Indonesia Strengthens Post-Consumer Packaging Management to Advance Green Industry
Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Indonesia is stepping up efforts to strengthen post-consumer packaging management as part of its strategy to accelerate the manufacturing sector’s transition toward a green industry, enhance global competitiveness, expand the circular economy and support the country’s target of achieving net-zero emissions in the industrial sector by 2050.
Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said green industry development is a key pillar of Indonesia’s industrial strategy, aimed at ensuring long-term sustainability while strengthening the competitiveness of national manufacturing.
He said the transition involves more than reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as it also seeks to generate greater economic value through improved production efficiency, technological innovation and the development of a stronger circular economy.
“The transition to a green industry is a strategic step to strengthen national industrial competitiveness as global demand for sustainable products continues to rise,” Kartasasmita said in a statement issued on Friday.
The minister emphasised that advancing the circular economy requires closer cooperation among the government, private sector, academic institutions and other stakeholders.
The Ministry of Industry has developed an industrial decarbonisation roadmap covering priority manufacturing subsectors, including food and beverages, which it considers to have significant potential for applying circular economy principles.
Acting Director General of Agro-Industry Putu Juli Ardika said effective management of post-consumer packaging is an important component of sustainable industrial transformation.
According to a study by Sustainable Waste Indonesia, polypropylene accounts for 36 percent of domestic plastic consumption, followed by low-density polyethylene at 17 percent and high-density polyethylene at 14 percent.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is widely used for beverage bottles, accounts for approximately 9 percent of Indonesia’s overall plastic consumption.
Despite representing a smaller share of total plastic use, PET bottles have considerable circular economy potential due to their relatively high collection and recycling rates.
Merrijantij Punguan Pintaria, Director of the Beverage, Tobacco Products and Refreshments Industries at the Ministry of Industry, said Indonesia produces an estimated 435,000 metric tons of PET bottle waste annually, of which around 307,000 metric tons are collected.
This represents a PET bottle recycling rate of approximately 71 percent, highlighting the material’s significant economic potential throughout the recycling value chain.
The Ministry of Industry has also launched programmes to expand green industry and circular economy practices within the beverage sector.
The initiatives will assess existing industry practices, identify challenges to implementation and strengthen cooperation among government institutions, businesses, academia and environmental organisations.
The results will subsequently be used to provide technical assistance to selected beverage companies. They will also serve as the basis for policy recommendations and an industry action plan to be developed through a dedicated stakeholder forum.
Indonesia’s efforts reflect its broader push to integrate sustainability, resource efficiency and circular production practices into its manufacturing strategy while positioning domestic industries to respond to growing global demand for environmentally sustainable products.
