Ministry of Environment Emphasises Importance of Social Innovation and Resource Efficiency in Mining Sector

The government faces a policy dilemma with no truly comfortable options. The Ministry of Environment (KLH) has officially designated PT Ceria Nugraha Indotama (Ceria) as a recipient of the Green PROPER ranking for the 2024–2025 evaluation period. This achievement signifies a major transformation for the nickel mining company after being stuck in the Blue category—or merely administrative compliance—for six consecutive years (2018–2023). The Green ranking is a Beyond Compliance category awarded to companies proven to manage the environment exceeding the standards required by regulations. Ceria’s President Director, Abdul Haris Tatang, revealed that the success in advancing to the Green ranking is the result of a long-term commitment from all company elements in integrating mining operations with natural preservation. “This achievement becomes a foundation for continuing to improve performance and providing broader contributions to the environment and society,” Abdul stated in his remarks on Wednesday (8/4/2026). Minister of Environment/Head of BPLH, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, emphasised that the PROPER instrument has now evolved into a driver of national industrial transformation. This year, the evaluation was participated in by 5,476 companies, of which 243 achieved the Green ranking, including Ceria. “PROPER encourages companies not only to comply but also to go beyond compliance through innovation, resource efficiency, and real contributions to society,” Minister Hanif asserted firmly. He also warned that the government will not hesitate to enforce the law against companies still in the Red or Black categories deemed to have failed to meet environmental protection provisions. Ceria’s Green ranking achievement was driven by various sustainability initiatives, from energy and water efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, to circular economy-based waste management. Ceria’s Mining Engineering Head, Alpi Cekdin, added that the company consistently applies the Mining Safety Management System (SMKP) which integrates Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. Meanwhile, the PROPER Advisory Board Chairman, Sudharto P. Hadi, explained that current assessment standards are increasingly stringent with a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. This approach evaluates the overall environmental impact from upstream to downstream of company operations. “There are 1,806 environmental and social innovations produced by participating PROPER companies this year. Besides efficiency, the community empowerment programmes implemented also provide real impacts on the welfare of residents around the mining area,” Sudharto said.