Good news! CarbonEthics is pleased to share that we have been named First Runner-Up in the Gender-Responsive Marketplace category at the UN Women Indonesia Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Awards Ceremony 2026. On 29 October, Jessica Novia, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of CarbonEthics, received the award at Binakarna Auditorium, Hotel Bidakara, Jakarta. The recognition was given for our business incubation and financial literacy program with KAWANIBU, a women’s group at our coastal restoration site in Tanjungpakis, West Java, which helps its members turn local coastal resources into market-ready products.
The awards cover six main categories: Leadership Commitment, Gender-Inclusive Workplace, Gender-Responsive Marketplace, Inclusive Procurement, Community Engagement and Partnerships, and Tech and AI for Gender Equality, along with special mentions for SME Champion and Youth Leadership. Organized by UN Women with support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Australia through Gender Action Lab, and the Delegation of the European Union to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, the awards recognize private-sector initiatives that put these principles into practice. Moreover, the Gender-Responsive Marketplace category recognizes companies that apply inclusive and gender-responsive principles across their value chain, including supporting women entrepreneurs through capacity building and wider market access, and for us, this recognition reflects our work with KAWANIBU, a women’s group in one of our sites, Tanjungpakis, West Java, that turns local coastal resources into products that can create income opportunities, alongside our coastal restoration work in the area.
KAWANIBU, short for Kelompok Wanita Dusun Bungin untuk Kesejahteraan dan Keberdayaan, is a women’s group based in Dusun Bungin, Tanjungpakis, West Java. The group was developed from the CarbonEthics training program in 2023 and officially formed under CarbonEthics in 2024.
Its six members, mostly homemakers and informal micro-entrepreneurs, process local mangrove, seaweed, and fishery resources into products such as mangrove dodol, a sweet, sticky snack, and mangrove juice.
Building the Foundations for Business Growth
CarbonEthics’ support for KAWANIBU has been implemented through a phased approach, beginning with entrepreneurship training and mentoring on business management and product quality from 2023 to 2026, alongside assistance with packaging and halal certification, which several of its products have now obtained. In 2026, financial literacy training further equipped members with skills in budgeting, bookkeeping, cash flow management, savings, and separating household and business finances. Building on these foundations, KAWANIBU is now entering a three-year business incubation programme starting in 2026, focused on product innovation, branding, packaging, and ongoing mentoring, as well as connecting members with distributors and buyers to help develop market-ready products and establish more consistent sales channels.
Rumah Karbon Biru: Supporting the Next Stage
In August 2026, CarbonEthics launched Rumah Karbon Biru in Tanjungpakis, a community hub bringing together initiatives across four areas:
Womenpreneurs Studio: Enterprise development, product innovation, and market access.
Youth Talent Hub: Skills development for young people.
Coastal Circular Economy: Village-led waste management.
Coastal Resilience: Disaster preparedness and nature-based solutions.
KAWANIBU’s three-year incubation track sits under the Womenpreneurs Studio, giving the group a dedicated space to keep developing its products and building relationships with buyers.
As First Runner-Up in the Gender-Responsive Marketplace category, we are committed to continuing to promote inclusive business practices and strengthen gender equality across the workplace, marketplace, and community.
Most importantly, we thank the women of KAWANIBU, whose work this recognition celebrates. We look forward to exploring opportunities to support other communities across our project sites. We hope the lessons from this initiative can encourage more companies to integrate gender equality into their business practices.
Learn more about the WEPs Awards at www.asiapacificwepsawards.org.
Learn more about our projects at carbonethics.co/our-projects.
