3rd Place, Ecobiz Challenge Season 4 – A big win for Albukhary International University focusing on social business
Alor Setar, 3 Jun 2022 – In the recent Ecobiz Challenge Season 4 organized by Alliance Bank Malaysia Berhad (“Alliance Bank” or the “Bank”), in collaboration with the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Centre (“MGTC”) have reached out to over 3,600 university students in seven states, garnering close to 500 submissions in the competition. 34 teams were shortlisted for Round 1, followed by 17 teams shortlisted for Round 2 surviving until the final 11 teams. 5 AIU teams gave a big boost in promoting Social Business by winning 3rd Place and 4 consolation prizes. This is a big achievement as social business is a niche area for AIU. At AIU, students are exposed to holistic educational approach through combined academic and social engagement programme which is carried out throughout the study period. The theme “Inspiring Malaysia to be a Zero-Waste Nation” is aligned with the Zero Net Carbon Emission Cluster of Social Business Design Lab at AIU.
This year’s EcoBiz Challenge Season 4 has integrated with MGTC’s 20-week comprehensive learning programme, Jana Graduan Usahawan Hijau (“JaGUH”). Students received guidance and mentoring from industry leaders and sustainability mentors in social business model development, green technology and innovation, digital social commerce and mindset and soft personal skills. This has inculcated fresh ideas and holistic solutions to address environmental, economic and social issues in inclusive manner, while creating real impact by approaching the issue from an overall ecosystem. Additionally, it aims to spur students to develop sustainable social enterprises. This will inevitably shift the mindset of students from being job seekers to job creators.
Towards the end of the competition, the finalists had the opportunity to pitch their projects to the judges involving industry players. The winning team, Genesys from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia walked away with RM10,000 cash. The second-place winner, Team Re-Fab was a combination of Universiti Teknologi Mara and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia students took home RM5,000 and the remaining teams won consolation prizes of RM1,500 each team. All 11 winning teams will undergo a six-month performance monitoring programme on growing sales, improving customer engagement, and other crucial business topics post-Challenge.
The 3rd place winner from AIU, Therapy Lab tackles the glass waste issue by reusing glass jars to store scented candles for sale. In addition, they also inculcate the recycling habit by neutralizing cooking oil to be processed into those scented candles. They have successfully combined food waste and and glass waste management in the process to produce a saleable product. Their unique approach of converting used cooking oil that always ends up polluting the environment to become beautiful scented candles is admirable. The scented candles with the brand name LeoLeo Candela came in various beautiful creative designs with calming aroma therapy scents.
The other 4 consolation prize winners from AIU targeted different waste categories. Alive Shop aimed to reduce fabric waste materials by selling them to the public. The proceeds are used to by provide laptops and computers to improve digital literacy for rural school children in Baling and Sik, Kedah. Reverie Lab targets reducing paper waste to produce coasters. Sakaeinsis produces reusable cloth diapers in collaboration with the single mother community. Other than production, they create a platform to educate society to be more aware of the environmental problems and encourage buying eco-friendly reusable cloth diapers. Greenfit implements 2 strategies of Repair and Reuse. They produce an app to facilitate repairing of electronic devices to reduce e-waste.
All of the green social businesses have created significant impact in the mindset, attitude and lifestyle of the participants encouraging environmental-friendly habits.
