Emissions Awareness Is the Foundation of Environmental Protection


A Story of Eco-Route, One of the Top 20 Product-Based Capstone Projects in Bangkit 2023 Batch 1

In 2023, Remotivi surveyed 1097 urban and rural residents in Indonesia. The results indicated that 63% of respondents didn’t perceive the climate crisis as dangerous. In reality, the climate crisis can have significant threats, including heavy rainfall, extended droughts, and strong storms.

The survey revealed that Indonesians' awareness of the climate crisis remains relatively low. Eco-Route, a Bangkit 2023 Batch 1 Incubation Program participant, wants to help people understand more about emissions. This is important considering the contribution of vehicle emissions to the climate crisis.

Are you curious how Eco-Route created an app to increase people’s awareness about emissions, earning them a spot in the Bangkit Incubation Program? Let’s explore their journey!

Tech Innovation Securing Incubation Funding


Eco-Route is a team of six core members. They are students from diverse universities, such as UPN Veteran Jawa Timur, Universitas Airlangga, Universitas Negeri Malang, and Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya. Their collaboration was initiated through mutual friendships.

Eco-Route’s journey started with a capstone project. Lintang Pramayasti, Eco-Route's Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), thought developing an application capable of calculating carbon emissions would be a good idea. This idea was sparked by the team members’ collective experience of living in Surabaya, which they think is getting hotter.

Finally, Eco-Route was launched. This innovative application aimed at raising awareness of emissions, offering two key features: Tracking and Eco Route Suggestions and AI Calculation.
“The Tracking and Eco Route Suggestions feature provides users with eco-friendly route options, especially for non-emission vehicles like bicycles. The AI Calculation feature, powered by AI, calculates a user’s total carbon emissions,” Muhammad Hakam Fardana, the CEO of Eco-Route, said.
Eco-Route’s innovation is expected to contribute significantly to environmental sustainability. Therefore, the team secured IDR 140 million in incubation funding from Google and Dikti. They also deserved mentorship from industry experts to develop their product and prepare it for a startup launch.

Improvement Leads to Increased Visibility


Being part of the Bangkit 2023 Batch 1 incubation program has forced Eco-Route to collaborate on tackling a wide range of challenges. One challenge was the low public awareness of environmental issues, particularly emissions. This posed a significant hurdle in raising awareness. However, the challenge has fueled the team’s determination to develop their application into an impactful product.
“Our team faced significant challenges in the early stages. However, the incubation program provided industry mentorship, enabling us to overcome these obstacles. We learned so much, not just about building our product, but also about growing and marketing our business,” Lintang Pramayasti, the CMO of Eco-Route, said.
Having completed the Bangkit incubation program, Eco-Route has had the opportunity to participate in various competitions to secure post-program funding. Their progress has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Bicara Indonesia, Tempo, Kompasiana, and government publications like the East Java Provincial Government.
“We believe that a great product never stops getting better. That’s why we’re currently developing a challenge and community feature. In our challenge, users can earn points by using non-emission vehicles. While in our community, users can share their everyday related-to-emission-awareness experiences with others,” Niken Larasati, the Machine Learning Lead of Eco-Route, said.

Aspiring to Partner With the Government in Emissions Calculation


As an incubation program participant aiming to become a startup, Eco-Route has mid- and long-term plans. Shortly, Eco-Route will initiate research and development processes to facilitate collaborations with other business and government agencies.
“We are open to exploring B2B or B2G collaborations to develop emission calculation products extending beyond vehicles, including industrial emissions, forwarding companies, and power plants. Our research team is about to kick off this project,” Hakam said.
Looking ahead, Eco-Route wants to become even better at calculating emissions. They are considering creating an IoT service that could be fitted to cars, factories, or any business wishing to track their emissions. This would make calculating emissions much easier and more automatic.

Now, Eco-Route is excited to join the companies where Bangkit 2024 Batch 2 students can work on real-world projects. They look forward to teaming up with the Bangkit cohort, who want to learn how to tackle industry challenges while helping the environment at the same time.

With the slogan 'Eco-Route, Every Miles Matters' and the hashtag #SayaSadarEmisi, Eco-Route invites environmental enthusiasts to join them in making the planet greener through increased awareness of emissions.

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