Jakarta. Chandra Asri Group, an Indonesian chemical and infrastructure company, recently bagged three awards at the recent Annual Global CSR & ESG Summit and Awards in Vietnam.

The company won the following awards: Best CSR & ESG Leadership Award (Platinum), Best Community Program Award (Gold), and Best Environmental Excellence Award (Silver). 

“Sustainability is not only a goal, but it has become the company’s fundamental strategic vision as a development partner for Indonesia. This award should motivate us to continue to innovate and bring positive environmental, social, and governance impact,” Phuping Taweesarp, the director for ESG and sustainability at Chandra Asri Group, was quoted as saying in a recent press statement.

The Best CSR & ESG Leadership Award recognizes Chandra Asri’s efforts in their sustainability leadership by implementing a master plan for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles that are integrated with the company’s strategy.  

As part of its commitment to sustainability, Chandra Asri Group comes up with what it calls the ESG master plan that aligns with the sustainable development goals (SDGs). They have also formed a CEO-led sustainability committee, and a reporting based on national and international standards, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), TCFD, and SASB, while also ensuring accountability and transparency. Chandra Asri Group’s chief executive officer Erwin Ciputra’s involvement in the committee shows the company’s commitment towards ESG and sustainability.

The Best Community Program Award acknowledges Chandra Asri’s BERSERI program -- a community empowerment initiative focusing on sustainable agriculture. This includes the so-called “livestock banks” and plasma breeders, as well as educational programs for local product development. The program has reached over 3,500 beneficiaries.

Chandra Asri Group is also working alongside Villa Ternak Indonesia to empower the youth and create jobs for 59 young plasma farmer partners. Since its launch in 2021, the program has succeeded in boosting livestock production by up to 30% and providing net profits of up to $2,985.52 per year. Plasma breeders are also trained to plant Napier grass and use sheep dung as fertilizer.

Last but not least is the Best Environmental Excellence Award which recognizes Chandra Asri’s initiative of helping build plastic-asphalt roads spanning 120.8 kilometers as a means to help Indonesia tackle its waste problem. The total road length exceeded what the company had targeted, namely 100 kilometers in 2023. The plastic-asphalt road is spread across many cities, including Cilegon, Depok, Garut, South Tangerang, Marunda, Bogor, Tegal, Semarang, and Kudus. The “Plastic-Asphalt for a Beautiful Indonesia” has managed a total of 434,637 tons of plastic waste from landfills by the end of 2023. The initiative has also helped improve the economy of 11,967 scavengers. Chandra Asri says a nationwide implementation of this program is expected to help manage at least 604.502 billion used plastic bags and 879,570 tons of plastic waste. This is set to help slash 3.74 million kg of CO2eq emissions.

Chandra Asri Group says that it is embracing what it calls the “R.E.S.P.O.N.S.I.B.L.E” as it seeks to be a growth partner for Indonesia. The pillars consist as follows: R = Resource Circularity and Environment Management; E= Energy Transition and Low Carbon Solution; S = Social and Community Engagement; P = Product and Chemical Stewardship; O= OHS and Human Rights; N = Nurture of Human Capital; S = Sustainable Supply Chain; I = IT and Security Management; B= Business Risk Management; L= Liability on Corporate Governance; E = ESG Communications and Stakeholder Engagement. 

According to a press release, these pillars seek to nurture sustainable development and values, thus ultimately providing sustainable benefits for the company’s stakeholders and society.