Concerted Action Needed to Fight Climate Change, Promote Technological Innovation: Grab Group CEO

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Super app Grab stressed the importance of building a collaborative effort to tackle the impacts of climate change and promote technology-based innovation in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia.

This was among other issues discussed by its Group CEO and Co-Founder Anthony Tan during a recent interview with Kompas Go following this month’s B20 summit on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

“Climate change can affect all of us, all our industries,” Anthony said.

He went on to add that Grab continues to work with multi-stakeholders to fight the negative impacts of climate change and promote the development of renewable energy.

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In Indonesia, Grab provides more than 8,500 electric vehicles. This service is in line with one of the company’s broad goals to create social impact in the environment sector.

He said that Grab electric vehicles traveled 100 million kilometers, reducing emissions to the equivalent amount of over 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Kompas.com previously reported that the 100 million kilometers distance was covered from Jan. 2021 to Sept. 2022 in eight provinces.

At the beginning of the program, Anthony recalled, one of the ways to approach the cold-start problem was to build partnerships with the Indonesian government, state energy firms Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) and Pertamina, as well as scooter maker Gesits and other companies. Today, Grab is the largest electric vehicle ride-hailing fleet in Indonesia, he said.

The startup has grown from a ride-hailing platform to a leading super app providing various services such as food deliveries and digital payment in Southeast Asia.

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Anthony said that he will continue to build a sustainable company in the long run. “Our mission is to drive Southeast Asia forward by creating economic empowerment for everyone using our technology.”

Supporting MSMEs

Grab created programs to help micro and small-medium enterprises (MSMEs) start a business using the company’s digital technology.

To give an example, Anthony said a merchant at a traditional market in Indonesia could choose GrabMart to sell and promote their products online. Others could also earn income by utilizing the digital app GrabKios to transfer money, buy phone credit or internet data, among others.

He said that Grab also builds cooperation with the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs. Through the partnership, the ministry will help Grab to reduce friction, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. MSMEs serve as the backbone of the Indonesian economy, he said.

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