GP Batteries’ Malaysia factory awarded UL’s Gold Zero Waste to Landfill Validation

On the 18th of March 2021, UL announced that GP Batteries International Limited (“GP Batteries”) has earned Gold Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTF) Validation for its manufacturing facility in Tebrau, Malaysia. This makes the plant the first of its kind to earn gold level validation in Malaysia.

To receive the validation the plant has achieved a 96% diversion rate with 4% thermal processing and energy recovery. This is the third GP Batteries plant in Malaysia to earn the ZWTL Validation. These achievements represent GP Batteries’ commitment to further improve their sustainability performance.

To achieve the Gold designation, you need to have a 95-99% diversion through methods other than waste to energy*. Other validations are Silverat 90-94% and Platinum at 100%. 

In 2020, GP Batteries earned Silver ZWTL Validation for three manufacturing facilities in the Asia Pacific region. Since then, through continuing the improvement of increased waste diversion in those plants, it has steadily improved its year-to-year performance. Based on lessons learned during the waste diversion validation process at their other facilities, GP Batteries was able to implement best practices and process improvements at the Tebrau plant. In the end it helped increase their waste diversion and ultimately rewarded them in achieving the gold level validation.

“GP Batteries’ achievement of Gold ZWTL Validation for its newest plant in Malaysia, combined with its continued improvement of waste diversion performance in its other three plants, demonstrates its ongoing commitment to improving sustainability performance,” said Doug Lockard, vice president and general manager, Retail and Consumer Products, UL.

The project teams of GP Batteries in Malaysia and China are dedicated to the ZWTL initiative and face unique challenges in each location. GP Batteries are working with UL to continue to further improve their ZWTL efforts and hope more facilities can attain the validation.

Read the UL press release here.

Find out more about Zero Waste to Landfill Validations here.

*Burn municipal solid waste, more commonly called trash, to produce steam in a boiler that is used to generate electricity.