Tanah Sullivan, who was appointed Head of Sustainability position at the GoTo Group in November 2020 of last year, has built up an impressive track record as she vigorously drives the company’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments forward. Within the first few months of taking the sustainability helm, Tanah launched the organization’s first ESG framework and strategy which encompassed Gojek’s three biggest business lines of transport, food delivery, and logistics.
In April 2021, Tanah oversaw the launch of Gojek’s first Sustainability Report which introduced the Gojek Three Zeros by 2030 commitment; zero emissions, zero waste, and zero barriers. The Gojek Sustainability Report, which includes performance disclosures and internal data related to material ESG issues, marks the first time a technology company in Southeast Asia has published a sustainability report in line with international standards. The report has since gained both local and international recognition, including an Asia Sustainability Reporting Gold ranking from Indonesia’s National Centre for Sustainability Reporting (NCSR), which is a member of the International Institute of Certified Sustainability Practitioners. The Sustainability Report also attracted the attention of the United Nations, as Gojek was awarded first place for Indonesia and second place in Asia Pacific for Transparency and Reporting at the 2021 UN Women Awards.
As Tanah Sullivan’s list of achievements have rapidly accumulated she was recognized in December 2021 as one of 19 outstanding individuals who have achieved measurable impact for society and the environment in the last 12 months by The Eco-Business A-List, an annual who’s who list of influential sustainability leaders in Asia Pacific.
To drive long term impact, Gojek sustainability efforts combine strategy and transparent reporting with concrete action. To achieve the three zeros by 2030 target, Gojek has pledged to fully shift to electric vehicles on its platform by 2030 and has backed the pledge with the formation of a strategic partnership with Gogoro, a battery swapping and electric scooter maker, where the two companies will collaborate on a pilot program that will run in Jakarta.
Gojek has also launched a joint venture called Electrum, aimed at building an electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia. This partnership is in partnership with PT TBS Energi Utama Tbk, through PT Karya Baru TBS (TBS).
Further initiatives are being implemented directly at Gojek business units. At GoFood, merchant and supplier partner focussed initiatives provide solutions to significantly reduce waste by replacing single-use and plastic packaging with more sustainable alternatives. The results are inspiring. In the second half of 2021, 10 percent of Gojek Cloud Kitchens achieved zero waste through merchant efforts to reduce packaging and waste and utilize appropriate sorting and sustainable disposal of all residual waste in collaboration with Rekosistem, a local waste management partner.
To achieve the zero barriers commitment, Tanah has formed the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) council which is a governance body consisting of senior leadership and representatives from business units at both GoTo local and global offices. As part of these efforts, Tanah has also launched Employee Resource Groups to establish reporting processes for annual DEI metrics and targets, setting targets to achieve gender parity in pay and representation, and increasing representation for under-represented groups. These efforts complement the financial inclusion of drivers and merchant partners initiatives being conducted in collaboration with World Bank’s financial inclusion experts, and will see higher participation of women-owned MSMEs on all GoTo platforms.
Zero barriers also include Gojek’s active support of the Valuable 500 pledge, an international alliance of companies committed to improving accessible products for users and partners who are visually or hearing-impaired.
Said Tanah Sullivan, "This is not a short term journey. We are not just going to temporarily offset our emissions, and immediately claim that we are carbon neutral. Our strategy is to fundamentally change the way that our business operates."
Tanah has big plans ahead which have started with the expansion of the sustainability program from Gojek to GoTo Financial and Tokopedia which encompasses the whole GoTo Group ecosystem. Tanah’s mission is to ensure organizational growth does not come at the expense of people or the environment which includes consumers, merchant partners, and driver-partners.
"It’s not going to be easy. There are many factors and stakeholders involved and we have to take it one step at a time. At the core of our sustainability efforts are our concern for our drivers and the need for our impact to benefit everyone. Our strategy is to become a carbon-neutral platform that benefits everyone and does not make anyone, especially our drivers, shortchanged," Tanah concluded.
