BRI project wins top Asian awards for green manufacturing, sustainability

A landmark project between China and Indonesia under the Belt and Road Initiative framework has won three Platinum awards at the Asian Impact Awards 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, due to its integrated approach to green manufacturing and sustainability.

Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) clinched three Platinum awards at the Asian Impact Awards 2025 in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 18 for its Coastal Synergy Ecology Project, Horticulture Capacity-Building Program, and Child Health Care Initiative, making it the only corporate recipient to secure three top-tier honors this year.

Jointly initiated by the La Tofi School of Social Responsibility and Malaysia's PORTMAN College, the awards benchmark the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and recognize outstanding contributions across environmental, social and governance (ESG) fields, with the Platinum award representing the highest tier.

Standing as a landmark project of cooperation between China and Indonesia since its inception in 2013, IMIP has harnessed the region's abundant nickel reserves to expand into a large integrated industrial cluster, attracting a total investment of some $35 billion from enterprises in China, Australia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Generating nearly 100,000 direct jobs and emerging as a vital pillar in Indonesia's nickel deep-processing and new energy industrial chains, IMIP has taken a landmark step in bolstering its green transformation.

This year's edition brought together leading organizations including Pertamina, PLN, CIMB Niaga and the Forest Research Institute Malaysia, with entries spanning environmental governance, social innovation, green energy, fintech and community development, cementing the event as a key platform advancing sustainability across Asia.

It has been learned that IMIP earned top points for its integrated approach to green manufacturing and sustainability, notably for sustained mangrove and coral-reef restoration that strengthens coastal resilience and safeguards biodiversity, setting a new benchmark for regional development.

"This recognition is a new starting point," said Emma, secretary-general of the IMIP Sustainability Foundation. "We will deepen partnerships with local communities and international stakeholders, advance ecology, education and community programs, and explore new models of corporate social responsibility to shape a greener, more prosperous and sustainable future together."

It has been learned that on community health and livelihoods, a village horticulture program in Le-Le provides hands-on training that upgrades agricultural skills and improves local well-being, while in parallel, IMIP's multi-stakeholder Child Health Care Initiative focuses on nutrition, delivering targeted interventions and routine screenings in Bahodopi that have helped reduce child stunting rates.