Indonesia in 2010 by evaluating 39 indicators in six criteria, namely Settings and Infrastructure 15%, Energy and Climate Change 21%, Waste 18%, Water 10%, Transportation 18% and Education and Research 18%.

This recognition is indirectly an important benchmark to attract more students not only in the country but also internationally to continue their studies at UMPSA.

He also expressed his appreciation to all university residents for their commitment to achieving sustainable practices through the various university programmes implemented.

By: Mimi Rabita Abdul Wahit, Centre for Corporate Communications
Translation by: Dr.  Rozaimi  Abu  Samah, Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering Technology