Jakarta, 15 March 2022 – The Ministry of Trade and Industry is preparing instruments to support the creation of a downstream industrial climate for palm oil users that prioritizes a balance of environmental, social, and economic aspects. The virtual dialogue entitled Recover Stronger Through Low-Carbon Economy, initiated by the Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable Development (IBCSD) in collaboration with the WWF Indonesia Foundation, is one of the efforts to support Indonesia’s G20 Presidency and encourage active participation of the private sector and other stakeholders in the development of a low-carbon economy through the implementation of sustainable business practices.

On this occasion, Putu Juli Ardika, Director-General of Agro-Industry at the Ministry of Industry, said that the palm oil industry is a leading labor-intensive sector that supports the national economy. As a result, the sustainable development of the downstream palm oil industry is very important. Palm oil and biomass should be produced by international standards based on sustainable development goals so that Indonesian palm oil feeds the nation and the world and contributes to global food needs. “Currently seeing the development, in terms of regulations and completeness of ISPO for the downstream palm oil industry, it has reached the final stage. But still waiting for the legal cover to arrive in the near future.”

Isy Karim, Director of the Ministry of Trade’s Basic Needs and Important Goods, said that the Ministry of Trade encourages policy programs downstream of palm goods, not only in the form of raw materials. The Ministry of Trade wants palm production to have a higher value not only for export. “Meanwhile, to support the absorption of domestic consumption of sustainable palm oil products, we are still waiting for directions from the President.”

On the other hand, the increasing demand for palm oil is frequently linked to environmental and social issues. Therefore, RSPO Senior Manager Global Community Outreach & Engagement, Imam A. El Marzuq explained that implementing sustainable palm oil production practices can answer these challenges. “Replacing palm oil with other vegetable oil substitutes is not a solution. Palm oil plantations that are certified sustainable have a 35 percent and 20 percent lower impact on greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity than non-certified plants when compared to other vegetable oil commodities.” As a result, the RSPO places a high priority on developing palm oil governance that uses Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) to reduce deforestation.

The Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard (POBS), an annual publication launched by WWF in 2009, aims to track the progress of companies in the downstream sector in procuring sustainable palm oil products and derivatives based on criteria such as supply chain and supplier sincerity, as well as sustainable actions and investments, showed an increase in awareness in almost all indicators.

Senior Engagement Manager Global Palm Oil WWF Singapore, Octyanto Bagus Indra Kusuma said “The positive trends in POBS in the downstream palm oil industry are due to increased market awareness and demand pressure, ambitions for sustainability as the company’s core and low-carbon green economy transition policies. So that more and more companies want to improve themselves and prove the palm oil industry is free from deforestation and human rights violations.”

The aspect of sustainability as the company’s core is now also one of the main considerations in financing investment in the financial services sector (SJK). In a panel discussion session, Charles Kho, Head of International Subsidiary Banking at HSBC Indonesia, said that the Green Taxonomy is the starting point for a uniform standard of reference language for banks. However, in the future, this document alone will not suffice; reporting requirements must be developed, and the progress of green operations must be exposed on a regular basis to avoid potential greenwashing practices.

“In the context of our palm oil and supply chain, we will focus on Green Loan-Sustainability Linked Loan (SLL), Trade Financing-Sustainability Linked Trade Load (SLTL) and Sustainability Supply Chain Financing (SCCF) which are based on Green Loan Principles. Charles emphasized that the most important thing is that the company has a key performance indicator (KPI), sustainable performance targets (SPT), good governance, which allows for measurable reporting and verification. He hopes that HSBC Indonesia’s green loan-financing products would serve as a catalyst for boosting economic activity while reducing negative environmental and social impacts.

In general, the participants in this discussion feel that sustainable palm oil is a major industry that can help Indonesia achieve a low-carbon economy. With the urgency of a climate change strategy by the state, the G20 presidency provides an opportunity for Indonesia to become a leading sustainable palm oil enterprise.

