A partnership has been forged in Indonesia to support the country’s textiles sector in adopting a circular economy approach.
- An agreement to this effect was signed on Wednesday at the Green Economy Expo in capital Jakarta by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Indonesia, the (country’s) Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas), Bandung Polytechnic of Textile Technology (Politeknik STTT Bandung), and PT Daur Langkah Bersama, also known as Pable.
THE PARTNERSHIP: The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has committed to supporting GGGI Indonesia in its collaboration with key government institutions and sustainability-forward initiatives like Pable, a textile-to-textile recycling company, to make a circular economy a reality.
- Through GGGI Indonesia’s Green Transition Investment Program (GTIP), the partnership aims to reverse the environmental impact of textile waste, introduce the potential of circular textiles, create green jobs, and organise training programmes.
- The partnership will involve Bandung Polytechnic of Textile Technology, a trade school specialising in textile production, and provide opportunities to strengthen their existing technical and vocational study and training (TVET) programmes. This will, in turn, result in improved skills and knowledge of textile recycling techniques and more job opportunities.
- One of GTIP’s key partners is Pable, a local company whose business model centres on innovative textile-to-textile recycling techniques. Pable’s expansion plan aligns with the increasing market demand for recycled products, allowing Pable to generate socio-economic benefits for society and contribute to Indonesia’s economic growth at the same time.
- The partnership under GTIP will also allow Pable to access technology transfer facilitated by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, further bolstering Pable’s contribution to transforming textile waste into recycled products for the global or Indonesian market.
THE CONTEXT: The textiles industry employed 3.98 million people in 2023 and in the first quarter of 2024, contributed 5.84% to Indonesia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
- Bappenas recently published Indonesia’s Circular Economy Roadmap and National Action Plan, which emphasises addressing textile waste as one of the five prioritised sectors with the potential to adopt a circular approach.
- The study found that textile waste in Indonesia is estimated to reach around 2.3 million tonnes per year and will continue to increase by 70% if there are no interventions.
WHAT THEY SAID:
This partnership was initiated not only to manage textile waste but also as a collaborative effort to develop a circular textile ecosystem, which includes the creation of financial schemes and capacity building of circular textile industry players in Indonesia.
— Priyanto Rohmattullah
Director of Environment
Bappenas
Pable has successfully proven that a circular approach is applicable to Indonesia’s textile sector through a transparent recycling process. We hope this partnership will help us expand our sustainable business practices, reach new audiences, and open more doors of opportunity for those wishing to dive deep into Indonesia’s textile recycling sector. We believe that the circular economy could help protect our planet.
— Aryenda Atma
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Pable
