November 2023

The Malay Mail

Malaysia is set to launch its new Blueprint for Solid Waste on Nov 23, championing the principles of circular economy to curtail carbon emissions and enhance sustainability. Minister of Local Government Development (KPKT) Nga Kor Ming said with a commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, KPKT is currently spearheading initiatives to transform the nation’s solid waste management system.

Global New Light Of Myanmar

More than 76,594 tonnes of Myanmar’s rubber were exported to foreign countries in the past five months (April-Aug) of the current financial year 2023-2024, with an estimated value of US$94.48 million, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

The Malay Mail

The government has no plans to replace rubber with kenaf or bamboo, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. Fadillah, who is also the Plantation and Commodities Minister, said that, even though many rubber plantations have been replaced with palm oil, it is important for the production of rubber and scrap (cup lump rubber) to be maintained in this country.

BusinessWorld

Forest loss driven by rubber production in Southeast Asia could be two to three times higher than estimated, highlighting the challenges facing importers under pressure to find sustainable supplies, research showed on Wednesday. Increasing global rubber demand is adding to pressure on natural forests and driving biodiversity loss, with Southeast Asia, responsible for 90% of global production, bearing the brunt, an international team of researchers warned.

The Malay Mail

In a working-class neighbourhood of Myanmar’s Yangon, plastic waste is piled a metre high, the toxic product of what a recent investigation said is rampant dumping of Western trash. For several years sites across Shwepyithar township have been filling up with trash that chokes fields, blocks the drainage of monsoon rains and causes fire risks.

Bangkokpost.com

Thailand, renowned as the ‘Detroit of Asia’ for its production of internal combustion engine cars, wants to break into the top tier of electric vehicle (EV) makers as part of a goal to lure 1 trillion baht (US$28 billion) of foreign investments in four years.

The Malay Mail

China said on Friday it will require export permits for some graphite products to protect national security, in its latest move to control supplies of critical minerals in response to challenges over its global manufacturing dominance. China is the world’s top graphite producer and exporter. It also refines more than 90 per cent of the world’s graphite into the material that is used in virtually all EV battery anodes, which is the negatively charged portion of a battery.

NST Online Latest News

The increase in the activation pricing level for the Rubber Production Incentive (IPG) to RM3 per kilogramme (kg) announced in the 2024 Budget has brought relief to rubber tappers.