KKTSS DIRECTOR’S OFFICE HANDS OVER 150 SUSTAINABILITY BAGS TO PKTAAB UNDER BANNER TO BAG INITIATIVE

BERTAM, 3 November 2026 - The Office of the Director of Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Engineering Campus (KKTSS) continues to promote sustainability practices and the circular economy through Phase 3 of its Banner to Bag (B2B) Initiative, with 150 sustainability bags handed over to the Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Cancer Centre (PKTAAB) today.

KKTSS Director, Professor Ir. Dr. Mariatti Jaafar @ Mustapha, said the B2B initiative involves repurposing used banners from campus activities into reusable bags, thereby reducing waste.

According to her, the initiative, which began on 1 March 2026, has successfully collected approximately 100 kilogrammes of used banners to be repurposed into sustainability bags.

“With the support of a RM1,000 sustainability grant to purchase sewing equipment, staff from the KKTSS Director’s Office have worked together to produce a total of 1,500 sustainability bags to date,” she said.

Mariatti explained that the idea was inspired by the need to provide an alternative to plastic bags following the discontinuation of plastic bag distribution to patients at health clinics.

She added that the production of these sustainability bags not only gives used materials a new purpose but also benefits the wider community.

She said the B2B initiative is being implemented in phases, with Phase 1 on 17 August 2026 involving the distribution of 320 bags to five agencies and health clinics in Penang, Perak and Kedah.

Phase 2, held on 14 October 2026, involved the distribution of 300 bags to the USM Main Campus Health Centre, as well as another 30 bags in conjunction with the 2026/2027 Student Orientation Week.

In her speech, Mariatti also shared plans to continue the initiative into Phase 4 by extending the distribution of sustainability bags to USM Health Campus in Kelantan, tentatively scheduled for 13 December 2026.

She expressed hope that the initiative would be expanded with the involvement of more Responsibility Centres (PTJs) to support waste reduction efforts and encourage the reuse of materials in university activities.

Meanwhile, PKTAAB USM Director, Associate Professor Dr. Bakiah Shaharuddin, welcomed the initiative and expressed her appreciation for the contribution of the sustainability bags.

She said that PKTAAB continuously supports the university’s sustainability agenda and is ready to share its best practices with other Responsibility Centres.

According to her, the real challenge in any sustainability initiative lies not merely in generating ideas but in ensuring that they are implemented consistently over time.

She also commended KKTSS for sustaining the B2B project through its third phase, demonstrating its continued commitment to implementing sustainability initiatives.

Meanwhile, KKTSS Senior Assistant Registrar, Mohd Kamil Ashar, said that the B2B project is part of the sustainability initiatives undertaken by the KKTSS Director’s Office.

He added that the office is planning to introduce an official logo for branding its sustainability bags and other green innovation products to be developed in the future.

Text: Siti Faizah Abd Halim/Photos: Muhammad Taufik Abdul Rahman