Category: Press Releases & Media

With Malaysians facing the brunt of lockdown by spending more and more time on our screens, it’s easy not to realise that even something as simple as surfing the web for hours can greatly increase the amount of carbon emissions generated by the energy consumption of data centres.

And with overuse, it also quickly invites wear and tear on devices, leaving those unaware of greener solutions to simply dump their once technological marvels – behind a massive carbon footprint while contributing to waste.

As Malaysia’s leading Green IT Infrastructure Services provider in Malaysia, we at Rentwise look to provide locals with a two-hit solution to not only neutralise their carbon emissions, but to also help the environment heal from the destruction wrought upon them. To achieve this, we look to decarbonisation and reforestation – keep on reading to find out how this works.

Simply put, the term “decarbonisation” literally means the reduction of carbon, by sustainably reducing and compensating the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). It’s also known as carbon neutrality, meaning that carbon dioxide output has a net neutral impact on the environment, which in return could help stem the effects of climate change. It is a known fact that greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide increase average temperatures worldwide – leading to rising sea levels, changing weather patterns, and other factors associated with climate change.

Decarbonisation or carbon neutrality is usually achieved through the increased use of low-carbon power generation, large-scale use of electric vehicles via “clean” technologies, as well as the reduction in the use of fossil fuels. The latter would typically be replaced with renewable energy sources such as wind power, biomass, or solar power.

Decarbonisation or carbon neutrality is usually achieved through the increased use of low-carbon power generation, large-scale use of electric vehicles via “clean” technologies, as well as the reduction in the use of fossil fuels. The latter would typically be replaced with renewable energy sources such as wind power, biomass, or solar power.

As you know, deforestation is the removal of a forest or a wide area of trees from land, which is then typically converted to commercial and industrial use. Now think of the opposite of that, and you get reforestation.

Reforestation can either be the natural or intentional “restocking” of these depleted lands, which can greatly improve the quality of human life and rectify the negative effects of deforestation. This includes the rebuilding of natural habitats, rebalancing ecosystems, and mitigating global warming through the biosequestration of carbon dioxide. Reforestation is basically one of the best methods in tackling climate change.

At Rentwise, we’re committed to becoming Net Zero by 2030 through our circular business model that allows you to offset your carbon footprint, while our Reforestation Initiative is our part in helping to reverse the climate crisis and halting the destruction of the environment.

Did you know that a total of 15 laptops can actually generate as much carbon emissions as a mid-sized car? In 2019 alone, the shipment of new PCs to Malaysia exceeded 2.3 million units – which drastically increased our carbon emissions.

This is where our Remanufacturing process comes into play to help with decarbonisation. This is a standardised industrial process by which we salvage and remanufacture retired equipment, which returns them to a same-as-new or better condition in appearance and performance. Compared to the plain process of repair, refurbish, or reuse, this not only extends the life cycle of the product, but also eradicates waste generation, while helping to offset about 75-80% of carbon footprint.

But what of the residual amount? Then we make our way to the Race to Net Zero Package, where we offer the opportunity to give back to the environment and offset remaining carbon footprint by reforestation.

As the country – and the world – slowly shifts to a more remote workforce and greater reliance on technology, we should make the effort whenever possible to combat their negative effects. After all, at the end of the day, our ambitions and daily necessities should not cost the Earth.

By choosing Rentwise remanufactured laptops or desktop PCs, companies and organisations can choose whether to plant a tree in Nepal, Kenya, Italy, Haiti, Honduras, Madagascar, Tanzania, Colombia, Cameroon, Guatemala, Ghana, or Equador in their name. They will then be provided information about the impact of their tree – each tree will be able to absorb up to 350kg of CO2, the community that takes care of it, updates on the project progress, as well as geolocation and photographing of the trees when planted.

Circular economy model is a key approach to sustainability as we push the nation forward to a quality societal and environmental growth.

In a recent interview covered by The Edge, Leanne Ooi the CEO of Rentwise shares her view and passion in bringing the organisation one step closer to helping children from the disadvantaged community of Malaysia, as they repurpose Green IT as a solution in aiding and improving remote learning amongst students today.

