Media OutReach
YTL Cement Group Strengthens Sustainability Leadership with EPDs Across Its Product Portfolio
This achievement reinforces the Group’s commitment to delivering sustainable, high-performance building solutions and advancing the nation’s transition towards low-carbon construction.
An EPD is a third-party verified document that reports a product’s environmental impact throughout its life cycle, following international standards such as ISO14025 and the ISO14040 series. EPDs are widely used in green building certifications and help architects, contractors and developers make informed material choices to meet sustainability goals.
The newly EPD certified products include Castle Cement – a Singapore Green Label certified cement formulated for bricklaying, screeding and concreting, and ECOConcrete™ Grade 40 and Grade 35, which are designed to reduce embodied carbon while maintaining strength and durability. YTL Cement Group’s precast arm, Eastern Pretech, has also obtained EPDs for its range of precast concrete products including hollow core slabs, beams, planks and double tee slabs, marking the first EPD for precast concrete products in Malaysia.
This EPD milestone builds on YTL Cement’s ongoing efforts to decarbonise the construction value chain. The Group was the first in Malaysia to introduce its ECO range: ECOCem®, ECOConcrete™, ECOSand™ and ECODrymix™ and has partnered with CREAM, the research arm of CIDB Malaysia, to advance sustainable construction. Through its Construction Development Laboratory (CDL), the Group drives research and innovation in low-carbon building materials, while the CDL Academy, its training and development arm, promotes industry awareness and upskilling. Together, these initiatives have supported more than 10,000 professionals and students in sustainability and innovation training.
“The attainment of EPD certification for our range of ECO products marks a significant milestone in our journey towards sustainable construction,” said Rachel Yeoh, Executive Director of YTL Cement. “It underscores our commitment to innovation and efforts to provide low-carbon building materials and solutions that empower our customers to build more sustainably.”
YTL Cement’s EPD-certified products provide added assurance of transparency and performance for customers, underscoring the company’s long-term commitment to environmental responsibility. Looking ahead, the Group will continue to collaborate with regulators, industry bodies and research partners to strengthen sustainable construction practices and support Malaysia’s carbon neutral ambitions.
Hashtag: #YTLCement
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About YTL Cement Group
YTL Cement is Malaysia’s pioneer and largest building materials group. With a network of cement plants, terminals, ready-mixed concrete batching facilities, drymix operations, and aggregate quarries, YTL Cement is recognised as a partner in nation building. Over its 70-year legacy, the Group has contributed to the construction of residential, commercial, and infrastructural projects throughout Malaysia, including the Petronas Twin Towers, Merdeka 118, SMART Tunnel, and the nation’s iconic airports and bridges.
Extending its presence beyond domestic borders, YTL Cement now has operations in Southeast Asia, meeting the building material needs of neighbouring nations.
Recently, the Group launched its ECO Product Range, providing a diverse selection of low-carbon alternatives to conventional offerings. This eco-friendly range includes ECOCem™, a selection of low-carbon cements; ECOConcrete™, offering concrete with significantly reduced embodied carbon; ECOSand™, a perfect substitute for natural sand; and ECODrymix™, an eco-friendly pre-mix range. This initiative is part of its commitment to support the industry’s transition to sustainable construction.
GoTyme Bank becomes the first digital bank in the Philippines to enable Apple Pay, expanding secure and seamless digital payments for 10 million customers
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 August 2026 – Paymentology, the leading global issuer processor, today announced the successful launch of Apple Pay for GoTyme Bank in the Philippines. Through this launch, GoTyme becomes one of the first issuers in the Philippine market to enable Apple Pay, giving 10 million customers an easy, secure and private way to pay using their Apple devices.
As one of the country’s fastest-growing digital banks, GoTyme continues to accelerate its digital payments strategy by expanding secure, seamless and convenient payment experiences for Filipino consumers. Customers can now securely add their GoTyme debit card to Apple Wallet and make contactless payments in stores, within apps and online wherever Apple Pay is accepted.
Apple Pay uses industry-leading tokenisation technology, meaning card numbers are never stored on devices or shared with merchants. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, with every transaction authenticated through Face ID, Touch ID or a device passcode, providing an additional layer of security while delivering a fast, frictionless checkout experience.
