LEI Profile

Founded in 1993, Lembaga Ekolabel Indonesia (LEI) has achieved acknowledgement in Indonesia and internationally as an organization who plays important works on promoting sustainability for natural resources development.

Beginning with the Ekolabel Working Group (Kelompok Kerja Ekolabel) supported by Emil Salim and Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo. LEI, mission was to find a solution for the problem of market driven forest and environmental degradation, including related social issues experienced by local and indegenous communities. Then an ecolabelling system have initiated as a guiding tool to ensure economic, social and environmental sustainability.

In 1999 the certification scheme for Natural Forest Sustainable Management (PHAPL-LEI) have been developed and tested, and in 2002 for Sustainable Plantation Forest Management (PHTL-LEI), and Sustainable Community Based Forest Management (PHBML). At the same time, LEI have developed the traceability certification scheme called LEI – CoC (Chain of Custody). Lastly on 2007, the certification scheme for Sustainable Non-Timber Forest Product (HHBKL).

Those schemes have been implemented in Indonesia and for some cases have been combined with either voluntary or mandatory schemes. Currently the management units have been certified under LEI schemes includes 22 plantation forests (2,4 million hectares) and 5 pulp and paper industries. Additionally, 5 furniture and craft small scale industries have CoC-LEI certified and exporting their products including to Japan and EU countries. In the case, LEI have supported them to join international exhibition especially in Indonesia, as well as in Koln and Frankfurt Germany to widen their marketplace.

Beside there are 48 community forests inh 9 provinces (about 88 thousand hectares) comprise of private forest and customary forest, as well as social forestry management units under the MoEF licenses. Some of sustainable certified private forests regularly supply their timber to the CoC-LEI certified furniture and craft industries.
Based on those prolonged experiences and knowledge on system development, LEI has increased influence on the improvement of other certification schemes and the strengthening of governance for sustainable development.

LEI has developed the framework to analyse the contribution of certified management units to the achievement of sustainable development. The framework is explaining the correlation between the set of indicators (principles – criteria – indicators) under the certification schemes with the set of indicators (goals – targets – indicators) of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-2030) adapted for Indonesia. Using the framework, a preliminary study was conducted for the cases of LEI’s scheme for Sustainable Plantation Forest Management (PHTL-LEI) and mandatory scheme of Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO).

The implementation of LEI-PHTL standard potentially contribute to the achievement of 13 goals of SDGs-2030 related to the issues of poverty, health, education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, decent work and growth, industry and infrastructure, inequality, consumption and production, climate action, land and forest ecosystem, and institution and peace. Similarly, the implementation of ISPO standard hypothetically contribute to the achievement of 12 goals.

This finding is initially encouraging private sector and community groups participation by reporting its sustainability performance, which then could be incorporated to the national report of SDGs-2030 achievement coordinated by National Secretariat of SDGs-2030.

LEI has contributed significantly the development of mandatory certification schemes which believed as an effective power to require market actors level fulfilling standards that matched with the sustainable development indicators. Supported by LEI, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) develop and implement the certification schemes of Sustainable Production Forest Management (PHPL) and Timber Legality Verification System (SVLK).

Within the last five years, LEI has actively involved in the legislation of Perpres 44/2020 and Permentan 38/2020 a President Regulation and an Agriculture Minister Regulation regarding Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) that improve previous regulation for more effective and credible certification schemes.

Specifically, regarding a voluntary certification scheme recognized internationally, LEI has supported FSC on formulating their national standard for sustainable forest management.

For the theme of sustainable development governance including climate agenda, in cooperation with BPDLH a newly established government agency responsible for managing the environmental trust fund LEI have developed instrument for the distribution of grant and investment fund to finance climate mitigation and adaptation action.

With Pustanlinghut KLHK, LEI formally involved in the development of Criteria and Indicator for Community Forest Management an Experiental Standard for acnowledging environmental and social friendly practices initiated by the community. And for Tim Nasional RAN KSB, LEI have developed monitoring, evaluation and reporting mechanism to ensure the Inpres Nr. 6/2019 is implemented on the right track towards achieving its long-term objective.

Those program are supported by Kehati SPOS – UKCCU, UNDP SPOI, BPDLH, Pustanlinghut KLHK, Green Prosperity MCA Indonesia, EU Indonesia – Brunei Delegation, TNC Indonesia and WWF Indonesia. Most of the activities are done in coalition with AMAN, FKKM, FWI, CFES, Latin, Perkumpulan Wallacea, GAIA, Kaoem, YBUL, JPIK, and IFM Fund.