Rentwise, recognised as a green IT infrastructure solution that focuses on remanufacturing and expanding the lifespan of electronics’, booms to be a promising trend today as many corporates and educational institutions foresee the benefit through a bigger return in the capital as well as a sustaining IT lifecycle solution.

With a driven circular innovation as such, the effort shared by Rentwise promises a great opportunity for many to cope with the pandemic as Leanne Ooi and her team plays a vital role in bridging the digital divide faced by many children and families from the rural community via effective partnerships and collaborations implemented along with various corporates and the government respectively.

With a driven circular innovation as such, the effort shared by Rentwise promises a great opportunity for many to cope with the pandemic as Leanne Ooi and her team plays a vital role in bridging the digital divide faced by many children and families from the rural community via effective partnerships and collaborations implemented along with various corporates and the government respectively.

Read more here on: Leanne Ooi Leading the way on Remanufacturing.

Shah Alam, Selangor | February,1 2021  – Rentwise Sdn Bhd, an accredited remanufacturer by Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and a registered social enterprise with Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC), in partnership with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), announces the sponsorship of 30 refurbished notebooks to Tenom Innovation Centre (TIC), Tenom, Sabah totalling up to RM39,000 under an initiative known as Digital Learning Empowerment Program (DLEP).  The DLEP will assist in the implementation of Loan-a-Device Program by TIC where notebooks will be loaned at no cost to benefit the students especially candidates sitting for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).

Leanne Ooi, Chief Executive Officer of Rentwise Sdn Bhd says, the DLEP implementation is also aligned with MDEC’s objective which is to spur assistance in equipping the students with notebook to achieve uninterrupted e-learning. “We are both committed to providing a better digital environment especially for education. The temporary closure of all schools have exposed the importance of digital technologies in people’s lives and the positive impact it can make”, added Leanne.

She added that “Rentwise is in a business of remanufacturing and refurbishing PCs, in which we provide the equipment a second lease of life –which is then leased back to the corporates and public. But what we need is a consistent source of supply of good quality business class (used) computers. The more supply we have, the more we can breathe new life into old PCs and distribute them to needy schools and organizations. We encourage corporate and government bodies to donate computers and to collaborate with Rentwise to play an integral and significant role to bridge the digital divide that Malaysian students suffer from.

As of today, Rentwise Malaysia’s collective efforts have resulted in 765 PCs and laptops donated to over 40 schools and NGOs, impacting more than 21,000 children nationwide. Since DLEP inception, Rentwise has managed to work alongside renowned local organisations such as Sunway Group, Medical Awareness Camp Outreach (MACO) and Spritzer Berhad.

Rentwise, established in 2001, is a certified IT remanufacturer under MITI’s R7KPA assessment conducted by RESPECT in 2017. Remanufacturing and repurposing ICT equipment greatly reduces the environmental impact as compared to the large amount of energy required to manufacture complex electronic components. It means up to 70% of a PC’s carbon footprint can be reduced by adopting remanufactured technology rather than new. Remanufacturing creates impactful economic benefits from consumers gaining access to products at a reduced price.  An additional benefit is the creation of skilled jobs in an industry requiring high levels of technical skills.

As part of our community work, we run CSR programs where we have helped created or refreshed the ICT facilities of a number of public schools and NGOs, benefitting more than 21,000 students nationwide.

Being the only Green IT Partner in Malaysia offering a complete End-to-End IT Infrastructure and Asset Lifecycle Management Solution, we constantly look for ways to improve and best deliver our vision. We provide an infrastructure combination (both new and remanufactured platforms) to ensure our clients are able to better manage and utilize their cash resources.

“It is the use of equipment, not the ownership that generates profit” (Beate Pehlchen)

For more information, visit our website at www.rentwise.com

More information on Reman Day is available at http://www.remanday.org

COMPANIES normally use computers for a certain number of years before retiring them and buying a new batch of machines.

Many of these old computers end up collecting dust in stores and may not even be used since they are outdated and cannot run newer software.

Seeing this as a waste of good equipment and bad for the environment, technopreneur Leanne Ooi started a company called Rentwise almost 20 years ago with the goal of giving a “second life” to these computers and to save the environment.

The Penang-born technopreneur said she started Rentwise in 2001 after working for a UK-based IT asset management company that was involved in refurbishing retired PCs from corporations and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) returns.

