Indonesian ride-hailing app Gojek has announced plans to make every car and motorcycle on its platform an electric vehicle (EV) by 2030 in an ambitious three-pronged sustainability strategy.
Dubbed the “Three Zeros” agenda, the company aims to reach zero emissions, zero waste and zero socio-economic barriers by the end of the decade, co-founder and co-CEO Kevin Aluwi told CNBC.
The plans will see the 11-year-old company invest in a series of EV pilot programs across Southeast Asia, as well as launching a “world-first” in-app carbon offsetting feature. However Aluwi said the plans would also require external support.
“We’re definitely going to put our money where our mouth is,” said Aluwi. “But it goes without saying that it’s impossible for us to be driving this solely,” he continued, highlighting the need for public and private collaboration to build the supporting infrastructure.
We’re definitely going to put our money where our mouth is. But it goes without saying that it’s impossible for us to be driving this solely.
Kevin Aluwi
co-founder and co-CEO, Gojek
Already, Gojek has seen strong interest from battery manufacturers, nickel providers and Indonesian authorities keen to assist with the shift to green energy in the world’s fourth most populous country and surrounding region, Aluwi said.
“Indonesia is one of the largest motorcycle-based transportation countries, so there’s a ton of interest around this from all kinds of parties and we see ourselves as primarily a facilitator in making this happen.”
In addition, the company announced a series of social mobility initiatives, including establishing an employee-led council to push corporate diversity, equality and inclusion programs as well as helping micro and small businesses digitize. It also pledged to only partake in gender diverse panels for speaking events.
Aluwi said the plans would help Gojek address some of the barriers to inclusivity present in both the company and Indonesia as a whole.
“We’re very, very far from where we need to be if I can be brutally honest about ourselves. But I do think that our commitments are the first step in rectifying that,” he said. “Indonesia is a very diverse and complex country when it comes to these topics.”
An Indonesian driver of ride-hailing service Gojek and his passenger commute in Jakarta 5 March 2021.
NurPhoto | Getty Images
The plans were announced Friday in the company’s first sustainability report, which details the company’s environmental, social and governances (ESG) targets. The goals are to be disclosed and reviewed annually.
“It is no longer a question of whether companies should report on their sustainability impact,” Allinettes Adigue, head of ASEAN at the Global Reporting Initiative, which provides benchmarks for companies and governments’ ESG commitments, said in the report’s release.
“It is now a question of whether what companies report are accurate and relevant, and clearly communicates their impact on the economy, environment and society,” he added.
The announcement follows news that Gojek is set to merge with Indonesian e-commerce company Tokopedia to form multi-function app GoTo.
An IPO is definitely an area, an activity, a milestone that we know is on the cards for us at some point.
Kevin Aluwi
co-founder and co-CEO, Gojek
Under the combined entity, the country’s two most valuable start-ups will reportedly target a valuation of up to $40 billion as they pit themselves against fellow Southeast Asian ride-hailing giant Grab in the public markets.
“An IPO is definitely an area, an activity, a milestone that we know is on the cards for us at some point,” said Aluwi, though he would not be pushed on timings.
Last month, SoftBank-backed Grab announced it is set to go public through a SPAC merger with Altimeter Growth Corp. in a deal that values the company at $39.6 billion — the largest blank-check merger to date.
