Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) held a National Focus Group Discussion (FGD) themed Strengthening ESG Practices through the Development of Sustainable Certification in the Mining Sector in Jakarta, Thursday (14 August 2025).
The event was opened with keynote remarks from Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arif Havas Oegroseno and Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Yuliot Tanjung.
“Sustainable certification plays a crucial role in enhancing the competitiveness and international market access of Indonesia’s mining sector,” said Yuliot Tanjung.
Havas noted that Indonesia has extensive experience in developing certification schemes. “Forest and palm oil certification schemes can serve as valuable lessons in developing certification for the mining sector,” emphasized Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arif Havas Oegroseno.
In this forum, Director General of Sustainable Forest Management at the Ministry of Forestry Laksmi Wijayanti presented the success of the Timber Legality and Sustainability Verification System (SVLK) as a national certification model with international standards.
“SVLK ensures that all timber products come from legal sources and are managed sustainably,” Laksmi said. She further noted that through SVLK, Indonesia became a pioneer in issuing FLEGT Licenses for exports to the European Union and the United Kingdom.
In addition, SVLK innovations with geolocation features have strengthened raw material traceability, supporting transparency in the global market.
Meanwhile, representatives from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries shared their experience in implementing fisheries product certification that adopts principles of legality and sustainability, while speakers from the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) outlined the implementation of the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) as an important instrument to ensure the sustainability and acceptance of palm oil products in the global market.
This cross-sector experience serves as a valuable reference for the mining industry, which is currently developing sustainable certification aimed at improving governance, ESG performance, and global competitiveness. (*)
