SUSTAINABILITY has become a major development agenda for Indonesia. However, the biggest challenge ahead is no longer merely how to find new ideas, but rather how to ensure various stakeholders are moving in the same direction.
This message was one of the main themes of the Lestari Summit 2026, organised by KG Media at the Raffles Hotel Jakarta on July 22. The forum – which brought together government representatives, business leaders, international organisations, academics, communities and the media – demonstrated that the sustainability agenda requires more than just individual commitments. It requires collaboration capable of connecting policy with investment, innovation with community needs and economic growth with environmental protection.
The Deputy National Development Planning Minister and National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) deputy head Febrian Alphyanto Ruddyard emphasised that collaborative forums are essential because development challenges are becoming increasingly complex. According to him, partnerships are necessary to generate new ideas and strengthen collaboration, acting as a prerequisite for sustainable development.
This perspective highlights a critical issue: the collaboration gap. Many parties have been moving along their own paths, but a greater impact can only be created when these steps are interconnected.
From commitment to strategy
Indonesia National Economic Council deputy chair Mari Elka Pangestu stressed that sustainability should not be pursued by companies just to meet regulations or compliance standards. Sustainability needs to be a part of the business strategy, because it can increase efficiency, expand access to financing and strengthen competitiveness in the global market.
This shift in mindset is vital as sustainability standards continue to influence a company’s ability to enter export markets. Product traceability, the use of clean energy and compliance with environmental standards are becoming part of international trade requirements.
This means sustainability no longer stands as an agenda separate from the economy; it has integrated into value chains, investment, trade, production and business decision-making. Therefore, collaboration between the government and the business world cannot stop at dialogue. Regulations and incentives need to work hand-in-hand so that transformation can be carried out consistently.
At the same time, technology, innovative financing and human resource development are necessary to support the Green Growth Agenda and create green jobs. It is at this point that policy must meet the needs of the business world.
Unifying the development direction
Febrian reaffirmed that sustainability has become an integral part of Indonesia’s national development planning system. This principle is reflected in the National Medium-Term Development Plan 2025-2029 as the initial stage of executing the National Long-Term Development Plan 2025-2045.
The challenge is ensuring that this principle is not confined to planning documents. Economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability must reinforce one another in the execution of development.
Indonesia United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative Sara Ferrer Olivella reinforced this urgency by stating that approximately 70% of national economic activity relies, either directly or indirectly, on natural resources. Sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry and mining directly account for about a third of the economy.
When downstream sectors such as manufacturing, logistics and tourism are factored in, this dependency rises to around 70%. These figures demonstrate that preserving nature is not merely an environmental agenda, but also a matter of safeguarding the foundations of the economy.
Therefore, according to Olivella, the government, private sector, financial institutions, academia, media and the public must strengthen their partnerships. Businesses need supportive policies and financing. The government needs innovation and investment. Communities need access to sustainable economic opportunities. Academia and research institutions provide knowledge, while the media can broaden public understanding. Each stakeholder has different resources; the gap arises when these resources do not align toward the same objective.
Collaboration must reach the community
Susi Pudjiastuti’s experience in Pangandaran shows that sustainability collaboration must also be translated to the local level. According to Susi, development should not be synonymous with eviction, destruction or the loss of livelihoods. Tourism and fisheries, for example, do not need to be pitted against each other. Both can develop together if the marine ecosystem is maintained.
A healthy marine ecosystem can sustain fishers’ yields while enhancing the appeal of culinary and marine tourism. The benefits then spread to merchants, culinary business operators, tourism service providers and micro, small and medium enterprises.
This approach demonstrates that sustainability works when environmental and economic interests are not separated.
A similar pattern can be seen from Trisno’s experience in Dusun Tanon, Desa Ngrawan, Kabupaten Semarang. Upon returning to his hometown, he encountered various social issues but chose to start with sanitation and clean living habits. He realised that changing habits requires more than just socialisation – people need a concrete reason to change, and that is tied to their welfare.
The message is simple: sustainability solutions will be far stronger when the community becomes part of the solution, rather than merely the recipient of a message.
From individuals to a collective movement
Another example comes from the Rock in Celebes music festival. Its founder Hardinansyah Putra Siji views the issue of waste at music festivals not as a problem to be cleaned up after the event. He transformed the event design by eliminating single-use plastic cups and introducing a Rp10,000 (RM2.31) deposit system. This approach highlights the importance of changing systems, rather than simply asking individuals to change their behaviour.
The same applies to the global climate agenda. Dino Patti Djalal reminded participants that incremental individual actions are insufficient to steer the world toward a safe climate condition. The carbon budget applies to all parties; this means that emission reductions must be carried out collectively by nations, corporations, families and individuals.
According to Dino, the greatest challenge for Indonesia and developing nations is redirecting global dynamics away from competition, conflict, geopolitical rivalry and the arms race and back toward development priorities and sustainable development goals (SDGs).
He noted that, out of the 139 SDG targets, the global average for those on track to achieve them is only around 36%, whereas Indonesia is at approximately 65%. These figures indicate that there is still a major task to be completed before 2030.
Therefore, it is not enough for Indonesia to merely be a participant. Indonesia has the opportunity to be a game-changer by boldly taking a position and driving change.
Closing the collaboration gap
Ultimately, the Lestari Summit 2026 showed that the sustainability agenda has one fundamental requirement: closing the collaboration gap.
This does not mean that every stakeholder must do the exact same thing. On the contrary, governments, corporations, investors, academics, communities, media and the public have distinct roles. What is needed is to ensure these roles complement one another.
Policy must connect with investment. Technology must meet community needs. Financing must reach economic actors who need it. Knowledge must be translated into decisions. National targets must be aligned with corporate and community actions. Meanwhile, development success must be measured not only by economic growth, but also by the ability to preserve natural capital and improve welfare.
As Febrian emphasised, sustainable prosperity can only be achieved when economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability reinforce each other. This is the most relevant shared challenge moving forward is no longer increasing isolated commitments, but transforming commitments into an ecosystem of collective action.
Ultimately, sustainability is not a competition over who moves the fastest, but rather a matter of whether diverse initiatives can come together, reinforce one another and generate significant enough change to safeguard the future.
