Building an Indonesia Net Zero Campus ecosystem
How can the Net Zero Campus program strengthen sustainability efforts at universities while supporting Indonesia’s national climate goals?
This was the focus of the Strategic dialogue: Building an Indonesia Net Zero Campus ecosystem, hosted by Climateworks Centre and the Purnomo Yusgiantoro Center (PYC) in Jakarta in mid-September 2026.
The dialogue brought together more than 20 representatives from three government ministries, 11 higher education institutions and key industry partners to discuss how campuses can reduce emissions and contribute to Indonesia’s climate goals.
University representatives shared their experiences in putting sustainability initiatives into practice.
Representatives from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, the Ministry of National Development Planning and the Ministry of Environment discussed government support and the role universities can play in helping Indonesia meet its national climate commitments.
Representatives from the Australian Embassy and the Victorian Government also attended the dialogue.
Participants agreed that the Net Zero Campus program can help bring together the sustainability work already underway across universities.
Rather than creating another compliance checklist or adding to administrative workloads, the program can provide a shared approach for universities to build on what they are already doing.
The discussion also highlighted some of the support universities need to put the program into practice.
This includes consistent ways to measure emissions, support for establishing a clear starting point and tracking progress, access to green finance and stronger cooperation between government ministries.
Climateworks Centre and PYC analysis shows that Indonesian universities are already taking action to reduce emissions.
Based on available data from 60 universities, around 68 per cent have a sustainability strategy, with seven universities having made a net zero emissions commitment.
Their efforts include replacing campus buses with electric vehicles, reducing and reusing waste, improving energy and water efficiency, and using renewable energy, including hydropower, to supply electricity to campuses.
Indonesia has more than 4,000 higher education institutions and nearly 10 million students, giving universities a strategic role in the net zero transition.
They can reduce their own emissions while advancing climate research, preparing future leaders, and bringing government, industry and communities together to turn knowledge into practical climate solutions.
The Indonesia Net Zero Campus program was initiated by Monash University’s Climateworks Centre and PYC in late 2025. It draws on work being undertaken by universities around the world, including Monash University in Australia, to reduce emissions and improve sustainability on campus.
Developed as a practical guide to help Indonesian universities move towards more sustainable campuses, the program is taking into account the country’s higher education sector and local circumstances. It looks beyond reducing emissions to encourage collaboration between universities, government, industry and communities.
The program will also build on a partnership between the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), Monash University and Climateworks Centre.
Together, they developed the SDSN Net Zero on Campus Guide and Toolkit to help universities and countries develop locally relevant net zero initiatives.
In Indonesia, Climateworks Centre and PYC are preparing an Indonesian-language version of the guide, which will be launched in October.
Continued collaboration between government, universities and development partners will be important in building a Net Zero Campus ecosystem that can support long-term sustainability across Indonesia’s higher education sector.
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