“That was the time the UK was preparing for the implementation of the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive. I realised it was a matter of time before it would be a concern for the Asean marketplace. I also believed it was a good and purposeful business to be in,” said the mother of three girls.

Back then, Ooi was an avid gamer. She bought a couple of the company’s business range PCs and found that they met her requirements.

“The business model intrigued me. I realised it was a sunrise business opportunity,” said Ooi, who has a Management: Operations Management degree from the University of South Australia in Adelaide.

“The business model intrigued me. I realised it was a sunrise business opportunity,” said Ooi, who has a Management: Operations Management degree from the University of South Australia in Adelaide.

Ooi’s company evolved from doing basic cleaning up of equipment and fixing minor faults to refurbishing equipment by replacing faulty components. These days, remanufacturing is a big part of the business.

“In remanufacturing, functional faults are repaired, major components like the storage device and RAM are upgraded along with the operating system. The unit is fully restored cosmetically and functionally to an as-new condition with a matching warranty.

“It’s a 16-step process and we are very selective of the equipment we choose to remanufacture. We only work with business range equipment. We will first conduct a study, which takes between three and six months. It involves putting trial units out with selected clients for testing and running them extensively in our internal environment,” she explained.

A complete review of the supply chain will also be carried out to ensure that all components and parts will be available over the next three to five years.

Ooi (centre, seated) with her staff.

Ooi sources used and retired computers from the market and works mainly with large corporations that have a short (three years) usage cycle for PCs.

“These remanufactured PCs are then leased for a period of three to four years. A small percentage of companies buy them outright.

“The equipment is under warranty and supported for the duration of the lease. Companies that buy the machines outright also have access to the same warranty programme,” she said.

Ooi claimed that companies save between 25 and 30 per cent over buying new computers.

“Beyond monetary savings, by choosing remanufactured PCs over new ones, a staggering percentage of environmentally polluting carbon is shaved off.

“The carbon footprint of 15 notebook PCs is equivalent to that emitted by a car. So it’s really killing two birds with one stone,” explained Ooi.

Rentwise has processed in excess of 55,000 computers in the last three years. It is also big on social responsibility efforts through initiatives like the Digital Learning Empowerment Programme (DLEP).

“Through the programme, we have successfully equipped a number schools and non-governmental organisations with much-needed equipment.

“We want to expand this to benefit more schools as we see a large gap in education needs that has not been addressed for many years. Beyond mere donation, we measure the impact and outcome of the programme by monitoring the achievements of the beneficiaries,” said Ooi.

“We want to expand this to benefit more schools as we see a large gap in education needs that has not been addressed for many years. Beyond mere donation, we measure the impact and outcome of the programme by monitoring the achievements of the beneficiaries,” said Ooi.

Like many other start-ups, working capital was the main challenge faced by Ooi in the early stages.

“We started with funding from family members and friends. Later we managed to raise seed capital from a local venture capital firm. Subsequently we brought in an angel investor who has remained with us till today,” she said.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the last eight months have been challenging for Ooi.

“We experienced a halt to some projects as many users have been working from home. Naturally companies are not too keen to proceed when users are remote.

“Our supply chain for parts has also been affected considerably. It now takes longer for us to turn shipments around,” she said.

“On a positive note, we are seeing more and more new enquiries. As companies move more and more towards mobile solutions, we are looking forward to an interesting 2021,” she said.

Reference:

https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/bots/2020/12/649440/tech-giving-life-old-computers

每年有数不清款式的科技产品诞生，当技术更迭和汰换的速度越来越快，进而推高了电子废料的数量，全数送往垃圾掩埋场。由于电子废料存有很多有害物质，一旦没有妥善处理，会形成了一个很大的污染源。为了减少对环境的负荷，很多国家朝向永续发展的目标，落实循环经济模式，让废旧的电子产品重新拥有第二个生命。

