Zero Waste Gains Momentum at the Green & Geopark Excellence Awards 2025 (GAGA 2025)
Langkawi, Kedah, 22 November 2025 – The way to reach the status of a circular economy was the dictate offered by YB Nga Kor Ming, the Housing and Local Government minister.
Encouraging the community to practice this mandate will inculcate good habits that incentivise them towards a cleaner and greener neighbourhood.
Nga spoke about this at the Green & Geopark Excellence Awards 2025 (GAGA 2025) held at the Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC) in Langkawi today.
He was the Guest of Honour at the awards ceremony where the success stories of 30 winners were recognised. Forest Department Sarawak received 4 awards, and 40 staff joined in the celebration.
In conjunction with the GAGA 2025 Awards, a Zero Waste Management Conference was held at Adya Hotel, Kuah, earlier on the same day.
He highlighted national efforts by the Ministry to foster sustainable, liveable communities and the goal of planting 115 million trees in the 1,000 recreational parks by 2035.
In the plan to achieve the 70% capacity of renewable energy by 2050, 18 Waste-to-Energy plants will be rolled out under the Circular Economy Blueprint for Solid Waste (2025–2035).
The plan will accelerate the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy. “The National Circular Economy Council will introduce Extended Producer Responsibility policies to reduce pollution and resource costs,” YB Nga noted. Recently Malaysia was awarded the Zero Waste Special Citation Award at the Global Zero Waste Forum in Türkiye, where he was elected President of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme—UN-Habitat Assembly.
A month later, Nga graced GAGA 2025 and complimented the award recipients for their achievements in green initiatives and geopark excellence.
Charting Langkawi’s Path to a Zero-Waste Future
The Zero Waste Management Conference with the theme “Redefine Tomorrow, Today!”, saw around 100 participants from ASEAN nations, who learned about zero-waste island status from overseas experts.
Earlier, Dr Azmil Munif Mohd Bukhari, Tourism and Geopark Manager for LADA, who declared open the conference, shared Langkawi’s journey as a model for sustainable geotourism and natural geoheritage. “Since Langkawi’s designation as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2007, we are committed to embedding sustainability in every aspect and empowering the community to be part of this journey,” he said.
“Zero-waste island status in Langkawi is not a far-off aspiration—it is an achievable reality. Two leading examples, Frangipani Resort and The Datai, were already certified as zero-waste hotels. As an island, Langkawi is uniquely positioned to manage what comes in and ensure sustainability at every level.”
“With local NGOs and experts educating and championing the zero-waste lifestyle, and all 32 schools in the island equipped with Geopark Corners to nurture sustainable habits from a young age, our community is ready for this transition. With collective determination and commitment, I am confident that Langkawi will achieve zero-waste island status well before 2030.”
A Showcase of Transforming Waste into Wonder
Award winners received meaningful ‘Waste to Art’ winning entries done by school children, a GAGA 2025 CSR project, to promote the love of the global geopark amongst the young in the local community.
Local owner of Frangipani Resort, Adjunct Professor Anthony Wong, who received the Green Entrepreneur Leadership award, promoted the green initiative to inculcate the importance of upcycling. He was also a panel judge of the awards.
The highlight of the GAGA 2025 was the sustainable fashion show, where recycled materials were turned into stunning and colourful attires, and presented.
The solo appearance of the fashion icon Dato’ Nancy Yeoh, whose dress was made with paper strips, wooed the 300 gala guests with a recycled costume statement.
KY Pung, GAGA convenor, remarked, “We must recognise the profound impact of climate change and the responsibility we each carry to make our world more beautiful and better; cleaner and greener. By practising the 7Rs of circularity—Rethink, Repurpose, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair, and Recover—from an early age, we are laying the foundation for lasting change.”
From thought leadership to celebration, GAGA 2025 marked its maiden appearance in the local green and geopark awards industry.
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About the Green & Geopark Excellence Awards (GAGA)
The Green & Geopark Excellence Awards (GAGA) is an international platform that celebrates environmental leadership and sustainable geopark management. Established in 2025, it recognises outstanding efforts in responsible tourism, conservation, and climate action under the ASEAN+1 (China) collaboration for a greener future. GAGA champions excellence in geopark development and sustainability management. Guided by its mission to “champion the harmony between human progress and planetary health,” GAGA spotlights initiatives that redefine sustainable tourism, empower communities, and protect Earth’s geological heritage.
