Maybank Marathon's Sustainability Push Goes Beyond Race Course
By Nik Nurfaqih Nik Will
BALI, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- Sustainability will remain a key foundation guiding the development of the Maybank Marathon as the banking group steps up efforts to create positive and lasting social and environmental impact across ASEAN.
Maybank Indonesia head of Sustainability, Maria Trifanny Fransiska said environmental sustainability has been integrated into the Maybank Marathon as part of efforts to reduce the event’s footprint and work towards its carbon-neutral aspiration by 2030.
Among the initiatives is Jejak Hijau, a long-term sustainability campaign that seeks to involve runners, communities and visitors in practical environmental actions while supporting the marathon’s journey towards carbon neutrality.
“This campaign is actually to bring everyone, including the runners, the community and visitors, to practise sustainability in a very practical way, such as through waste management and plogging.
“We also use reusable cups and eco-friendly materials, and those things have been integrated into this event as well,” she said to Bernama at the Maybank Marathon Sustainability Day 2026 in Gianyar on Saturday, held ahead of the Maybank Marathon race on Sunday.
Plogging is a fitness trend that combines regular exercise—like jogging, walking, or hiking—with picking up litter from the streets and parks.
Maria said the 2025 marathon generated 4,336 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e), which has been established as the baseline for measuring progress in reducing its carbon footprint towards the event’s carbon-neutral aspiration by 2030.
The Maybank Marathon 2026 will bring together 14,100 runners from 46 countries on Sunday, up from 13,600 last year, with Malaysians forming the largest foreign contingent.
Also present at the programme were Maybank Group chairman, Tan Sri Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa, Maybank Group president and chief executive officer Datuk Khairussaleh Ramli, and Maybank Indonesia president director Steffano Ridwan.
Meanwhile, Maybank Group chief sustainability officer Datuk Shahril Azuar Jimin said the group’s sustainability agenda had grown significantly over the years, from being a key component of its M25+ corporate strategy for 2020-2025 to taking on a greater role under its ROAR30 strategy through 2030.
“The key mission of Maybank is to impact society positively,” he said.
Under ROAR30, Maybank aims to mobilise RM300 billion in sustainable finance and empower three million lives across ASEAN by 2030, with its community programmes forming part of efforts to translate the commitment into tangible impact.
Shahril said one such initiative is the Maybank Women Eco-Weavers (MWEW), which has grown from its launch in Lombok, Indonesia, in 2016 into a regional programme spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines, and recently marked its 10th anniversary at Sustainability Day
“It is not just an aid or a grant. It is a serious community empowerment programme that offers capacity building through the provision of necessary skills and tools, and even microfinancing and access to markets,” he said.
He said MWEW had cumulatively empowered 2,617 women weavers and supported 3,024 farmers as of June 30, combining economic empowerment and sustainable livelihoods with efforts to preserve ASEAN’s traditional weaving heritage.
-- BERNAMA