A Clean Batik Initiative (CBI) has been launched in Terengganu and Kelantan to educate 100 batik small and medium enterprises over a three-year period. Under the Initiative, the SMEs would be trained in efficient production methods and in environment-friendly waste-disposal practices by adopting a hands-on approach.
The CBI will inculcate best practice production methods through the help of local technical experts and trainers, according to Malaysian Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas.
The Minister said that there is a need to upgrade the present unsustainable management and production practices of small and medium batik producing enterprises to make them more efficient and sustainable.
The less efficient production methods adopted by these SMEs result in large quantities of waste and usage of resources and energy which can be minimized, the Minister added.
Mr. Uggah further said, “batik manufacturing in Malaysia is a SME activity, as 90 percent of such companies are SMEs.” The growing numbers of small but polluting batik SMEs are offsetting the gains made by the efficiency and best practices adopted by large enterprises, he added.
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