@ green | November-December , 2020

Investment is among the biggest challenges faced by organisations

Arivagara Pavithran Subramaniam

BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN

towards embracing an environment friendly management approach to workspaces and products due to concerns on the environment and climate change , as well as rising energy costs .

Arivagara Pavithran Subramaniam , Chair , Technical Committee of Asset and Facility Management of Department of Standards Malaysia , shared with @ green some insights on going green .

Adopting eco-friendly practices

Going green is usually related to energy efficiency , such as adopting renewable energy sources and using green technologies .

Now in the modern era , it has expanded into adopting environment friendly practices in various areas .

Environmentally friendly is about saving energy and about reducing the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere and also using more natural substances as compared to lab-produced chemicals .

“ Apart from the emphasis on energy efficiency , there is also emphasis on environmentally friendly practices within organisations . So , when we talk about environmentally friendly practices , it reflects on the management of the organisation and of their buildings , especially when it comes to green technologies .”

The common environmental practices usually focused on increasing water and energy efficiency and reducing waste and emissions . But it should also include procuring and using environmentally-responsible materials and efficient equipment , which have a longer lifespan and recycling value . It also provides healthy , conducive and cost-effective living and working environments .

Facility Management ( FM ), is an organisational function that integrates people , place and process within the built environment with the purpose of improving the quality of life of people and the productivity of the core business . It provides the essential definition and foundation for best management practices in an organisation that will enable the path towards adopting green technology and green practices .

ISO 41001:2018 , Facility Management – Management System Standard , which is the international standard for the FM system or discipline , provides a framework to develop , implement and maintain adequate practices within a Facilities Management organisation . This standard is suitable for application across different business sectors .

“ The ISO is a great tool for Facility Management in any organisation to enable it to reach its full potential by helping to mitigate risk and liability pertaining to building operations and the organisations involved .”

Arivagara is attached as an ISO / FM consultant with a leading organisation in Sarawak .

“ Here we are embedding the ISO 41001 facility management standard into the backbone of the management of the clients FM organisation . By embedding this standard into the management practice , we are able to transform the culture of the organisation and mindsets from traditional to modern .

“ We also require proactive mindsets . We help to mitigate all the existing risks between the facility management organisation , their responsibilities and the dependencies of various other organisations within our client ’ s parent organisation .

Opportunities & challenges in adapting green technologies

According to Arivagara , the most significant opportunity is that organisations will be able to demonstrate their support towards the United Nations – “ Sustainable Development Goals ” ( SDGs ) as well as the efforts in minimising negative impacts towards the environment as one ’ s CSR .

“ They can proudly say they are working within the guidelines and also the fundamentals provided by the United Nations ,” he said .

“ Investing in Green Technologies is one of the best ways to demonstrate an organisation ’ s initiatives to minimise environmental impacts on water , air , land and life . Such efforts also demonstrate the willingness by an organisation to contribute towards conserving the environment with good practices as promoted by the ISO14001 – Environmental Management System Standard .

The main challenge for any organisation driving such an initiative is capital investment , he said . Investing into green technology products doesn ’ t come cheap but the value derived from this investment is undeniably beneficial and something to be proud of . Green technology products go through an intensive research and development program by its developers . This could be one of the reasons why green technology products can be slightly expensive . But using a cost benefit analysis will definitely make sense of why it is worth investing into green technology products for any organisation .

Management of assets and facilities in Malaysia

When asked about the poor management of assets and facilities in Malaysia , Arivagara attributed it to three factors -- insufficient knowledge , lack of desire to learn and the wrong management approach .

“ When you do not have fundamental knowledge , you make assumptions , and when you act based on assumptions that ’ s when things can go wrong .

“ All the parties involved - whether government bodies , business owners , staff , contractors , and right down to the tea ladies , need to play a role in acquiring a certain standard of knowledge about their tasks and what their roles are , and how they can make the work environment or a building environment much more conducive .”

He added every organisation must adopt the culture of learning which enables the desire towards continuous improvement in their life and workplace .

“ When there is a desire to learn , people will start asking the right questions . Why are we not doing this ? Why are our buildings and assets deteriorating very quickly ? What can we do to improvise ? How can this lead to a better portrayal of the corporate image ?”

He stressed the way forward for change for any core business of any commercial or government sector is to encourage their FM and Property Management organisations to adopt ISO41001 as the foundation for better asset or facilities management .

“ We need to put the right people and system in place carefully if we wish to achieve the desired outcome in regards to their assets or Facilities Management . This applies to all levels from the government down to the people on the ground .” — @ green