MUNICH, March 9 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is taking the right step by encouraging the development of green industries to ensure sustainable development, conserving the environment for future generations and building industries of the future, said Volker U. Friedrich, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Malaysia-Europe Forum (MEF). The founder director of C3IT Software Solutions GmbH said Malaysia "is unique among Asian countries."

"It is always ahead. It has recognised only too clearly that its competitiveness in the world can be secured through deployment of green technology. The country has a wealth of abundant resources to get there - the land mass, the biodiversity, the rainforests, water power, natural gas and biomass - and the commitment of its leadership," he added.

Friedrich said he agreed with Datuk Seri Peter Chin, the Malaysian Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, that what Malaysia needed now were partners and green experts to take its Green Agenda forward.

Chin had led a delegation to speak at the Malaysia-Europe Forum's Spring Dialogue here last week.

"We in Munich are excited to hear of the government’s push towards sustainability and the identification of green technology as a key driver of future economic growth in Malaysia," Friedrich said.

Munich-based Monika Balga, a marketing professional, said she was delighted to know of a Malaysian fund providing soft loans to companies that supplied and used green technology as it would be a catalyst for more active participation by the private sector in the application of green technology.

Germany is Malaysia’s largest trading partner among the 27 European Union (EU) countries, its second largest export destination and largest source of imports.

The Germans are also the third largest investors in Malaysia and over 300 German companies have offices in Malaysia.

In 2009, Malaysia’s total trade with Germany was valued at US$9.45 billion. In the global context, Germany is Malaysia’s ninth largest trading partner.

The Spring Dialogue also showcased Malaysian companies such as Top Glove, the world’s leading manufacturer of rubber gloves, which exports more than 35 per cent of its products to Europe.

The company, which exports 33 billion gloves per annum, deploys green technology in the development and application of its products, equipment and systems.

Danny Ong, Vice-President of Top Glove, said the company not only produced sustainable products but also conserved the natural environment to reduce the negative impact of its production on human activities over the full commercial cycle from the extraction of raw materials to final disposition.

"In short, rubber gloves are bio-degradable and environment-friendly products, using raw materials or natural resources that are sustainable and replenishable over time," he said.

"Green is clean," said Dieter Klein, CEO of P21, which focuses on power for the 21st century.

He noted that German investments into Malaysia were concentrated mainly in the electrical and electronics industries, chemical and chemical products and machinery and equipment sectors.

He hoped to facilitate more collaborative opportunities in the green sector with Malaysia, having now understood better the government's green policies.

Chin said he had admired Germany as a world leader in green technology as Germans had demonstrated a high level of green consciousness in their culture, products and services.

He spoke of the progress of the photovoltaic industry as an example of a green technology industry that had flourished in Malaysia. To date, Malaysia has secured approximately three billion euros in foreign direct investment from companies such as First Solar, Sun Power, Tokuyama and Q-Cells AG.

"The success of the photovoltaic industry demonstrates the feasibility of investing in Malaysia. I call on German industrialists to take time to learn about our green policies and to await the launch of our 10th Malaysia Plan to get a better feel of the commitment of our country to a greener future which we can all share." said Chin.

Other eminent speakers at the Spring Dialogue were Tun Musa Hitam, chairman of Sime Darby Group, Tan Sri Jamilus Hussein, chairman of the Construction Industry Development Board of Malaysia and Datuk Jalilah Baba, Director-General of MIDA.

-- BERNAMA