It’s time for sustainability issues to be treated as a collective duty that requires significant cross-sectoral collaboration. Multi-stakeholder efforts made by the government, the financial services sector and certifying bodies are required to work together to create an ecosystem in which downstream and upstream oil palm industry actors compete to implement ecologically and socially responsible business practices.

UK’s second national Food Waste Action Week begins today, with Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable Development (IBCSD) joining as a partner. IBCSD will be supporting Food Waste Action Week by sharing assets and content about “Food Storage Mistakes” on IBCSD social media

The second annual Food Waste Action Week begins today, Monday 7 March. It will raise people’s awareness of the huge impact of household food waste on climate change and share practical advice, food-savvy behaviors, and tips on how we can all easily reduce the food we waste in our homes.

Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable Development (IBCSD) excited to announce our new member PT Amartha Mikro Fintek (Amartha). Amartha is the pioneer in a peer-to-peer lending platform that connects potential lenders with rural women micro-entrepreneurs.

Chief Risk and Sustainability Officer Amartha, Aria Widyanto stated the membership of Amartha in IBCSD sends a strong message that it is crucial for companies to integrate their business models with sustainability practices to deliver more impacts to the communities. We see that IBCSD is the right association to achieve these goals. We are excited to have more collaborative action with IBCSD to promote sustainable business practices in Indonesia.

Since 2010, Amartha has been a bridging micropreneurs with online potential lenders. The amount of micropreneurs who had difficulties to raise funds for their business due to limited access, income fluctuation, and no credit history was the beginning of our story. As of 2021, Amartha has facilitated over IDR 3.26 trillion loan origination and served over 621,465 micro-entrepreneurs. Today, Amartha has grown with more than 1,000 employees to empower informal economies to, for instance, open their grocery stalls or expand their traditional fish breeding by bridging them with loans, ranging from IDR 3 million to IDR 10 million. The company believe these micropreneurs can evolve to become quality borrowers with the right technology and the spirit of cooperation. Investing in microbusinesses is also proven to create a great deal of social impact.

Jakarta, January 25, 2022 – 22 businesses participated in the Business and Human Rights Risk Assessment Training or PRISMA with the Directorate General of Human Rights, Ministry of Law and Human Rights. The training was initiated by the Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable Development (IBCSD) and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI) to encourage business awareness to uphold human rights and avoid violations in supply chain operations.

Secretary of the Directorate General of Human Rights at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Bambang Iriana Djajaatmadja, emphasized that upholding human rights norms is a long-term investment in building a sustainable and robust business. “We have 13 indicators to help companies analyze the risk of alleged human rights violations. From business activities by mapping the real conditions, developing follow-up plans, tracking the implementation of follow-up actions, and communicating this series to the public,” said Bambang in the first training, which took place at the JS Luwansa Hotel, January 13, 2022.

Director of Human Rights Cooperation of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Hajerati explained that the indicators were listed in the website-based PRISMA application. The businesses only need to go to the website and register. Then you’ll get a confirmation email and should begin answering questions about the company’s profile, practices, and human rights impact on the company. Following completion, the corporation will view the business risk and human rights assessment scores based on applicable standards. There are threescore categories: Not Enough (0-43.67%), Quite Appropriate (43.68-87.33%), and Appropriate (87.34-131%).

Hajerati hopes to offer a certificate as proof of the company’s contribution to realizing human rights concerns. “There is no reason to be concerned when filling out PRISMA data because it is for the benefit of the business,” she explained.

On Tuesday, January 25, 2022, at the second session, various businesses representatives shared their thoughts and suggestions on the applications they had attempted to complete. Fiki, one of the volunteers who completed the PRISMA application in 25 minutes, stated, “The process is simple, and the data needed is not complex.” Fiki expects that the government will provide certificates or rewards to businesses that have voluntarily filled out the application.

Radu Mares, Senior Researcher at RWI, and Victor Bernard, Program Officer at RWI, emphasized the importance of implementing Human Rights and Environmental Sustainability because more than 150 constitutions worldwide acknowledge the Right to a Healthy Environment including Indonesia’s. “A healthy economy and environment are critical to corporate operations.” If corporations become more aware of their long-term impact on the environment, they will be more committed to conserving and restoring it. As a result, an increasing number of businesses are considering human rights and the environment as crucial performance factors.

