Defining credible impact in sustainability innovation

By the Editorial Team · Friday, September 25, 2026

Corporate participation in sustainability initiatives has increased, but experts at the Lestari Award stressed the need to differentiate genuine innovation from routine efforts and ensure long-term viability. The evaluation highlighted challenges in business planning, outcome verification, and integrating ESG factors, urging companies to adopt more rigorous approaches for lasting environmental and economic impact in Indonesia.

Corporate engagement with sustainability initiatives has grown markedly, but experts caution that distinguishing true innovation from routine activities remains essential. This was a key theme during the recent Lestari Award evaluation, where submissions were scrutinized for their originality and lasting impact.

Angga P. Putra, acting climate and market transformation programme director at WWF Indonesia and a judge for the award, emphasized the event’s importance as a platform for critically assessing whether sustainability projects deliver meaningful advances. While he recognized the positive intent behind many community collaboration proposals, he pointed out inherent limitations affecting their long-term viability.

“Programs managed alongside communities often focus narrowly on production, without developing comprehensive business plans. This gap undermines economic sustainability after projects are handed over to residents,” Angga noted. He highlighted that capacity building in business planning remains a significant challenge in community-driven efforts.

Another common issue identified during judging was the premature attribution of broad impact by participants whose initiatives have only recently begun. Angga stressed the need for methodological rigor and honesty in reporting outcomes, distinguishing between short-term operational results and sustained impact.

“Innovation does not necessarily translate into immediate impact, as impact requires extended execution periods. Demonstrating meaningful effects for projects under one year is particularly difficult,” he added.

Looking ahead, Angga called on companies to move beyond viewing sustainability as mere compliance with regulations. Instead, he encouraged integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations directly into innovation strategies that generate measurable business value.

“Many participants aim for innovation but lack a clear definition of it. Given most entries come from corporations, ESG factors should be a compelling component tightly linked to innovation,” he said.

These insights reflect a broader goal to strengthen Indonesia’s evolving green ecosystem with greater transparency and accountability. Angga advocated for incorporating clear timelines and robust verification mechanisms to properly evaluate progress and verify claims.

“Strong timeline indicators are crucial for assessing impact accurately. For measuring implementation and immediate outcomes, timeframes shorter than one year are appropriate,” he concluded.

The feedback aims not to discourage efforts but to promote more rigorous and sustainable approaches to environmental innovation, ensuring initiatives can deliver durable benefits in Indonesia’s pursuit of sustainable development.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.