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The Business Forum at Osaka Expo 2025, themed “Empowering Sustainable Communities Through Astra’s CSR: Showcasing Local Excellence for Global,” will take place on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, from 16:00 to 18:00 JST. Organized by Bappenas and PT Astra International Tbk, the event will highlight Astra’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives across four pillars: health, education, environment, and entrepreneurship. The focus on entrepreneurship aligns with Indonesia’s Vision 2045 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in eradicating poverty and promoting decent work and economic growth. Astra’s flagship program, Desa Sejahtera Astra (DSA), will showcase innovative products from its community partners, including eco-friendly woven bags from Sumatra Barat, traditional djembe drums, and high-quality leather keychains etc. The forum aims to connect local artisans and small businesses with global buyers, distributors, and investors, fostering sustainable trade and economic empowerment. Through this initiative, Astra strengthens its commitment to sustainable business ecosystems, ensuring Indonesian craftsmanship gains international recognition. The event will serve as a dynamic platform for networking, knowledge exchange, and fostering long-term partnerships in sustainable community development.

【Reflection】
In this programme, PT Astra International Tbk (hereafter, Astra), one of Indonesia’s leading conglomerates, presented its comprehensive corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Since its establishment in 1957, Astra has expanded its operations across seven sectors, including automotive, finance, mining, construction, energy, agriculture, infrastructure, logistics, IT, and real estate, employing over 200,000 people. During the presentation, Astra introduced its long-term vision, “Astra 2030 Sustainability Aspirations”, which is built around four pillars: health, education, environment, and entrepreneurship. In particular, the entrepreneurship initiatives drew significant interest from regional economic stakeholders and participants, highlighting their direct contribution to sustainable local economic development.

Since 2018, Astra has been implementing three-year, hands-on support programmes in over 1,280 villages nationwide. Through infrastructure development, human resource training, financial support, and market expansion, the company has empowered local producers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to achieve greater self-reliance. As a result, 401 villages have successfully exported agricultural products, seafood, and handicrafts overseas. Notably, coffee producers in West Sumatra have increased their household incomes by approximately 75% through branding and expanded exports, and have achieved top positions in international coffee competitions. The programme also showcased diverse local products, including Central Javanese traditional drums (Kendang Jimbe), woven bags from West Sumatra, handwoven fabrics from Nusa Tenggara Timur, organic spices, and bamboo toys. All of these products are environmentally conscious and reflect the cultural heritage of their communities, representing sustainable production practices.

The forum provided a platform to share these local efforts with the international community, serving as a bridge between local producers and global markets through interactions and partnership opportunities with visitors and participants. Astra’s guiding principle, “Prosper with the Nation”, was meaningfully conveyed as a concrete example of contributing to the SDGs and realising Indonesia’s 2045 Vision.


【Post EXPO Initiatives】
Building on the response generated by the forum, Astra has indicated plans to further expand its sustainable community support initiatives. In particular, the company aims to broaden overseas markets for the showcased local products, including Japan and Europe, by strengthening business collaborations and leveraging e-commerce. This approach will create systems that allow local producers to access international markets directly, thereby stabilising their income and supporting local economic self-reliance.

In addition, Astra is integrating its traditional entrepreneurship support with CSR activities across education, environment, and health, aiming to develop a comprehensive model that enhances overall community well-being. Examples include environmental education through organic farming, vocational training for young people, and the fusion of eco-tourism with local cultural activities. These initiatives have been recognised by experts and relevant stakeholders as a resilient growth model rooted in local communities, capable of addressing contemporary challenges such as climate change and urban concentration.

Furthermore, leveraging the networks established during Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Astra intends to deepen collaborations with global corporations, public institutions, and academic organisations to strengthen the international promotion of sustainable industries and culture originating in Indonesia. By expanding this circle of co-creation from local communities to the global stage and to future generations, Astra’s CSR activities continue to evolve beyond corporate social contribution, serving as a driving force for sustainable growth across Indonesia.


*Part or all of this report was generated by AI.