With multi-stakeholder collaboration, IBCSD, an association of CEOs of companies that encourage Sustainable Development in Indonesia, builds cooperation with several partners. In this case, the Directorate General of Human Rights and RWI will continue to promote increased awareness of human rights and responsible behavior, not limited to Independent Due Diligence but in daily practice.

Jakarta, 4 December 2021 – Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno on Saturday (4/12/2021) inaugurated The Jakarta Fashion Hub (JFH), a collaborative space where fashion and creativity meet. Established in the middle of last year, the JFH is expected to become a platform for creative industry actors in driving the creative industry’s potential, specifically the national sustainable fashion, textile, and creative economy.

The inauguration of the collaborative space was marked by the signing of a plaque by Sandiaga at the Jakarta Fashion Hub Building located at No. 33 Teluk Betung Street, Central Jakarta. Present at the ceremony were Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) Group Managing Director Anderson Tanoto and Asia Pacific Rayon (APR) Director Basrie Kamba.

In his speech, Sandiaga expressed appreciation for the establishment of the Jakarta Fashion Hub which can help drive Indonesia’s Creative Economy, especially in the fashion sector.

“The Jakarta Fashion Hub is expected to help the national fashion industry further improve its output, find a place in the hearts of Indonesians and compete on a global scale. Today’s event is also expected to encourage the JFH to continue to bring innovations, adaptations and closer collaboration in Indonesia’s fashion ecosystem,” said Sandiaga.

Sandiaga went on to say that visitors who utilize the Jakarta Fashion Hub can support the government’s efforts to boost the competitiveness of the creative economy, create collaborative products that can compete in the national and international markets, and support Indonesia’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Opportunities for creative economy and the fashion market in Indonesia are still wide open. The government continues to strive to provide the best raw materials for the fashion industry, develop programs that support the President’s directive to make Indonesia the world’s fashion hub, and promote the spirit of #BanggaBuatanIndonesia and #SemuaAdaDisini,” he said.

APR Director Basrie Kamba said the Jakarta Fashion Hub is expected to become a driving force for Indonesia’s creative industries through its facilities, including by offering solutions for creativepreneurs looking to develop their business models.

“With its inauguration, we hope the JFH can encourage more young people to nurture their potentials and creative ideas to create original made-in Indonesia fashion products with a global presence in accordance with President Joko Widodo’s vision to encourage #BanggaBuatanIndonesia. We are confident that Indonesia can become a global fashion hub,” said Basrie.

On the same occasion, Basrie also reiterated the Jakarta Fashion Hub’s commitment to collaborate with multi-stakeholders to promote the development of Indonesian rayon fiber-based textile materials. The collaboration will create a range of benefits worth IDR1 billion, which will come in the form of rayon fabric, the availability of creative space, and promotional activities.

The Jakarta Fashion Hub offers members space for concept and product design development and various facilities such as workshop areas, co-working spaces, photo studios and ready-to-buy fabrics. Boasting 3,900 active members, the Jakarta Fashion Hub has collaborated with at least 50 local brands/fashion designers and organized fashion shows, virtual shopping and webinars on fashion and sustainable fashion.

The latest collaboration came in the form of the “Jenggala Vol :2” exhibition with local brand Imaji Studio.

“The shared vision of supporting sustainable fashion brought Imaji Studio together with the Jakarta Fashion Hub. We were greatly supported by the Hub that supports both creative economy and sustainability,” said Imaji Studio founder Shari Semesta.

APR is part of the RGE (Royal Golden Eagle) resource-based manufacturing group with operations in Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau Province. APR prioritizes sustainability in its operations and is committed to giving a positive contribution towards climate, nature, clean manufacturing, as well as circularity and progress as part of its APR2030 sustainability commitments.

