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SwissCham highlights businesses that champion value of sustainability
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wissCham held an event on Pathways to Sustainability for Companies on Feb. 7. Inviting speakers from across various sectors, the discussion centered around the challenges, successes, and the importance of integrating sustainability in day-to-day and strategic decision-making practices.
In his opening remarks, Christophe Piganiol, President Director of Anugerah Pharmindo Lestari (APL), wanted people to realize their own individual journey towards sustainability and encouraged everyone to “walk together to be able to run together.”
“Today what we wanted to focus on is very simple; practical steps to start. Some people might not know about sustainability, some people might be afraid. It’s like the first time you want to do something, you don’t know. What are practical steps you can do to start? And share examples and stories so that you know you’re not the only one asking that question,” he explained.
Christophe was joined by Philippe De Meyer, Managing Director of Bühler Indonesia, Mirna Mutiara, Business Sustainability Manager of Syngenta Indonesia, and Taufiqurrahman, Chief Editor of The Jakarta Post. Moreover, Annette Aprilana, Sustainability and ESG Lead at Funding Societies, Modalku Group served as moderator for the evening.
The conversation covered how to quantify efforts across all levels of production, and the role of public sectors. Moreover, speakers all agree that collaboration is an essential factor to succeed and the need to raise the awareness of how sustainable practices can lead to lower production cost and higher profitability.
Budi Darmawan, Sustainability Director of Zurich Indonesia, also shared the importance his company placed on collaborations with customers on sustainability. One such example is its collaboration with Nestle to protect coffee farmers from climate-change related challenges. The insurance to protect coffee farmers from unfavorable weather condition is the first of its kind in Indonesia.
Ending the talk on a high note, the speakers all have seen a shift in the attitude of the younger generation on environmental protection and sustainability, whereby there is more acknowledgment and understanding of climate change challenges.
“If we can instill the [sustainability] passion in Indonesia, if we can make the beacon, the sparks, the lighthouse that we see here and there to be bigger lighthouse, bigger beacons for the country, I will be very happy,” Christophe said on his passion to influence others to kickstart a momentum on sustainability.