• 报道：本刊 林德成
• 图：Rentwise提供

“一架电脑的寿命周期是可以维持10至12年。”从事二手电脑翻新和改造业务的Rentwise创办人黄秀玲认为，电脑的生命周期可分成3个循环圈。第一个循环是新电脑流入市场的时候，第二个循环是当二手电脑回流到他们手上，经过重新改造再租赁出去，延伸电脑的使用率。第三个循环则是赋予另一个全新价值，将“超龄”的电脑捐赠给学校，协助校方设立电脑室，让莘莘学子尽早接触电脑知识，为科技社会做好准备。

Rentwise是在一年半以前转身成为社会企业（Social Enterprise），该公司首席执行员黄秀玲希望能提高民众妥善处理电子垃圾的意识，也改变本地企业使用科技产品的观念，用“再循环”替代“销毁”。与其直接淘汰废弃的电脑，不如为这些电脑安排新的使命，走进校园、非政府组织或孤儿院等等。

Rentwise也有从事拆除旧电脑的工作，不过只占公司业务的5%，主要还是重新改造电脑，然后出租给本地企业。

为了保证重新改造电脑的品质，在改造电脑时，黄秀玲会选择年龄不超过5年的企业级商用电脑，因为磨耗程度不大和有较高端的电脑配置。

普遍上，人们想要购买二手电脑，会常看见“Used”（二手）、“Refurbished”（翻新）的词汇。黄秀玲则以“Remanufactured”为主，与上述二者有很大差异。“Used”是从一家公司回收旧电脑，清理干净后再转卖出去，没有任何升级和系统调整。由于磨损程度很大，意味电脑会很快“退休”。“Refurbished”的过程是更换损坏的电脑零件，但不会为电脑配件和软件升级。至于“Remanufactured”会将电脑重新改造，为替换更新颖的电脑零件、运存和硬盘，灌入最新的作业系统。她笑说，很多人拿到重新改造电脑会误以为是新电脑。

黄秀玲说，大规模公司的商用电脑寿命平均三四年，之后会因安全和效率缘故而被淘汰，存放在仓库或销毁。至于中型企业在购买电脑以后，不会轻易汰换电脑，使用期限介于5至7年。

3年前，她曾遇过有公司存放了2000架旧电脑在仓库，盖因对方不知道如何有效地销毁和确保敏感资料不外泄。黄秀玲说，过往是用电钻把硬盘钻开或碾碎，现在只需使用特殊软件清理数据（data sanitization），就能彻底移除敏感数据。不过，她补充，只有当硬盘仍完好无缺的状况下才能使用数据清理软件，倘若硬盘检测出损坏（bad sector），最保险的做法是销毁。

黄秀玲说，如果为了降低经营成本，重新改造的电脑可以助中小型企业一臂之力。

拥有19年历史的Rentwise目前为超过200家中型至大型企业提供电脑技术支援，出租重新改造的电脑给他们使用。通常租约维持3年，但她近年发现越来越多企业要求延长使用期限，“他们告诉我不需要升级，因为电脑上的软件依然可以运行流畅。”

当问及会否有顾客要求高性能效率的重新改造电脑时，她则必须胥视对方的作业所需，有时未必要动用最新的软件版本，轻量版的软件已能胜任。如果真的需要运行高阶版本的修图或影片剪辑软件，黄秀玲会鼓励对方购买新电脑。“我们不仅提供重新改造的电脑，同时还销售10至15%的新电脑到市场。”多年经验下来，她发现85至90%都是以普通行政办公用途为主，因此重新改造的电脑足以应付。

取之社会，用之社会，Rentwise一直专注在惠及社会和环境的项目当中。“我不喜欢别人直接询问能不能捐献善款，因为我无法掌握善款的动向。反而最好的方式是为对方提供所需的物资和帮助。”创立公司以后，关心教育的她开始协助一两间学校设立电脑室，希望学生能够增值，掌握更多科技知识。10年前，当本地学校得悉他们的计划，陆续请求他们帮忙，她才发现很多学校都很需要这些电脑设备。“现在我们有一张很长的学校名单，他们都在等待电脑。我们已经协助了18间学校和20个非政府团体，目前名单还在持续增加中。”

黄秀玲坦言，一家公司是无法推动整个循环运动。因此，她与很多大企业的顾客合作，当对方更换电脑和科技设备时，她会回购这些产品，然后再请求他们捐献20%的款项，投入旧电脑再循环使用的计划当中。大约每间学校可获得35架电脑，得以设立一间电脑室和开办电脑课。“我想做一些能够持久的事，设立电脑室后，我们知道学生一定会受惠。”

Rentwise在今年9月获得2020年亚洲企业社会责任奖（AREA 2020）颁发的“循环经济领袖奖”。

Reference:

https://www.sinchew.com.my/content/content_2382680.html

Did you know that the carbon footprint of a single laptop is a staggering 350kg? And that of a desktop is about 800kg? Yet most people use and discard these items without a second thought, contributing to the growing e-waste problem in the country.

