Calls For Budget 2027 To Support Pollution Control, ASEAN Must Act On Transboundary Haze Issue

FMM In The News: BUSINESS TODAY, October 9, 2026

The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturing (FMM) has called for stronger regional action to tackle transboundary haze, warning that recurring air pollution is affecting worker health, business operations and industrial competitiveness across ASEAN.

FMM said 36 areas in Malaysia recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as at 7pm on Oct 8, with Segamat in Johor recording the highest reading at 190, followed by Seremban at 189. Earlier in the day, 38 areas had been in the unhealthy category.

The manufacturers’ group said haze can affect workforce attendance, outdoor operations and logistics while increasing costs for air filtration, protective equipment and other operational adjustments.

FMM urged ASEAN to accelerate implementation of existing regional frameworks, including the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution and the ASEAN Haze-Free Roadmap 2023–2030.

Among its key proposals, FMM called for stronger monitoring and early-warning systems by integrating satellite data, ground-level air-quality measurements, meteorological information and artificial intelligence to identify fire risks earlier.

It also urged ASEAN governments to strengthen enforcement against illegal open burning, promote sustainable land management and peatland restoration, while providing smallholders and rural communities with affordable alternatives to burning.

Businesses, meanwhile, should strengthen environmental due diligence, adopt zero-burning practices across their supply chains and improve traceability for agricultural and forest-based raw materials sourced from fire-prone areas, FMM said.

The federation also called for greater mobilisation of financing under ASEAN’s haze-free sustainable land management framework, which aims to mobilise an estimated US$1.5 billion by 2030, as well as stronger investment in environmental technology, research and pollution-monitoring systems.

On workplace safety, FMM urged employers to reduce strenuous outdoor work when API readings exceed 100, avoid such work when readings exceed 200 and provide suitable respiratory protection where required. It also encouraged companies to activate haze-response and business continuity plans and offer reasonable flexibility to employees affected by school closures.

FMM also called for Budget 2027 to provide stronger incentives for environmental technologies, pollution prevention, industrial research and development and sustainability investments by small and medium enterprises, including support for workplace air-quality monitoring and filtration systems.

“A haze-free ASEAN must become a measurable achievement, not merely a recurring aspiration,” FMM said.

Source of article: www.businesstoday.com.my