East Java Government Accelerates Green Industry to Boost Export Competitiveness

The East Java Provincial Government is accelerating the development of green industries through mentoring and cross-sector collaboration to expand the opportunities and competitiveness of domestic product exports. Head of the East Java Industry and Trade Office, Iwan, stated that this acceleration is a necessity because products marketed abroad are required to meet sustainability standards through green industry certification. “If our industry enters the export market, one of the certificate requirements is this green industry standard,” Iwan said during the East Java Catalyst event in Surabaya on Thursday. He explained that the number of industrial players in East Java who have obtained green industry certification is still limited, so the regional government continues to provide mentoring, now strengthened through partnerships with various parties to speed up the transformation process. According to him, green industry certification requires lengthy stages and parameters, necessitating synergy between the government, businesses, mentoring institutions, and clean technology providers. East Java has significant capital to accelerate this transformation, given that the processing industry sector is the main pillar of the regional economy. In the first quarter of 2026, East Java’s economy grew by 5.96 per cent year-on-year, with a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) value reaching Rp888.44 trillion, contributing 14.36 per cent to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The processing industry sector contributed 31.45 per cent to East Java’s GRDP and grew by 5.98 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, higher than the national industrial growth of 5.04 per cent. “The transformation towards a more efficient, low-carbon, and sustainable industry is a strategic step that must be continuously encouraged to maintain a balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability,” he said. Meanwhile, Diyanto Imam, Director of New Energy Nexus Indonesia, said that his organisation is initiating cooperation by mapping the needs of industries in East Java so that the solutions provided are appropriate to the challenges faced by businesses. He said that the results of this mapping will form the basis for developing mentoring programmes and clean technology adoption for industrial players, including both small and medium-sized industries and small and medium-sized enterprises. “Green industry is not only for large industries, but we also want to ensure that small and medium-sized industries and enterprises can enter this ecosystem,” he said.