--Its Founding Chairman tells the Story of their Journey in ESG

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 (Bernama) -- Another feather has been added recently to Thumbprints Utd Sdn Bhd, when they bagged the prestigious ESG World Summit and Grit Award for Most Promising Transition under the Special Awards category in July this year.

Receiving the award at the ESG World Summit in Singapore last month with grace and gratitude, Thumbprints’ founding chairman, Tam Wah Fiong said that the company had adopted the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as far back as 2002/3.

This was when a publishing right licensee of The Walt Disney Company approached them about printing a children’s magazine. “Before one could join Disney’s supply chain, the company had to be audited first,” he said. “Their audit is strict but comprehensive, covering many aspects including welfare of employees and their working hours, rest days, safety and health.”

It took them almost nine months to comply with all the additional requirements. “We found that most of the requirements were already met, since we have always sought our best, without compromising or resorting to bribery, to comply with the laws of the land,” he said.

“Malaysia has very good laws governing the manufacturing industry. And, because we uphold honesty and integrity, we follow very strictly to the laws of the land. When we seek to comply with all these laws, we find that we are able to meet all the requirements for CSR, which is basically social compliance, safety and health, business ethics and governance.” 

Tam recounted how, because of their Zero Corruption policy, they were forced to comply with the local laws. “There is no shortcut, and if we are issued a summons, we pay the summons, but most importantly, we seek to rectify the shortcomings,” he said.

In 2018, when ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) was introduced in America and Europe, the company also sought to comply with its very stringent requirements. “The requirements set in the ESG make a lot of sense,” he said. “For example, emergency exits have to open outside, because in the event of an emergency, the most natural thing for one to do is to push the door outward. Although it costs money, we were happy to comply because it meant our safety.”

Later, the company was audited for ethical trading initiative by SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange), one of the world’s leading ethical trade membership organisations, working with businesses to improve working conditions in global supply chains.

“SEDEX is also very strict in its methodology, which is based on the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code. They use their audit standards known as SMETA, and we have to comply with SEDEX’s four pillars, namely Labour, Health and Safety, Environment, and Business Ethics before we pass their audit.”

SMETA subscribes to four core principles, namely SMETA Best Practice Guidance, SMETA Measurement Criteria, SMETA Audit Report and SMETA Corrective Action Plan Report (CAPR).

The company is certified compliant by SEDEX in 2008. “Most of our international clients these days look for the SEDEX certification,” Tam said.

The award from ESG World Summit and Grit, therefore, did not come as a surprise. “After winning numerous awards, we have not been actively participating in competitions for the past few years, but recently, we decided to enter this global competition just to gauge where we are,” he said, attributing the success of the company to its more than 300 employees, working hard at ensuring that they comply with local and international regulations.

Company Background

Established in 2002, Thumbprints Utd Sdn Bhd is a premier printer in Malaysia that is built on the principle of ‘Honesty & Integrity.’ Standing out as a class of its own, Thumbprints has long established a clientele of well-known international and multinational corporations in Malaysia, Singapore, Europe, Australia and the United States. Its core businesses cover a wide scope, from printing of books for international publishers, trade and promotion materials to labels and cardboard packaging.   

As a printer par excellence, Thumbprints Utd Sdn Bhd is certified in ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Management System, ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management and ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management. It is audited and approved by U.K-based SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) Four Pillars, Nestle, Disney, U.S retailers such as Costco and Target, U.S toymaker Hasbro and the international Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

With its headquarters and printing plant occupying a total built-up area of 105 thousand square feet, on its plot of land of 4 acres at Rawang Perdana Industrial Estate, this offers a great opportunity for further expansion. Check out the website: www.thumbprints.com.my

Issued on behalf of Thumbprints Utd Sdn Bhd

Source: Thumbprints Utd Sdn Bhd

FOR MORE INFORMATION,PLEASE CONTACT:
Thumbprints Utd Sdn Bhd
Tel: +603-6092 9809 
Fax: +603-6092 6976
Email: twf@thumbprints.com.my

--BERNAMA