To promote enhanced climate actions among the member companies, the Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable Development (IBCSD) conducted knowledge sharing event on the above concern with the Overseas Environmental Cooperation Center (OECC), Japan on 18 June 2019 during their visit to Indonesia. On behalf of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan, the OECC itself in collaboration World Research Institute (WRI) supports the Indonesian Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS) for Partnership to Strengthen Transparency for co-Innovation (PaSTI) program. PaSTI aims to enhance co-innovation between the government, non-state actors and the global community to improve the transparency framework pertaining to the reduction of greenhouse gas emission and to achieve Indonesia’s climate goal in its NDC.

There were eight IBCSD member companies from different industrial sectors attending the knowledge sharing event. They want to learn the climate change actions and efforts among companies and their supply chain partners in Japan. One of the lessons learned is that high level or CEO leadership is a must factor to ensure the climate actions work effectively. The IBCSD member companies are still looking for learning, in particular from PaSTI program on the incentives and greater clarity for enhanced efforts and ambition in climate actions among private sector in Indonesia.

It is all because ‘business as usual’ is no longer an option in the face of a climate changing more rapidly than predicted, declining key ecosystem services, food and energy insecurity for many, and the potential of another financial crisis sparked mainly by short-term thinking and poor governance. Read more about this at https://www.nowjakarta.co.id

The Director of Essential Ecosystem Management, Ministry of Environment and Foresty, Ir. Tandya Tjahjana, MSi in his opening remarks appreciated the initiative for developing module on biodiversity management in mining area. He said, “Our conservation area alone are not able to protect all high – priority species, because many endangered species are living outside conservation area including in mining concessions area”. He expects that inputs from various experts can help mining industries to protect and manage biodiversity in the mining area.

The draft Module of Biodiversity Conservation in Mining Area is developed using the concept of high conservation value (Area Bernilai Konservasi Tinggi / ABKT). This concept aims to protect and manage high value biodiversity outside the conservation area. One of the challenges in implementing the ABKT concept as emphasized in the FGD, is that this concept can only be implemented successfully if there is synergy among different stakeholders since the ABKT deals with cross-boundary issues, as the ABKT is a landscape approach. 

Among the award recipients are chatbot provider Kata.ai, food franchisor Orchi Fried Chicken, wedding and holiday planner Weddingku group, peer-to-peer financing platform Investree, digital wallet provider Payfazz, and lifestyle retailer Metroxgroup.

Indonesia is the third country in ASEAN to launch the SME 100 Awards, after Malaysia and Singapore. Vietnam will be the fourth country with the survey currently being deployed across the country.

SMEs participating in the survey are both optimistic and cautious over the rapid pace of technological development and greater regional economic integration. Many SMEs continue to feel the heat from both technology-based disruptors in their industry and from regional competitors who are adopting technology to outpace them in the market. Almost every SME surveyed realizes the importance of a digital strategy, but many do not have the resources or the capability to implement one. The Indonesian government has invested substantial time and money into helping SMEs in this aspect, but the adoption rate is far slower than ideal.

Leading in sustainable business requires companies to navigate the increasingly complex links between economic, environmental and social spheres. In APRIL, the company wants to develop leaders who are able to tackle the sustainability challenges of tomorrow.

The applications for the APRIL Sustainability Professional Development Programme 2019 is currently open. Over the course of the 18-month programme, candidates will have the unique opportunity to take on sustainability-related roles across APRIL’s operations, understanding sustainability as it relates to the company in various scopes through three distinct rotations.

Interested applicants can find out more about the program in https://www.aprilasia.com/en/sustainability-professional-development-programme  

As Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, Ph.D, Expert Staff for Synergy of Economic Affairs and Financing, Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS) said, “global trend shows that only sustainable business is competitive at global market. By participating in SDGs achievement, companies will also get benefit to prepare themselves to compete at global level.” This comment is stated in the dialogue session with the member companies of IBCSD Working Group on SDGs on 23 May 2019 in Jakarta.

To showcase the companies’ concrete initiatives relating to SDGs, IBCSD is also documenting the member companies’ best practices in implementing the sustainable development goals. The IBCSD, as discussed in the dialogue session, will also collaborate with BAPPENAS and other partners, such as GRI in coordinating the member companies to participate in the development of next SDGs National Action Plan.

Under the partnership agreement, IBCSD and IMA will work together in conducting advocacy on the Guideline for Biodiversity Protection in Mining Area. The guideline has been developed through the collaboration between IBCSD and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) through  Burung Indonesia as the CEPF regional implementation team. The Guideline has been collaboratively developed through various stages by engaging relevant stakeholders from both state and non-state actors. The consultation process of the guideline prior to the implementation is critically important to ensure ownership and support from all relevant stakeholders to thrive together. In this partnership, IMA confirms its position to support sustainable mining maintaining balance between biodiversity conservation and business sustainability aspects.

One of IBCSD’s member group, Asian Pulp and Paper, recently partnered with Discovery Science Channel to do a feature in Tomorrow’s World Today to showcase how APP incorporates sustainable practices within its entire operation and its impact on the global business.

The video takes us through APP’s operations from the nurseries and plantations to the pulp and paper making process while also showcasing APP’s successful community programs. The episode also highlights APP’s fully sustainable solution to plastic waste with APP’s FooPak packaging. This feature will be able to prominently highlight the efforts of APP and how the company have bench marked themselves against global standards and performance indicators across all aspects of APP’s business and push the company to exceed these goals.

As the refreshment to children’s rights and business principles, resource person from UNICEF, Ms. Lukita Setiyarso, provided detailed elaboration on the ten CRB principles and facilitated the discussion. Participants were also invited to share their experience from their respective business practices. All IBCSD member companies already implement the ten CRB principles through various activities bringing direct and indirect impacts for children. On the former, for example, are through day car service, safety and nutritious food, education program, such scholarship, entrepreneurship training, education facilities, etc. On the latter, some companies allow flexible working hours to employees so that they have quality time for their children.