Jakarta, INTI - PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (Telkom) held the GoZero% Grand Champion Innovation Festival on March 2-3, 2026, at Telkom Landmark Tower in Surabaya. The program served as an ESG based innovation competition involving Telkom employees from various regions to develop innovative, practical, and sustainable solutions for managing operational waste.
ESG Innovation Competition Across Telkom Regions
Prior to the national event, the GoZero% Innovation Festival had been organized across Telkom Regional (TREG) I to V in Bandung, Makassar, Medan, Tarakan, and Yogyakarta. The best ideas from each region advanced to the national-level GoZero% Grand Champion Innovation Festival, where they competed to determine the most impactful innovations with the potential for wider implementation across TelkomGroup. The initiative aims to foster ESG-driven innovations that support the company’s sustainable transformation, in line with Telkom’s ESG pillars: Save Our Planet and Empower Our People.
Operational waste management has become an increasing concern for many companies. Materials such as cables, electronic devices, and office waste often accumulate without optimal utilization, despite their potential to be processed into sustainable solutions. Through the GoZero% Innovation Festival, Telkom seeks to encourage more systematic and innovative approaches to optimizing the management of such waste.
Director of Digital Collaboration for Sustainability (DCS), Dr. Runik Machfiroh, emphasized that GoZero% plays an important role in strengthening the company’s sustainability commitment through employee engagement. “This program not only raises awareness but also encourages concrete action from employees on sustainability issues,” she said.
The GoZero% Grand Champion Innovation Festival took place over two days. The first day featured innovation presentations from the finalists, while the second day included the GoZero% Eco-Deep Dive program at the Benowo Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Plant as part of the validation process. Five finalists presented their innovations: MyCarbon (TREG I), Ecoquest (TREG II), Forec (TREG III), Restylecle Transforming Uniforms Sustainability (TREG IV), and Clean Ocean IoT – CLEOO (TREG V). The judging process evaluated ESG relevance, implementation potential, impact, sustainability, and innovation value to ensure that the selected solutions were not only conceptual but also applicable.
Following the evaluation process, Forec (TREG III) was selected as the winner with its innovation that converts cable waste into construction materials and paving blocks. The solution not only reduces waste generation but also creates new economic value due to its practical and scalable application.
Learning from Waste to Energy Implementation
On the second day, participants joined the GoZero% Eco-Deep Dive to gain deeper insights into waste management practices aligned with the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) program, also known as the conversion of waste into electricity. The initiative is managed by BPI Danantara and has become a national priority. The activity also reflected Telkom’s support for sustainability initiatives and the country’s energy transition agenda.
During the session, Telkom’s VP Sustainability Gunawan Wasisto Ciptaning Andri highlighted the importance of continuous learning through the program. “One of the objectives of this Eco-Deep Dive is to ensure that the knowledge and insights gained do not stop here, but are brought back and implemented across each regional unit,” he said.
The learning session included a site visit to the Benowo Waste-to-Energy Plant, operated by PT Sumber Organik (PTSO). The facility processes around 1,600 tons of waste per day, accounting for nearly 70% of Surabaya’s total waste generation. The plant operates using Landfill Gas Power Plant technology with a capacity of 1.65–2 MW and Thermochemical Gasification technology with a capacity of 9 MW, generating a total of 11 MW of electricity. This output is equivalent to the electricity needs of approximately 11,000 households and is distributed to the national power grid managed by PLN.
During the Eco-Deep Dive session, participants also received insights into the waste-to-energy conversion process. Benowo WTE Plant Operations Manager M. Ali Asyar explained that the waste processed at the facility can be converted into usable water, electricity, and compost. “The characteristics of our household waste are actually very suitable for energy conversion,” he said.
Through this initiative, Telkom reaffirmed that waste management is not merely an environmental responsibility but also an opportunity to foster creativity, empower employees, and generate innovations that deliver tangible impact for a more sustainable future.
Conclusion
Through the GoZero% Grand Champion Innovation Festival, PT Telkom Indonesia highlights its commitment to sustainability by encouraging employee-driven innovation in waste management. The initiative demonstrates how ESG principles can translate into practical solutions that reduce environmental impact while creating new value for the company and supporting a more sustainable future.
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