Solving the Environmental Crisis, Innovation in the Plastic Sector for Indonesia’s Sustainability
- Indonesia NPAP, CMMAI, WRI Indonesia, and the Canadian Embassy held a sharing session on Local Development Initiatives and Innovator Showcase to encourage efforts to reduce plastic pollution.
- Six innovators were selected to present their projects in this event: Repax, TRADISI, Net Free Seas, KIBUMI, RiverRecycle, and MLP Collection for Green and Affordable Housing.
Jakarta, 26 March 2024 – The Indonesia Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP), along with the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment (CMMAI), The World Resources Institute Indonesia, and The Canadian Embassy to Indonesia, held the “Plastic Innovative Solutions Unveiled: NPAP Project Showcase and Canada Local Development Initiatives Sharing Session.”
The event invites innovators in the field of plastic management that focuses on reducing waste (including reuse and refill), increasing recycling capacity (with emphasis on low-value plastic, redesign, and design for recycling), and increasing waste collection.
Plastic pollution and marine debris are critical issues that threaten the environment and human health. As an archipelagic nation with the second-longest coastline in the world, Indonesia must overcome this problem to preserve its environment.
“Innovation has an important role in reducing Indonesia’s plastic pollution. Not only does it provide alternatives to plastic, but it also improves the waste management system to prevent environmental pollution. Indonesia NPAP, as a multi-stakeholder platform, helps drive innovation in the Indonesian plastic sector.” Said Rofi Alhanif, Assistant Deputy for Waste Management, Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment.
As part of a collaboration between NPAP’s innovation and financing task force, the showcase intends to provide opportunities for plastic sector pioneers to collaborate and enhance their efforts in reducing pollution. In addition, the event could inspire other plastic pioneers, creating a future where plastic pollution is no longer a threat to the environment and humans.
“We all know the estimated financing needs for tackling plastic pollution are huge: $18 billion in capital investments and $1 billion per year in operational financing to 2040 (NPAP Financing Roadmap 2020). This is why incubating and scaling up innovations in the plastic system are so important, they have the potential to truly transform the current system.” Renadi Budiman, Deputy Country Director, Asian Development Bank (ADB), represents the Co-chair of the Financing Task Force.
On the other hand, collaboration is an essential element in resolving Indonesia’s plastic pollution challenges. The synergy between industry, policymakers, financing, and innovators from the plastic sector is vital to creating holistic solutions to resolve Indonesia’s plastic challenges.
“We hope this year’s NPAP Project Showcase can encourage collaboration between the industry and innovators while expanding financing to support innovative solutions in managing plastic waste. We invite all present to discuss further with the selected innovators to increase opportunities for collaboration because collaboration is the key to handling Indonesian plastic waste.” Said Dr. Nirarta Samadhi, Country WRI Indonesia, advisor to Indonesia NPAP.
This initiative received a positive welcome from the Head of Development Cooperation, Embassy of Canada to Indonesia, Kevin Tokar. He said in his welcome remark, “Stronger collaboration between all stakeholders is key to creating a circular economy. This is why Canada is proud to support three of Indonesia’s local organizations that are creative, involve communities, and deliver innovative solutions, thus showing the important role of civil society in the fight against plastic pollution.”
The innovators were selected through rigorous criteria that holistically consider all aspects of resolving plastic pollution challenges. These criteria have five primary aspects: innovation impact, environment sustainability, feasibility and scalability, technological innovation; and gender equality and social inclusion. A selection committee of members from NPAP’s innovation and financing task force is engaged in the selection process.
Mr. Tokar moderated a sharing session with three NPAP Innovators of 2021: Bank Sampah Bersinar, Divers Clean Action (DCA), and Griya Luhu, funded by Canada’s Local Development Initiatives. The discussion was engaging and revolved around their experience, challenges, and lessons learned on waste management initiatives.
This year, the Indonesia NPAP secretariat received 36 registrations, and only six were selected:
- Repax provides Indonesia’s e-commerce with low-cost returnable packaging;
- TRADISI (Transforming Waste Banks, Empowering Communities) provides a streamlined waste management digital platform for waste banks and fosters community behavior change;
- Net Free Seas (By Environmental Justice Foundation) implemented a community-based approach to tackle abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) in the ocean;
- RiverRecycle who are cleaning floating waste through a river-based collection system while empowering communities around it;
- KIBUMI is a start-up that provides end-to-end recyclable material sourcing through technology and empowering traditional junk shops;
- and MLP Collection for Green and Affordable Housing Project, DUITIN is leveraging its established digital app to collect low-value multi-layered plastic (MLP) and transform it into affordable housing building materials.
Three of the six selected innovators will be given financial assistance from the Canadian Embassy in Indonesia to increase their efforts to reduce plastic pollution in Indonesia.
The event is closed by the Senior Vice President of Asia Pacific, SecondMuse, Simon Baldwin, who represents the Innovation Task Force Co-chair. He said in his closing remarks, “We have seen, and we have learned through NPAP and other projects like NPAP, that it is not just about providing technical assistance to innovators, but they also need financial assistance, they also need capital, they also need an enabling and policy environment, they also need aspirational goals from the government to create opportunities for their businesses to scale. I'm also really excited to see the role of these innovations combined with some of these other initiatives like EPR, plastic credits, and other types of financing mechanisms that continue to create a new market and opportunities for innovative solutions to thrive.”
This event is also inseparable from support and collaboration from partners such as ADB as financing co-chair and SecondMuse as innovation co-chair.
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About Indonesia National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP)
Indonesia NPAP is a catalyst to unite policymakers, experts, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and leading civil society organizations in Indonesia to reduce 70 percent of plastic waste in the sea by 2025. The NPAP Indonesia Secretariat is managed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) Indonesia and was appointed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) through the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) in 2019.
About WRI Indonesia
World Resources Institute (WRI) Indonesia, founded in Indonesia under the name of the World Resources Institute Foundation, is an independent research institution that focuses on inclusive and sustainable national socio-economic development. Our work focuses on five key issues: forests and land use, climate, energy, cities and transport, and oceans. We actualize big ideas into real action at the intersection of connecting the environment with economic opportunity and human well-being.
For further information, please contact:
Lutfi Kamili Juliandri Ibrahim
Indonesia NPAP Communications Officer
Telp: +62 819 3148 1260
Email: Indonesia@globalplasticaction.org/lutfi.juliandri@wri.org