INDUSTRY.co.id - BALI - The Apurva Kempinski Bali reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable development by launching an incubation program titled Seeds of Change, an initiative designed to support students and early-stage startups in developing innovation in the field of sustainable tourism and green economy.
This program became one of the main highlights in the Path to Sustainable Growth (PTSG) 2026, an annual sustainability conference that will be held on June 24, 2026 at the Ballroom Temple, The Apurva Kempinski Bali.
Carrying the theme “Regenerate for the Future”, this year's conference marks the transformation from a mere discussion forum to a platform of concrete action that generates sustainable impact.
General Manager of The Apurva Kempinski Bali, Vincent Guironnet, said that sustainability can only be achieved through cross-sector collaboration and involvement of various parties.
"When we do something right, people will follow. It's not about being a leader, but how to bring more parties to collaborate and create a greater impact," Vincent said in a virtual press conference, Tuesday (6/9/2026).
The Seeds of Change program comes as an eight-week mentoring and incubation program aimed at finding, developing, and funding young Indonesian talents who have innovative ideas in the field of sustainability.
This program is open to students and early-stage startups from various sectors, not limited to the tourism and hospitality industry. The main focus is to find solutions that are able to answer environmental, social, and economic challenges through innovative and regenerative approaches.
PR & Marketing Manager of The Apurva Kempinski Bali, Charles Octoriano, explained that Seeds of Change is designed to expand the impact of Path to Sustainable Growth so that it does not stop at one-day conferences.
"So later, not only during the one day summit, where the participants will be invited to go through with all panelists and also the four main pillars, of course, we hope that people who come get something and can also be agents of change from POV sustainability," Charles said.
This program was first opened in May 2026 through a selection process in the form of sending CV and essays. Out of all applicants, 10 best candidates will be selected to take part in an intensive conference and incubation program that runs from July to August 2026.
For eight weeks, participants will receive assistance from mentors across sectors, ranging from the hospitality industry, sustainability consultants, to the financial sector.
They also had the opportunity to learn directly about the sustainability practices applied by The Apurva Kempinski Bali, such as roof garden management, food waste processing, and the application of circular economy.
At the end of the program, participants will present a refined business plan during the incubation period. The top two teams will receive funding grants, with the first winner receiving IDR 50 million and the second winner getting IDR 20 million.
Charles stressed that the program's big goal is to make the hospitality industry one of the main drivers in achieving carbon neutral targets by 2030.
"We want to educate, we can influence, we can inspire not only the hospitality industry, but especially peoplewho come from non-hospitality backgrounds," he said.
The same thing was conveyed by Sustainability Consultant MVB, Alistair Speirs. According to him, the hotel has a strategic position to spread thevalues of sustainability because it interacts with thousands of people from various backgrounds every day.
“Hotels are points of interaction that bring people together. If the sustainability principle is applied correctly, the impact can reach wider communities when they return to their respective communities,” Speirs said.
In contrast to previous years, Path to Sustainable Growth 2026 carries a regenerative approach that not only focuses on maintaining environmental conditions, but also repairing the damage that has occurred.
Director of Hygiene, Safety and Sustainability The Apurva Kempinski Bali, Desak Intan, menjelaskan bahwa konsep regenerasi dipilih karena keberlanjutan masa depan membutuhkan upaya yang lebih besar dari sekadar mempertahankan kondisi saat ini.
"If something is damaged, there is no way we can maintain it. So regenerative is more how we make things better for the future generation," said Desak Intan.
According to him, the younger generation is the most important group to be involved in because they will be the successors of the sustainability movement in the future.
The Apurva Kempinski Bali itself has run various sustainability programs, ranging from calculating carbon emissions, educating waste management to the surrounding community, to assisting local farmers in a sustainable manner.
Path to Sustainable Growth 2026 will present various figures from the cultural, environmental, business, education, and creative economy sectors through four main discussion panels on the themes of cultural heritage, nature preservation, industrial regeneration, and human resource development.
The conference is expected to bring together industry leaders, academics, innovators, students, organizations, and communities to build collaborations that produce sustainable solutions with real impact.
