KUALA LUMPUR: International Sustainability Week (ISW) 2026 has called for stronger collaboration across government, industry and other stakeholders to accelerate Malaysia’s transition towards a more sustainable and net-zero built environment.

Held recently in conjunction with World Green Building Week 2026, ISW 2026 is organised by Qube Integrated Malaysia Sdn Bhd and co-organised by GreenRE Sdn Bhd. Themed From Certification to Transformation, Building a Net Zero Future Together, the two-day platform brought together the 6th International Green Build Conference (IGBC) 2026 and the inaugural GreenScape: International Green Innovation Exhibition, pairing policy dialogue and industry collaboration with the exchange of practical solutions for the built environment.

“It is no longer enough for cities to just do less harm. They must become climate-resilient and actively give back to the environment. The transformation of our built environment will not happen through a single policy or project. It will happen through thousands of decisions made daily by architects, engineers, planners, developers, financiers, policymakers and communities,” said Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup. 

“A credible certification is increasingly a financial instrument. By translating environmental performance into credible, verifiable evidence, it can strengthen access to green and preferential financing, reduce operating costs, improve asset performance and ultimately enhance long-term asset value. GreenRE is aligned to ASEAN and Bank Negara’s taxonomies for sustainable finance. That is where certification becomes transformation, not simply recognising a green building but making sustainability measurable, investable and valuable,” added GreenRE Sdn Bhd chairman and ISW 2026 co-chair Datuk Seri FD Iskandar.

“Our core belief is that partnership is what turns a gathering into real impact. It takes government, industry and community stakeholders working side by side - and that is exactly what International Sustainability Week is built on. We designed ISW 2026 because the built environment sits at the centre of Malaysia’s net-zero journey. Buildings and cities account for a significant share of our emissions and that means real transformation has to happen here,” said Qube Integrated Malaysia managing director Jessie Tan.

Day 1 of IGBC 2026 featured 12 local and international speakers across six sessions, examining the challenges and opportunities shaping the next stage of the built environment transition.

The event also saw REHDA Malaysia signing two MoUs with the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation and the Malaysia Carbon Market Association, furthering commitments to sustainability and carbon management.

Present at the ceremony were Rehda Malaysia deputy president Datuk Edward Chong Sin Kiat and Rehda KL chairperson Datuk David Lim Boon Huat.

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