Nate Clark, President and CEO at GoTyme Bank commented: “At GoTyme Bank, we’re constantly looking for ways to make banking simpler, safer and more rewarding for our customers. Bringing Apple Pay to GoTyme Bank customers in the Philippines gives them an easy and secure way to pay wherever they shop while continuing to earn rewards points on all their transactions. This is another step in our commitment to making everyday banking more beautiful and convenient for our customers.
The launch comes as digital payments continue to reshape the Philippine economy. According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), digital payments now account for more than half of all retail payment transactions, as consumers increasingly embrace mobile-first banking and contactless payments. Meanwhile, smartphone penetration continues to rise, supporting growing demand for digital wallets and tokenised payment experiences. As digital commerce accelerates, enabling secure mobile payments through services such as Apple Pay is becoming an increasingly important differentiator for financial institutions.
Minh-Ha Truong, Head of Growth, APAC at Paymentology, added: “As a long-standing partner to GoTyme, we’re proud to support another significant milestone in its growth journey. Bringing Apple Pay to market demonstrates how modern, cloud-native issuer processing enables digital banks to rapidly deliver innovative payment experiences while maintaining the highest standards of security, scalability and performance. Together, we’re helping shape the future of digital payments in the Philippines.”
The launch further strengthens GoTyme’s position as one of Southeast Asia’s leading digital banks and highlights the value of Paymentology’s cloud-native issuer processing platform in helping banks and fintechs rapidly introduce innovative payment capabilities that meet evolving customer expectations.
Hashtag: #Paymentology
https://www.paymentology.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/paymentology/
https://x.com/Paymentology
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Media OutReach
New Documentary Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun From Discovery to Debut on August 20 in Southeast Asia
Set against the sun-drenched landscapes of southern Taiwan, Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun highlights how the people of Liugdui have thrived alongside the land for over 300 years. Following local scholars, farmers, and artisans, the documentary explores how this community adapts its deep-rooted traditions—from water stewardship to food heritage—in response to environmental and economic change, offering vital modern insights on sustainability, rural revitalization, and cultural continuity.
Across three episodes—Water, agriculture, and food—the documentary explores how the people of Liugdui blend tradition with modern innovation. Viewers meet groundwater experts, farmers pioneering sustainable crops, and artisans repurposing local materials like betel nut, alongside culinary practitioners who preserve Hakka identity through ancestral rituals, communal feasts, and family traditions that unite generations.
Audiences will discover a community that views tradition not as something fixed in the past, but as a living legacy that continues to evolve. From innovative groundwater management and botanical dyeing to ritual feasts and modern interpretations of Hakka cuisine – the documentary celebrates the creativity, resilience, and values that have sustained Liugdui for centuries.
Under the Hakka Liugdui Sun premieres in Southeast Asia on Discovery Channel, Thursday, August 20 at 7:10pm; TLC Channel, Monday, August 24 at 7:10pm; and Discovery Asia, Tuesday, August 25 at 9:25pm.
Hashtag: #Discovery
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Discovery Channel
The launch press conference broke away from tradition with a vibrant runway show featuring celebrity “Hot Spring Travel Navigators,” including acclaimed chef Edward Lee from Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars, visual identity creative director Yen Po-Chun, TSUTAYA BOOKSTORE Taiwan Chairman Kazuma Otsuka, and actor-host Andrew Chau. Together with local businesses, they showcased regional agriculture, specialties, and lifestyle products.
The official launch celebration kicks off on September 4 at Guguan Park in Taichung, featuring a themed parade with over 500 participants and the lighting ceremony for the Lishan–Guguan Light Art Festival, which stars a massive eight-meter “OhBear” light installation. The festivities continue on September 5 with a guided tribal trekking tour in Guguan, offering participants an exclusive NT$500 accommodation discount.
To promote four-season wellness tourism globally, the campaign partners with the East Asia Hot Spring Association for an international symposium on September 4. Key promotions also include complimentary LINE POINTS for new followers, curated packages starting at NT$299, and a flash sale of 800 limited NT$1 Hot Spring Vouchers for the Double 11 Shopping Festival. Furthermore, cross-sector collaborations offer half-price entry to national forest areas, limited-edition Taiwan Railway bento boxes, and Guanziling mud spring skincare products to enrich the travel experience.Hashtag: #TaiwanFourSeasonSprings
https://www.trimt-nsa.gov.tw/zh-tw/
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
