Jakarta. The Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) recently launched the Circular Fashion Partnership: Indonesia, a new initiative that aims to support stakeholders in fostering a circular textile industry in the region.

The partnership is in collaboration with Rantai Tekstil Lestari (RTL) Indonesia, supported by implementation partners Reverse Resources, Closed Loop Fashion, and Circle Economy Foundation, and funded by H&M Foundation and private sector contributions.

The organizations called for broader participation of brands, manufacturers, waste handlers, recyclers, and government agencies to participate in the collective action program to achieve impact at scale.

The Circular Fashion Partnership: Indonesia is a cross-sectoral initiative that aims to develop effective circular fashion systems by capturing and recycling post-industrial textile waste. By increasing the availability of recycled materials, the program seeks to reduce the use of virgin resources. It brings together global brands, local manufacturers, waste handlers, recyclers, and knowledge institutes through working groups and training sessions. This collaborative effort promotes best practices, enabling participants to educate other industry stakeholders on the principles of the circular economy, driving the adoption of sustainable practices across Indonesia's fashion industry.

The project national lead, RTL, will ensure that the program is appropriately tailored to the local context, includes and benefits all necessary local stakeholders, aligns with the government’s strategy, and connects with the right ministries to bridge the identified policy gaps.

The launch event, ‘Establishing Circular Textile Systems in Indonesia’, gathered over 100 leading experts and stakeholders to discuss best practices for managing textile waste, ensuring traceability, and scaling of domestic recycling capabilities. Distinguished speakers from the Indonesian and global fashion and recycling industry shared their insights on the future of textile waste management in Indonesia, highlighting the national ambitions for circularity, textile waste management challenges, and initiatives to foster circular commercial collaborations. Speakers included representatives from Indonesia’s National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), the Industry Ministry, the Environment Ministry, the Danish Embassy, renowned brands such as H&M and Adidas, and leading global manufacturer, IndoRama.

At the event, the Circularity Academy -- a gamified e-learning platform for mass immersive learning experience was launched with a dedicated track on circular textiles in Indonesia. The project is part of the Global Circular Fashion Forum (GCFF), which promotes global and local actions to scale recycling of post-industrial textile waste in multiple manufacturing countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

The Circular Fashion Partnership: Indonesia builds on the success of the Circular Fashion Partnership: Bangladesh, which was initiated in 2020 and currently includes UNIDO’s BESTSELLER Switch to Upstream Circularity pilot program.

In Bangladesh, over 80 factories were trained to segregate textile waste within their facilities and digitally trace these material flows to recycling solutions. As of July 2024, the Reverse Resources platform has enabled the tracing of over 21,000 tonnes of waste (equivalent to approximately 116 million t-shirts), saving an estimated 140062 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Seven global brands and 77 manufacturers committed to recycling efforts, with 28 recyclers participating.

By leveraging the lessons learned and successful strategies from the Circular Fashion Partnership: Bangladesh, while adapting to the unique characteristics and nuanced local context of the Indonesian sector, the Circular Fashion Partnership: Indonesia aims to replicate and grow these achievements, to establish a prosperous circular textile economy.

Indonesia, with its advanced vertical supply chain and substantial recyclable feedstock, is poised to become a leader in textile recycling - Reverse Resources estimates that 874 kilotonnes of recyclable textile waste are generated annually in Indonesia.

Furthermore, Indonesia's policy environment provides a conducive framework for promoting circular apparel manufacturing, moreover through its Roadmap to 2050.

Global Fashion Agenda's CEO Federica Marchionni welcomed the partnership.

“Global Fashion Agenda is proud to be working with its partners to accelerate impact in core manufacturing regions. Since 2018, Denmark and Indonesia have been in strategic collaboration to support a circular economy and more effective waste management. By working with key local stakeholders, we believe that there is great potential in scaling recycling solutions in Indonesia and hope to collaborate with a wide ecosystem of actors in the region to tailor programs to the unique local context and, in turn, support the transition to a circular economy," Federica said.

RTL chair Basrie Kamba, Chair, RTL, said: “It’s not going to be easy. We’re not aiming for something that is impractical here. But this partnership will also enhance the understanding of circular economy ecosystems that can guide local and national government officials, manufacturers, practitioners, academics, media, and consumers in pursuing circular economy in the ecosystems setting.”

Anya Sapphira, Sustainability and Public Affairs Manager, H&M Production Office Indonesia, said that moving towards circularity is a continuous journey with many interdependencies, both within and outside the company.

"To achieve our goal of sourcing only recycled or sustainably sourced materials by 2030, we need to work with partners. We are thrilled to embark on this journey with the Circular Fashion Partnership, aiming to establish a sustainable and circular supply chain for fashion in Indonesia," Anya said.