KUALA LUMPUR, 11 September 2026 – Daikin Malaysia Sales & Service Sdn. Bhd. (“Daikin Malaysia”) is reinforcing its commitment to building a more sustainable future through a series of strategic partnerships and sustainability initiatives unveiled at International Sustainability Week (ISW) 2026, located at Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Kuala Lumpur.
Held in conjunction with World Green Building Week 2026, ISW 2026 brings together industry leaders, policymakers and sustainability stakeholders under the theme “From Certification to Transformation: Building a Net Zero Future Together.” The platform highlights the importance of translating sustainability standards and certifications into meaningful action that can transform how buildings and cities are planned, built and operated.
Aligned with this vision, Daikin Malaysia hosted its “Daikin Strategy Partnership & Certification Ceremony” on 11 September under the theme “Beyond Cooling: Daikin Sustainable Cooling Lifestyle”, bringing together key industry and academic partners to strengthen collaboration towards a more sustainable built environment.
The ceremony featured three key milestones: the signing of a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) between Daikin Malaysia and GreenRE, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Daikin Malaysia, GreenRE and Sunway University, and the presentation of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) Sustainable Refrigerant & Resources Recovery Certification.
Strengthening collaboration for greener buildings
The strategic collaboration between Daikin Malaysia and GreenRE marks an important step towards encouraging greater adoption of sustainable practices within Malaysia’s built environment.
Through the partnership, both organisations will explore opportunities to promote sustainable cooling solutions and support building stakeholders in incorporating energy efficiency and environmental considerations throughout the building lifecycle.
As cooling systems play an important role in the energy performance of buildings, Daikin Malaysia believes that the transition towards greener buildings requires a holistic approach that goes beyond equipment efficiency alone.
“At Daikin, our philosophy ‘Beyond Cooling’ means taking full accountability for the lifecycle impact of our solutions. But true decarbonization across Malaysia’s built environment cannot be achieved by any single company alone. It requires strong alignment between industry innovators and sustainability standard-setters. Today’s Memorandum of Collaboration with GreenRE establishes that exact bridge. Through this partnership, DMSS is actively encouraging building owners and developers to adopt GreenRE standards, while opening opportunities for joint pilot initiatives using our latest high-efficiency HVAC technologies.” said Managing Director of Daikin Malaysia, Mr Lawrence Song.
Bridging industry, education and innovation
Further strengthening this sustainability ecosystem, Daikin Malaysia, GreenRE and Sunway University formalised their collaboration through an MoU aimed at fostering greater knowledge exchange, industry-academia collaboration and sustainability-related initiatives.
The partnership provides opportunities to bridge practical industry expertise with academic knowledge, encouraging the development of future-ready talent and innovative approaches to sustainability within Malaysia’s built environment.
Through collaboration across industry and academia, the partners aim to support greater awareness, knowledge development and practical implementation of sustainable solutions among the next generation of professionals.
Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Sibrandes Poppema highlighted Sunway University’s commitment to advancing net-zero development through industry collaboration and innovation: “Sunway University is partnering with the corporate sector to construct the region’s first net-zero carbon building; through passive cooling technology and material innovation, the project aims to offset the embodied carbon from construction within 18 years, thereby achieving the goal of a zero-emission campus by 2030.”
Advancing responsible refrigerant and resource management
Another key highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of the MIDA Sustainable Refrigerant & Resources Recovery Certification, reinforcing Daikin Malaysia’s efforts towards more responsible refrigerant management and resource recovery.
The initiative reflects the importance of managing refrigerants throughout their lifecycle, particularly as Malaysia continues to advance its environmental and sustainability agenda.
Through responsible refrigerant recovery and resource management, Daikin Malaysia aims to contribute towards reducing environmental impact while promoting more sustainable practices within the air-conditioning industry.
This complements Daikin’s broader approach to sustainability, which considers not only the energy efficiency of its products during operation, but also the environmental impact associated with their lifecycle.
Mr Yusri Hasnan Chu Abu Bakar, Executive Director of MIDA, delivering remarks on behalf of Datuk Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim Sikh Abdul Majid, Chief Executive Officer of MIDA, said: “MIDA sees strong potential for industry-led efforts such as Daikin Malaysia’s sustainable refrigerant recovery and equipment retrofitting initiatives to contribute to Malaysia’s energy transition. Our experience with the MIDA Sentral Headquarters retrofit reinforces the value of working closely with industry to turn sustainability objectives into practical action. The initiative represents a reduction in emissions equivalent to the carbon absorption of 88,858 rain trees, highlighting the tangible environmental benefits that can be achieved through responsible asset management. Such collaboration supports the broader aspirations of the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030) and National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), while encouraging more responsible approaches to energy efficiency, resource management and asset lifecycle practices.”
Beyond cooling towards a sustainable lifestyle
Daikin Malaysia’s participation at ISW 2026 reflects its ongoing commitment to supporting Malaysia’s transition towards a low-carbon and more sustainable built environment.
From energy-efficient cooling technologies and sustainable building solutions to refrigerant recovery, resource management and industry collaboration, Daikin Malaysia continues to explore ways to contribute beyond its core role as a cooling solutions provider.
A notable example of Daikin’s sustainability commitment is its collaboration with MIDA Sentral to transform the building’s ageing HVAC system through a data-driven approach. Initiated in 2021, the pilot combined Daikin’s Remote Monitoring System (RMS) with VRV Health Check to diagnose system conditions, optimise performance and verify improvements, achieving a significant 27% efficiency improvement. This provided the foundation for the full VRV replacement programme carried out from July 2025 to August 2026.
Going beyond equipment replacement, the project also integrated responsible refrigerant management, successfully recovering 1,021.359 kilograms of R410A, equivalent to approximately 2,132.6 tonnes of CO₂e based on the project’s assessment. The initiative demonstrates Daikin’s holistic approach to sustainability by combining energy efficiency, digital monitoring, refrigerant recovery and responsible asset lifecycle management.
As Malaysia progresses towards its sustainability and decarbonisation goals, Daikin Malaysia remains committed to working alongside its partners to create healthier, more energy-efficient and environmentally responsible spaces, contributing to a sustainable future for generations to come.
