Indonesia ranks as the 14th most vulnerable country in the world in the Climate Risk Index and its capital is the most environmentally vulnerable city in the world, Jakarta. It’s also home to some extraordinary businesses who are setting the example for the rest of the country in their commitment to sustainable practices. Omega Mas, a furniture manufacturer and exporter in East Java, has had environmentally responsibility at its heart for almost 30 years.

Its mantra is People-Planet-Profit with Principle and Director, Dietmar Dutilleux says sustainability is one of the basic pillars of each decision the company takes.

Founded in 1995, the company began producing handmade wooden furniture for global export. For the first two years, the company was small with only 15 full time staff. As their reputation established the company moved to a custom built facility and grew into one of the most highly regarded manufacturers of fine timber furniture in the APAC region.

The approach has been one of team commitment. Despite few incentives to adopting responsible processes at first, the business invested in more efficient machinery and implementing a bottom-up approach to management. “We have asked everyone at every level to act as a stakeholder. By staring from the ground up we have made implementation of sustainable practices easier and more natural” says Dutilleux.  “Overall we asked everyone to take a little bit more care. We have the whole team participate and give feedback regularly so that we can all have a stake in this process”. Dutilleux goes on to ad that this team approach to learning how to be more environmentally responsible has meant a constant evolution in approach and the incorporation of more sustainable practices and procedures. So much so that he says they ‘often take us by surprise and show us more efficient processes and associated savings were just around the corner”.

Producing for some of the regions top designers and retailers, and regularly exporting to overseas markets, Dutilleux explains that just as the management style is bottom up, with designers they often adopt a ‘work backwards’ approach. “We start with the end result they want to achieve and give sustainable options that fit those criteria…we’ve never had an issue with this as designers, like us see sustainability as a key issue woven both into the design and the production process”.

Omega Mas, unsurprisingly, uses a range of timber species in their work and notably American hardwoods given their superior environmental profile. A view of their work shows American oak and walnut in abundance. The former is one of the most popular species. Growing stock in the US forest is increasing by 10million m3 each year with growth exceeding harvest in all states producing white oak. It’s popular for furniture and flooring given its strength which is superior to European oak. Its distinctive grain and colour also makes it a favourite amongst designers. Walnut has always been associated with fine furniture and luxury interiors. Whilst not as prolific as white oak, growth still exceeds harvest each year making it a sustainable choice for designers and manufacturers.

Omega Mas’ commitment to sustainability is no more evident in its involvement with Varuna, the most environmentally friendly surfboard in the world. Omega Mas formed part of the core team, growing and processing the balsa wood from which the surfboards are made, hence the slogan “From Seed to Surfboard”. “We started with an environmental target” says Dutilleux “and designed a world class product around it”.

When environmental responsibility is a foundation on which a business is built it appears that success follows. Not just in terms of a business being perfectly positioned to meet the needs of an increasingly aware consumer but in a sense of contentment that the choices you have made contribute to a healthier planet.