Curious About Sustainability? These Malaysian Activists & Lifestyle Brands Make It Easy

Exuding a gracious aura in her sharp power outfits, professional biologist Yasmin Rasyid looks right at home as a speaker and educator. But one wouldn’t immediately associate her as a keen environmentalist dedicated to sustainability science and sustainable community development, for over 20 years now. Yasmin’s respect for the environment began from a tender age, and in 2005, she founded EcoKnights, who lends her NGO leadership through community development initiatives and by helping stakeholders design, plan and implement their sustainability agendas.

Model, TV host, actress, you name it, Melissa Tan’s got it, but #ZeroWaste advocate remains her top role. A founding member of The Green Guerilla, Malaysia’s eco awareness platform on Instagram, Melissa Tan, better known as a former Asia’s Next Top Model contestant, is a spirited warrior of the sustainability cause via her blog and Instagram. From living with less plastic to vegan food recommendations as well as cruelty-free beauty products, Melissa has inspired her followers to take up the holistic lifestyle with practical advice and awareness.

Another obvious step into sustainability that every household can consider, be it in a landed home or high-rise condo, is a little urban farm. Poptani Asia had a vision to introduce a farm in every house, to encourage urban dwellers to produce their own vegetables and use their home garden as an educational tool. From soil-based gardens to aquaphonics, Poptani comes into the picture with different technology and innovation to suit every household needs, in a bid to eradicate food problems and excess waste.

Skincare is part of our everyday lives, but it also carries large traces of chemicals that go back into the land and ocean. The Mineraw alleviates that with consciously sourced raw ingredients made in small batches, and turned into natural skincare and products, complemented with recyclable packaging. The Mineraw is also vegan, cruelty-free and caters to all skin types with products like the honey glow scrub, essential-oil concentrate serum, and even a coffee scrub made possible with coffee grounds contributed by RAGE coffee.

Since 2008, the Kinder Soap Company has been churning out soaps using natural ingredients, providing solutions to those with sensitive skin conditions. The cold process soaps use whole, therapeutic grade essential oils to make luxurious bars that are free from artificial ingredients and preservatives. With sumptuous ingredients like goat’s milk and patchouli, dark chocolate and mint, tangy lavender, and double duty beauty balms, Kinder Soaps further affirms its efficacy with a 100% money back guarantee.

Cheap, fast fashion has instigated the throwaway culture, contributing to excess, unwanted clothing that already piles up from the production stages. In a bid to combat that, Muni apparel takes on an artisanal approach to apparel production, that are also made from botanical colours. This ethos is also reflected in its back-to-basics creations of minimalist, practical classics in the form of unisex t-shirts, bags and cushion covers. The carefully extracted pastel shades that imbue Muni’s wares are derived from tropical plants, and are available in stores like Kedai Bikin, Ilaika and The Hive.

The Little Clothing Shop is by no means little when it comes to matters at the heart, which is to ethically produce a zero waste clothing line. Designed and handmade in Kuala Lumpur, each article ranging from thoughtfully design adult clothing to dainty children’s pieces, custom orders too, is fashioned in a jigsaw puzzle cutting technique to ensure no textule goes to waste, whilst giving due credit and fair compensation to the producers and workers.

To help reduce the fashion world’s carbon footprint, Sayang puts a mindful spin in its production beginning from the process, sources, production, and right up till the packaging. The environmentally and socially conscious label collaborates with local tailors and traders to use natural fibres in their elegant garments. At first glance, one wouldn’t think that the pieces evoking a classy-meets-boho chic is constructed with the utmost of ethics, reinstating that sustainable fashion can make a trendy statement too.

A brainwave initiative by Malaysian social enterprise Biji Biji Initiative, Biji Biji Ethical Fashion is driven by the agenda for sustainability, specifically to give life to unwanted materials from a range of manufacturing industries. The byproducts are aesthetically attractive bags made from seat belts and vintage kimonos sourced from Japanese textile manufacturers. To top it off, the brand treats its workers and producers with fairness and respect, following a policy of which embraces no child labour, fair wages and a safe working environment.

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