Article Type : Short communication
Authors : Widyatama A, Ating R
Keywords : Ideology; Profit; Planet; People
The implementation of
sustainability in all Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) companies
is massive. The sustainability philosophy comes from the triple bottom line
(3P) ideology, which emphasizes three fundamental things: Profit, Planet, and People.
The implementation of sustainability in all
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) companies is massive. The
sustainability philosophy comes from the triple bottom line (3P) ideology,
which emphasizes three fundamental things: Profit, Planet, and People [1-6].
Profit is essential for companies to remain sustainable by generating profits
continuously so that it remains an attraction for investors as one of the
company's stakeholders to invest. Companies are required to continue to
generate profits as a form of survival. The second aspect is the planetary
aspect. This planetary aspect relates to the form of corporate responsibility
towards the environment. The environment is one aspect that is highly
considered because the environment is the most important aspect when a company
carries out its corporate activities. The last aspect is the people. People are
significantly related to the community in particular and stakeholders in
general [7-10]. This aspect is crucial because for a company to obtain a form
of legitimacy from the community, the company must have a form of concern for
the social conditions around the company. The implementation of sustainability
can be done in two steps: activity and disclosure of sustainability. For these
two things to be in sync, we need regulations that support them so that these
two things run rhythmically. Figure 1 explains the correlation of the three
components so that the implementation of sustainability continues.
Figure 1 explains the need for binding regulations between
activity implementation and sustainability disclosure. It is necessary
considering that many companies in ASEAN still consider that implementing
sustainability is still voluntary but essential in enhancing the company's
reputation. As a result, delivery in the form of sustainability disclosures is
still carried out in various ways, causing different interpretations between
stakeholders in the decision-making process [11-14].
Figure
1:
The relationship between the three pillars of implementing sustainability.
Therefore, it is vital to have a standard that is the
same in carrying out sustainability activities and disclosure. After conducting
sustainability disclosures, an evaluation is needed both independently of the
company and using a third party to determine whether the implementation or
disclosure of sustainability meets the standards and enhances the company's
reputation. ASEAN countries drew up the ASEAN Taxonomy Board (ATB) in March
2021 as a form of regional commitment to supporting the development of a
sustainable agenda. ATB launched the ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance
(ASEAN Taxonomy) as a form of joint initiative resulting from bringing together
the views of ASEAN countries' capital market regulators, insurance, and
banking. This is one of the advances for developing sustainability in ASEAN,
considering that it is very complex, so a standard is needed to implement
sustainability in the same standard. The ASEAN Taxonomy is an inclusive and
credible system for classifying sustainable economic activities in ASEAN. The
ASEAN taxonomy was prepared considering existing taxonomic standards but still
considering the conditions and needs of various ASEAN countries. Therefore, the
ASEAN Taxonomy was prepared using a multi-tiered approach that has two main
elements, namely the Foundation Framework, which contains the general
principles used to assess the sustainable aspects of economic activity, and the
Plus Standards, which contain further definitions and criteria, including
qualification criteria and benchmarks, for economic activities and green
investment. However, what needs to be improved from this ASEAN taxonomy is the
local wisdom of each country. It is essential because cultural and regional
conditions in each country have unique characteristics. The standard board in
each country needs to pay attention to these conditions so that the
implementation and disclosure of sustainability are under the needs.