This is the challenge that Rentwise Sdn Bhd CEO Leanne Ooi has set herself to address. Her company has been recycling electronics for the past 19 years, eventually maximising their lifespan by up to three lifecycles and making them almost brand new through a process called remanufacturing.

Ooi, who started Rentwise when she was only 24, tells Digital Edge that the company started out cleaning up equipment and fixing minor faults before slowly developing the well-thought-out and complicated process it has today.

Before establishing Rentwise, she was working for a UK-based IT asset management company that refurbished retired PCs from corporate and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) returns.

“At that time, the UK was preparing for the implementation of the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) directive and I realised that it was a matter of time before this would be a concern for the Asean marketplace.”

Ooi, a gamer, bought a couple of the company’s business-range PCs and found that they met her requirements. “The business model intrigued me and I thought it a sunrise business opportunity.”

The UK company was in Malaysia through a joint venture but two years after she joined, it decided to spin the company off. “I was heading a business development division and since I held the client relationships, I decided to give it a shot and ventured out on my own.”

She managed to scrape together about RM200,000 in capital from friends and family. Subsequently, she attracted the attention of a venture capital firm and after that, a private equity investor, who is still invested in the company today.

Rentwise moved from simple recycling tasks to actual refurbishment, which involved replacing faulty components and cleaning up the units, Ooi says.

Eventually, it graduated to remanufacturing, where functional faults are fully repaired, major components like the storage device and RAMs are upgraded along with the operating system, and the unit fully restored cosmetically and functionally to an as-new condition with a matching warranty. “Most of our customers say they would assume the machine is new if we did not tell them otherwise.”

Remanufacturing is a fairly complicated proposition. “It is a 16-step restoration process, which has been audited and accredited by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. We are very selective of the equipment we choose to remanufacture, only working with business-range equipment,” Ooi explains.

Before Rentwise selects a particular unit for mass remanufacturing, it puts out trial units with selected clients for three to six months to test and see whether they are suitable for remanufacturing. The clients will test these units out in Rentwise’s internal environment.

“All commercialised solutions are put to the test within Rentwise first before they are introduced to the market. In addition, a complete review of the supply chain is done to ensure all components and parts we decide to use for production are available over a three- to five-year period,” she says.

Ooi adds that all components ultimately selected are tested for durability and performance. “We also promote a fixed lifecycle of three to four years’ use on a rental platform, after which the equipment is returned to us to ensure we close the loop. This is, in essence, what circular computing is all about.”

This business model has been developed slowly through a lot of trial and error. “We learnt not to focus on consumer-grade models and components as these are not as durable, and we have pivoted from simply distributing IT assets to an end-to-end asset management solution, in which we are able to work with clients to support, maintain, track and secure their IT environment through an array of software solutions.”

It solves a major problem with e-waste that is not being properly addressed in Malaysia at the moment. “In 2019 alone, there were some 2.3 million new PCs shipped into Malaysia, according to Euromonitor. So imagine the staggering environmental impact if these carbon ‘monsters’ aren’t circulated back into the chain,” Ooi points out.

To put the problem in context, she says the carbon footprint of 15 laptops is equivalent to that of one automobile. However, the lifespan of the automobile is four times that of the laptop.

She says research suggests that up to 85% of a computer’s carbon footprint is attributed to what happens during production. “So, by remanufacturing, most of the carbon footprint can be shaved off, as more parts are salvaged than disposed of.”

The Department of Environment (DOE) says on its website that the management of e-waste in Malaysia, especially that generated by non-industrial sectors such as household, commercial and institutional, is not properly regulated under present law. “As a consequence, most of the e-waste generated from these sectors end up in improper recycling and disposal through informal channels.”

