Social enterprises in Malaysia are entering a decisive phase of growth, moving beyond grassroots visibility into structured partnerships with corporates, supply chains and national economic agendas.
A growing group of social enterprises in Malaysia is redefining how business intersects with community livelihoods, environmental responsibility and long-term economic participation. These organisations are structured enterprises built on revenue, partnerships and measurable outcomes, addressing income insecurity, material waste and food systems resilience while functioning within commercial markets.
At the SEAM Closing Summit 2026, ten such enterprises were spotlighted as examples of what a strengthened, market-ready social enterprise ecosystem can look like. Together, they demonstrate how inclusive employment, circular production and sustainable agriculture can move beyond pilot initiatives into scalable models embedded within Malaysia’s economy.
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What Is SEAM?
Social Enterprise Accelerator Malaysia, known as SEAM, is a 15-month accelerator programme co-created by Biji-biji Initiative and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, with support from IKEA Malaysia. The programme was launched in May 2024 to strengthen Malaysia’s social enterprise ecosystem through structured capability building, operational refinement and corporate partnership enablement.
Biji-biji Initiative, a Malaysia-based impact organisation focused on ecosystem building and changemaker development, anchors the programme locally. IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, the global impact arm of IKEA, supports social enterprises worldwide in building inclusive employment and sustainable livelihoods. In Malaysia, this collaboration combines global experience with local ecosystem insight.
SEAM is designed to move social enterprises beyond dependency on short-term grants by strengthening governance, financial management, market positioning and procurement readiness. Throughout the programme, participating enterprises receive mentorship, structured workshops and exposure to potential corporate buyers.
In the context of tightening ESG reporting requirements and persistent rural income disparities, SEAM positions social enterprises not as peripheral actors but as credible partners capable of delivering inclusive and sustainable value at scale.
Angel Community
Operating in Penang, Angel Community connects home-based food sellers from B40 communities, including single mothers and elderly individuals, with corporate catering and event clients. By providing structured support in packaging, manpower coordination and marketing, the enterprise enables informal home cooks to access institutional markets.
More than 100 underserved individuals have gained income opportunities through this model. The enterprise strengthens decentralised food networks while ensuring that domestic skill translates into stable earnings.
Batik Boutique
Batik Boutique is an award-winning social enterprise and certified B Corp that has worked with over 400 artisans across Malaysia. Through partnerships with corporate clients, it produces ethical fashion and customised lifestyle products using authentic Malaysian batik.
The enterprise embeds fair wages and skill-building within its production model, positioning heritage textile craft as a commercially viable sector rather than a symbolic artefact. In doing so, it preserves cultural knowledge while ensuring sustained artisan participation in formal markets.
Earth Heir
Founded in 2013, Earth Heir has evolved into a collective supporting more than 1,000 artisans. Certified by the World Fair Trade Organisation and recognised as a B Corp, the enterprise integrates social procurement into corporate gifting and ESG-aligned supply chains.
Organisations sourcing through Earth Heir diversify suppliers while generating measurable social value. The platform reframes procurement as a structural lever for inclusive economic participation.
LemmeLearn
Based in Pulau Tikus, Penang, LemmeLearn empowers neurodivergent adults through enterprise and hands-on skills development. Its product range, including kombucha and artisanal spice blends, is crafted by neurodivergent artisans who gain structured employment and income stability.
By embedding inclusive hiring within its business model, LemmeLearn challenges exclusion in conventional labour systems and demonstrates that economic participation and neurodiversity are not mutually exclusive.
The Asli Co.
The Asli Co. creates handcrafted wellness and lifestyle products while providing sustainable income opportunities to Orang Asli mothers in rural communities. Seventy-five indigenous women have been empowered through skills development and structured production.
The enterprise has received national recognition, including selection of its handmade products as official Istana Negara souvenirs. Production remains rooted within village communities, allowing income generation without displacement.
Saving Graze
Saving Graze transforms surplus produce into nutritious food packs, sustainable catering and corporate gifts. More than 7,000 food aid boxes have been distributed to B40 families, while 18 local farmers are supported through structured sourcing.
By redirecting edible surplus into formal distribution channels, the enterprise reduces landfill waste and strengthens both farmer income stability and community nourishment.
Moms Village Asia
Moms Village Asia converts paper waste into plantable seed paper products, including greeting cards and eco-gift sets. The enterprise supports women, particularly single mothers and survivors of domestic violence, through crisis assistance, skills training and flexible income pathways.
Each product biodegrades into herbs or flowers once planted, integrating regenerative material use with social support systems and reinforcing biodiversity through everyday consumer choices.
Oupus Organics
Based in Sabah, Oupus Organics produces eco-friendly skincare and home-care products using natural ingredients native to Borneo, including Bambangan seeds. Products are packaged with refill options to reduce single-use plastic consumption.
Twelve B40 women, including single mothers and elderly women, are employed with flexible arrangements. Through partnerships with shelters and community organisations, Oupus provides training that supports home-based entrepreneurship and long-term income resilience.
Upcycled by FE
Upcycled by FE transforms plastic waste collected from rivers and oceans, alongside discarded wood, into functional consumer goods. Over 9,000 kilograms of waste have been recovered, generating more than 11,000 upcycled materials.
The enterprise integrates environmental remediation with employment by involving local and marginalised communities in collection and production. Each product represents material diverted from waterways and reintroduced into circulation with renewed utility.
Jiwa Asli Organik
Based in Sitiawan, Perak, Jiwa Asli Organik engages Jahai Orang Asli families in organic farming through a farm-to-door subscription model. Twenty families participate in cultivating vegetables, fruits and free-range poultry, producing more than 27,000 kilograms of organic goods.
The initiative combines agricultural training with income generation, reinforcing indigenous knowledge while supporting soil health and reducing chemical dependency. Food security, environmental stewardship and livelihood stability are treated as interconnected priorities.
Ecosystem of Social Enterprises in Malaysia
Collectively, these ten social enterprises demonstrate how inclusive employment, circular production and sustainable agriculture can be embedded within commercially viable systems. Artisans are employed through structured contracts. Waste is quantified and diverted. Indigenous farmers are connected directly to consumers. Women access flexible income without leaving their communities.
SEAM has shown that when ecosystem building, mentorship and corporate access are integrated within a coherent framework, social enterprises in Malaysia can position themselves as procurement-ready partners.
As sustainability reporting standards tighten and supply chains face increasing scrutiny, social enterprises in Malaysia capable of delivering measurable social and environmental outcomes will become central to corporate strategy. The ten organisations highlighted through SEAM Cohort 1 illustrate that this transition is already underway.
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