New Delhi, July 4 -- Indonesians are trying to stop a major German cement producer from building a mine and factory under a unique supply chain law that adds to a growing number of cases legal experts say may influence European businesses in Asia.

Critics say Heidelberg Materials, one of the world's largest cement companies, failed to properly assess and mitigate the potential harms of its plans to create a limestone mine and cement factory in Central Java's Kendeng Mountains. They say the project may damage a rare karst ecosystem and harm the livelihoods of Indigenous people in the area.

"If the project is implemented, we face an ecological catastrophe, impoverishment, and violations of our human rights," said Bambang Sutikyo, one of t...