A recent article quoted the DOE as saying that the e-waste recycling rate in Malaysia is not more than 25%, which means hundreds of thousands of tonnes of e-waste is disposed of in landfills every year. As such, this is a major problem that needs to be addressed from the top.

In the meantime, companies such as Rentwise are taking the initiative to provide intelligent solutions.

One of the major stumbling blocks faced by Rentwise, however, is the perception that a new machine is superior to a remanufactured one. But Ooi concedes that this is less of a problem today than it was when she first started. “Clients today are a lot more IT-savvy and realise that the need to chase the latest and greatest models is overkill for many operating environments.”

While Rentwise does provide new machines to high-end users, she says this has dropped to only 10% of its total users and consists of those who need the latest technology for things like engineering design.

Although Malaysian companies are largely ignorant of the concept of the circular economy (where among things, products are kept in circulation for as long as possible, before being recycled), Rentwise caught on to it.

It now serves more than 200 organisations from a diverse range of industries, and counts Sunway Group, Malindo Air, AIA and Canon among its clients.

“A number of our clients have been with us for a long period of time, some for as long as four refresh cycles, which is almost as long as we have been in business.

“Our strategy has always been to start with small requirements, ensure we understand their needs and environment, before we scale. This has given clients the comfort that we truly want to do a good job and we want them as clients for the long haul,” Ooi says.

This results in more than just repeat business from that particular company. “When someone we deal with moves, they introduce us to their new company.”

Like every other business in Malaysia, Rentwise has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic but it is not all bad. For instance, she says, Rentwise has seen an uptake in companies looking for short-term rentals.

“We recently signed on a number of large clients, mainly MNCs (multinational corporations), due to the volume of inventory that we carry. We have also been approached by a number of government agencies to assist in providing equipment to enable remote learning. A lot can be done to enable remote learning through a circular computing approach within government agencies themselves,” she points out.

Ooi adds that being a social enterprise, Rentwise has crafted a Digital Learning Empowerment Programme, where it carries out corporate social responsibility initiatives in collaboration with corporate clients. “This has successfully refreshed or equipped a number of schools and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) with much-needed equipment to facilitate their learning capabilities, and we know we can expand this much wider to benefit more schools.”

But while the pandemic has resulted in some new business coming in, it has also paused some of its regular business. “We have seen a halt in some large equipment-refresh projects we were working on, as most users have been working from home and naturally, companies are not too keen to move on these when users are remote.”

Its supply chain has also been affected and it now takes longer to turn shipments around.

But Ooi feels the company has the right business model and is in the right space to take advantage of the demand that has been created by the present circumstances. “We have been seeing a lot of new enquiries and our sales funnel is building naturally as companies move quickly to mobility solutions. We are looking forward to an interesting 2021.”

Relevant Links:

The Edge Market, Nov 2020
Website: https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/circular-economy-good-new

An inaugural win for Rentwise Sdn Bhd under the Circular Economy Leadership category of the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2020 at the 6th International CSR & Sustainability Summit ICS Summit 2020. The sole Malaysian winner of the category, this award is an affirmation of Rentwise’s relentless commitment and leadership towards remanufacturing for a sustainable environment whilst bridging the digital gap in our younger generation.

This programme honours Asian businesses for championing sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship through leadership, involvement in communities and protection of the environment amongst others.

This year, over 200 submissions across 19 countries were received from organizations across Asia. Winners were determined not just by their efforts and results, but also by such criteria as effective delineation, nexus to the community, identification of needs, measurability, effectiveness of implementation, ability to reach the target audience, impact, leadership involvement, institutionalization and continuity.

The most coveted Economic, Social and Governance (ESG) event in the region – AREA 2020 are supported by, amongst others, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (UNESCAP), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Circular Economy Club, CSRone Taiwan, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia (MOSTI), National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (N.I.E.L) Cambodia, Institute for (IGES) Japan, Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy and Vietnam Development.

