Roundtable: Bridging Global Standards and Local Realities – Sustainability Reporting in Southeast Asia’s Agriculture Sector

As sustainability reporting requirements evolve globally, affected stakeholders face significant challenges in dealing with the increased disclosure obligations amidst a fragmentation of standards.

This roundtable will address the specific challenges and opportunities of implementing international
sustainability reporting standards, for stakeholders in the agriculture sector. Focussing on the supply chains between Southeast Asia and the European Union, it will discuss the intersection with local regulations, with a deep dive into Indonesian legislation, and the intersection with other trade policy files.

The discussion will bring together multiple stakeholders to collect what challenges and gaps remain from different standpoints, what is being done already, and what can be done together to strengthen
and build capacity in the region vis-à-vis the changing international regulatory framework.

International sustainability reporting standards trigger the need for capacity building

While global sustainability reporting standards and frameworks like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and the Roundtable Sustainable Palm Oil’s ACOP standards provide guidelines, challenges around capacities to navigate and meet the reporting needs in this quickly evolving landscape of different reporting frameworks remain or even increase.

These developments evolve in the specific context of existing national and regional legislations, such as the Indonesian Financial Services Authority Regulation on Sustainable Finance, and amidst reporting needs of other introduced policy, such as the EUDR and CBAM.

Objectives: 

1. Discuss barriers and challenges and opportunities around sustainability reporting in a larger
policy context, and how they can be overcome
2. Identify key capacity-building needs of stakeholders navigating this landscape
3. Explore ideas and strategies for regional capacity building + potential ideas for collaboration

The key insights will be captured and shared afterwards (Chatham House Rules)

Agenda (JKT time):

14:30 – 15:00: Registration and coffee

15:00 – 16:50:
I. (15 min) Technical input by Climate & Company and CDP Indonesia
II. (40 min) Open discussion on experiences and views
III. (55 min) Open discussion on the way forward: action points for 2025 onward

16:50 – 17:00
Final remarks

17:00 – 17:30
Socializing

Agenda (CET time):

9:00 – 10:50:

I. (10 min) Technical input
II. (40 min) Open discussion on experiences and views
III. (60 min) Open discussion on the way forward: action points for 2025 onward

10:50 – 11:00
Final remarks

If you are interested to contribute to the prepared technical input, please reach out to [email protected]