About Asia Pacific Rayon:

Asia Pacific Rayon is the first integrated viscose-rayon fiber producer in Asia located in Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau. APR is committed to being the best viscose rayon producer by promoting sustainability, transparency and the best production process, while providing benefits to society, the country and providing added value to consumers. APR is part of a group of natural resource-based manufacturing companies under the RGE Group. APR’s Sustainability Policy, implemented in September 2020, includes additional commitments to pulp sourcing and clean manufacturing.

The Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable Development together with Amartha held a Webinar entitled “Empowering Women’s Economic” on Thursday, December 17, 2021, virtually. This event was held to commemorate Mother’s Day to encourage the role of empowering women through MSMEs and education.

In her speech, IBCSD President, Shinta W. Kamdani “The commemoration of Mother’s Day every December 22 is not only regarded as a special day to honor to women who have contributed significantly in taking care of the household and family. But it should also be a moment to encourage the role of women in development and the economy. Women who are empowered can enhance their quality of life on their own. So that they may not only support their families but also contribute to the global economy.”

In line with the remarks, Assistant Deputy for Gender Mainstreaming in the Economic Sector, Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (MoWECP), Eni Widiyanti said that “According to the Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum in 2021, Indonesia is currently ranked 101 out of 156 countries. This indicates that gender inequality in Indonesia is still high and there are still obstacles for Indonesian women to get their rights. Of the half of Indonesia’s female population, 102.3 million are women of productive age. However, from our data, it was found that there were 57.4% of women who initially worked had to leave because she is free to take care of the household. This is something that needs to be considered so that there is a program that can empower these women and overcome their poverty.”

Eni said that as one of MoWECP’s priorities for Increasing Women’s Empowerment in MSMEs still has several problems. This can be an opportunity for multi-sectoral cooperation such as MSME partnership cooperation, access to MSME financing, and the use of technology in running their business. For this reason, currently, MoWECP has created the concept of entrepreneurship training with a gender perspective to realize empowered women, protecting children, and advanced Indonesia.

For this reason, Amartha, a fintech pioneer of peer-to-peer lending, comes with a special intervention to help overcome the gap in women’s empowerment, especially in the economic sector with a financial inclusion strategy in the form of working capital and assistance.

“Through the Amartha platform, we connect financiers from the public and banks who want to help women micro-entrepreneurs in rural areas. By working together, these mothers can be independent and provide welfare for their families. In addition, Amartha also assists in adopting digital literacy to be more digitally proficient. In the future, the development of financial inclusion cannot be separated from digital literacy so that it can be separated so as not to create new gaps.” Amartha’s Chief Risk and Sustainability Officer, Aria Widyanto said.

“Education, Economics, Health, and Politics are significant factors in the actualization of women,” noted Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, Deputy for Economics at the Ministry of National Development Planning.

According to studies, the more educated women are, the more likely they are to participate in the labor force. She can develop a better and higher-quality generation as a result of his confidence. Of course, access to decent formal job facilities, women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship, and encouragement to increase education all help to promote this. So that the Glass Ceiling and Sticky Floor stigmas in the workplace are no longer an impediment to women exploring themselves as assets for the country’s growth.

Melanie Masriel, L’Oreal Indonesia’s Communication, Public Affairs, and Sustainability Director, shared best practices for their sustainable programs such as Beauty for Better Life, which provides vocational training in makeup and hairdressing, L’Oreal-UNESCO scholarships for Women in Science, solidarity sourcing, and STANDUP against harassment of women in public, which aims to increase women’s self-confidence and stan

Women encounter several challenges in achieving independence. Economic obstacles are influenced not just by societal standards or gender norms, but also by education and access to knowledge. Several governments and industry programs have been established to guarantee that women have equal chances to enhance their living conditions and encourage gender equality. So that they may contribute to their family and the country’s progress.

With the Empowering Women’s Economic webinar in collaboration with Amartha, it is hoped to stimulate collaboration between parties to empower women in Indonesia.

Look back at the discussion here: Empowering Women’s Economic Webinar

For more webinar videos, please access https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk2fo2_O-6E

To download the material, please go to https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1m5_EGbEMnrSEue_eYOBWME8scz4AeKVf