CEO, Ms Leanne Ooi’s acceptance speech:-

JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjI3NjAlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjI1MTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGMW5QTWh0SzlSUjAlMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF

Relevant Links:

1. Profile Write Up & Photograph, and Winners Listing in official AREA

• • Website: https://enterpriseasia.org/area/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-2020/

 

2. Winners Listing in:

• • SME Magazine for November 2020 Issue
  • Regionally Distributed Press Releases via PRNewswire
  • CSRone: https://csrone.com/news/6434
  • The Asian Entrepreneur: https://www.asianentrepreneur.org/a-decade-of-impact-enterprise-asia-confers-asia-responsible-enterprise-awards-to-81-recipients/, https://www.asianentrepreneur.org/international-csr-sustainability-summit-2020-call-for-business-to-commit-to-a-higher-purpose-beyond-profits/
  • Commercial Times/China Times: https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20200924000201-260210?chdtv
  • Jian Hua Daily: https://jianhuadaily.com/20200925/93508?fbclid=IwAR1dx2TaWSMRY2r_Iudb31-FZgxYVQXMT0XmlUvYFIvqIxy6ek4uL_I3eHo
  • The Nation: https://www.nationthailand.com/recommended/1003
  • Bangkok Biz News: https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/recommended/detail/2511
  • Business World: https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/business-world/20200928/282020444736729
  • Markets Insider: https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/a-decade-of-impact-enterprise-asia-confers-asia-responsible-enterprise-awards-to-81-recipients-1029621651#
  • Kumparan: https://kumparan.com/kumparanbisnis/international-csr-summit-digelar-perusahaan-diminta-pikirkan-lingkungan-1uGN3SDLF5E
  • AsianNGO Magazine: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1905180416296975&id=118206368327731,
  • https://asianngo.org/upload/e-magazine/pdf/332/ICS%202020.html

17^th September, 2020 marks the beginning of a social impact collaboration journey between Rentwise Sdn Bhd and Medical Awareness Camp Outreach (MACO).

It was discovered during their ongoing “Meal A Day” project for school children in B40 families that these children were deprived of a computer to further their online learning. Hence, their Computer Empowerment Program was initiated to provide individual students with computers.

“No child should be left behind” – As like-minded partners who share the passion and vision to raise the standard of ICT knowledge especially in school going children, priorities are given to needy schools with basic or lack of ICT equipment.

The current pandemic has caused a worldwide disruption of the educational systems leading to a total closure of schools, universities and colleges. Many primary and secondary schools here are not well equipped with computers, needless to say, some are even without basic infrastructure to support these equipment. Children in the B40 group are affected the most as they are not able to afford connectivity in their homes left alone computers. Education virtually becomes a standstill and these children are left behind.

Seeing a potential in their programme that is aligned to the same cause of bridging the national digital learning gap, Rentwise initiated this collaboration effort with MACO with a donation of 100 thin client computers, to be refurbished by their team of PC repair volunteers. This amplifies the beneficiary outreach of Rentwise’s Digital Learning Programme (DLEP) than working alone. Therefore, instead of a one-off stint, Rentwise has also agreed to continually donate partial of its off-lease retired used computers that is estimated to be in the hundreds per annum, benefitting thousands of school children.

Rentwise Sdn Bhd, is a provider of Green IT infrastructure, certified remanufacturer by MITI and a registered social enterprise with MaGIC. With 19 years in this industry, Rentwise has been innovating to maximise the lifespan of IT equipment by repurposing retired desktop and laptop computers, making them as good as new, if not better, through a process known as remanufacturing.

Corporate and government bodies are welcome to donate computers and to collaborate with Rentwise to play an integral and significant role to bridge the digital divide that Malaysian students suffer from. To find out more, kindly visit www.rentwise.com/category/csr/

Perubatan Dan Kesihatan Awam, also known as Medical Awareness Camp Outreach (MACO), a registered NGO, was set up to provide free medical services to the poor by a group of specialist and volunteers in Jan 2015. They have since conducted more than 20 medical camps for urban poor communities.  Funding these activities are through donations. They recently launched a Computer Empowerment Program to provide refurbished computers to children from families of lower income group to learn online.

Find out more : https://www.facebook.com/maco.malaysia/

RENTWISE SDN BHD CELEBRATES REMANUFACTURING DAY ON 9TH APRIL, 2020

Event Designed to Expand Knowledge on the Benefits of Remanufacturing to the Economy and the Environment

Shah Alam, Selangor | April, 10 2020 – In celebration of Reman Day 2020, Rentwise Sdn Bhd hosted an event on 9th April, 2020 as part of an effort to educate people about the value of remanufacturing of IT equipment and draw attention to this critical part of the Malaysian economy. Virtual activities were organised due to the Covid-19 Movement Control Order (MCO) nationwide. Activities included a company-wide webinar and a quiz as well as an awareness posting on Facebook and Linkedin.

Remanufacturing is a comprehensive and rigorous industrial process by which a previously sold, leased, used, worn, or non-functional product or part is returned to a “like-new” or “better-than-new” condition, from both a quality and performance perspective, through a controlled, reproducible, and sustainable process.

Fact: Rentwise since its inception, has on an average, remanufactured of 3,686 PCs, totalling the number of computers remanufactured to 70,034 and CO2 which equates to a staggering 23,286,305 kg.

Fact: Remanufacturing saves, on average, 85% of energy use, 86% of water use, and 85% of material use compared to new goods.

Reman Day is an annual national event executed at the local level supported by remanufacturers as they host students, teachers, parents, job seekers and other local community members at open houses, plant tours and presentations designed to showcase the social, economic and environmental benefits of remanufacturing.

“There are countless advantages to remanufacturing goods, including localized job creation and waste diversion,” said Ms Leanne Ooi, CEO-Rentwise Sdn Bhd. “The goal of Reman Day is to advocate for remanufactured goods, educate people on the advantages of remanufactured, and collaborate with our communities in order to identify future remanufacturing leaders.”

Rentwise, established in 2001, is a certified IT remanufacturer under MITI’s R7KPA assessment conducted by RESPECT in 2017. Remanufacturing and repurposing ICT equipment greatly reduces the environmental impact as compared to the large amount of energy required to manufacture complex electronic components. It means up to 70% of a PC’s carbon footprint can be reduced by adopting remanufactured technology rather than new. Remanufacturing creates impactful economic benefits from consumers gaining access to products at a reduced price. An additional benefit is the creation of skilled jobs in an industry requiring high levels of technical skills.

As part of our community work, we run CSR programmes where we have helped created or refreshed the ICT facilities of a number of public schools and NGOs, benefitting more than 18,000 students thus far.

Being the only Green IT Partner in Malaysia offering a complete End-to-End IT Infrastructure and Asset Lifecycle Management Solution, we constantly look for ways to improve and best deliver our vision. We provide an infrastructure combination (both new and remanufactured platforms) to ensure our clients are able to better manage and utilize their cash resources.

“It is the use of equipment, not the ownership that generates profit” (Beate Pehlchen)

Students from SJK (T) Persiaran Raja Muda Musa using the new computers.

THE Sunway Education Group collaborated with Rentwise in a CSR initiative that benefited students from SJK (T) Persiaran Raja Muda Musa.

This collaboration sponsored 40 units of Dell Optiplex 7010 business desktop PCs and Dell 22” Led-Wide Black Monitor, worth over RM52,000.

Out of 33 computers that were sponsored in 2011, only 10 are still functioning, which a class of 43 would need to share.

At SJK (T) Persiaran Raja Muda Musa, many of the computers were outdated and unable to connect to the online learning platform.

As part of community development, Rentwise initiates and runs CSR programmes. Over the years, Rentwise has helped create and upgrade the existing ICT facilities of a number of needy schools and non-governmental organisatiions (NGOs).

“At Rentwise, we are very passionate about education.

“We believe education is the way out of poverty, education gives you a better life, and we were looking for a way that would impact the community, ” said Rentwise CEO Leanne Ooi.

Sunway Education Group director of IT Services Tony Lee said: “When we look at the students using the computers and how enthusiastic they are about learning in a modern way, it makes all the effort we put in very worthwhile.”

Since the first successful launch of a CSR programme in 2009, Rentwise has provided over 573 sets of remanufactured computers worth over RM744,900, benefiting over 17,000 students across various primary and secondary schools as well as several NGOs’ and community centres in Peninsular Malaysia.

Originally published in The Star Online: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/education/2019/10/06/pact-to-improve-facilities-in-schools on 6 Oct 2019. Reproduced here in full.