A joint movement is needed to realize a circular economy as part of efforts to reduce the impact of fast fashion use in society.
“The fast fashion phenomenon in society that utilizes clothing in a short period of time has the potential to produce waste that has a negative impact on the environment,” said Deputy Chairperson of the MPR RI Lestari Moerdijat in her written remarks at an online discussion themed Fast Fashion and Its Impact on the Environment held by the Denpasar Discussion Forum 12, Wednesday (17/7).
The discussion moderated by Arimbi Heroepoetri, SH, LL.M (Special Staff of the Deputy Chairman of the MPR RI) presented Asri Hadiyani Giastuti (Planner at the Directorate of Environment, Ministry of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency/Bappenas), Prof. Dr. Endang Warsiki, S.TP., M.Sc. (Professor of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Bogor Agricultural University), Petty S Fatimah (Chief Brand Officer of Akademi Femina, lifestyle observer), and Aryenda Atma (Founder & CEO of PT Daur Langkah Bersama/Pable) as speakers. In addition, Indrastuti (Media Indonesia Journalist) was present as a respondent.
According to Lestari, fashion waste triggers water and land pollution, and produces greenhouse gas emissions that affect climate change. “On the one hand, this industry is trying to grow. On the other hand, there are demands for adaptation to the threat of climate change due to environmental pollution,” added Rerie, Lestari’s nickname.
Rerie, who is also a legislator from Electoral District II of Central Java, really hopes that stakeholders at the central and regional levels as well as the community have the same concern for the threat of environmental crisis caused by fast fashion. “We must realize that destructive behavior that is allowed to follow trends can damage the environmental ecosystem, where we live our daily lives,” said the Member of the NasDem Party High Council.
Planner at the Directorate of Environment of the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, Asri Hadiyani, revealed that in the world today there are major environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, and loss of biodiversity. According to Asri Hadiyani, the use of unsustainable materials will contribute to 70% of greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of the potential loss of global biodiversity.
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He said that people tend to throw away clothes on average following wearing them seven times. In addition, he added, three out of five used clothes end up in landfills. Currently, he explained, Indonesia is in the top 10 largest textile producing countries in the world.
With these conditions, Asri Hadiyani added, circular economic practices must be implemented by encouraging the use of more efficient materials and raw material sources. The use of reconsumable goods for a longer service life, she added, must be attempted.
The current challenge, said Astri, is that following its useful life is over, the fate of the clothing or other textile products is unknown. Providing a drop box for collecting used clothing, she added, is an effort that can be realized with the support of many parties, such as textile manufacturers who produce clothing. The government, said Asri Hadiyani, currently also has a roadmap for developing a circular economy in textiles.
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Chief Brand Officer of Akademi Femina, Petty S Fatimah, assessed that dressing is part of a lifestyle or way of life that we choose in our daily lives. Lifestyle, Petty emphasized, greatly influences a person’s choices in consuming their daily needs, including clothing.
“Do people understand that their choice of clothing consumption patterns can affect the environment?” said Petty. Therefore, he added, people must be aware of the impacts that will be caused by their choices.
The public, according to Petty, must be given an understanding of the cost per use. The fast fashion phenomenon that adopts the trend is an unwise step.
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He admitted that thrifting is part of the circular economy. However, Petty emphasized that thrifting in Indonesia today has gone beyond the limit and the majority of the products are trash. “The fast fashion phenomenon will always exist so it must be managed more responsibly,” he explained.
Founder & CEO of Pable, Aryenda Atma, revealed that with a population of more than 200 million and a productive fashion industry, Indonesia produces 2.3 million tons of textile waste, 80% of which ends up in landfills. If there is no circular action plan as soon as possible, it is estimated that by 2030 the textile waste produced by Indonesia might reach 3.9 million tons.
He encouraged stakeholders to immediately realize the use of environmentally friendly materials as basic materials for fashion. Thus, he explained, post-consumer waste can be easily reprocessed.
Aryenda admitted that a multinational fashion brand in Indonesia produces 245 tons of scrap waste per month. The use of drop boxes, he emphasized, is currently not a solution in the textile circular economy process, because the public has not been properly educated in its application. Aryenda assessed that it is time for the public to prioritize recycled materials in fashion choices.
Professor of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Bogor Agricultural University, Endang Warsiki, revealed that based on his research, fabric fibers consist of many compositions, such as cotton and polyester, which can be returned to their original form in various ways. So, said Endang, recycling fabrics can produce a number of basic fabric fiber materials by changing polymer materials into monomers and trying to make them biodegradable fibers. The process of changing polymer materials into monomers, added Endang, has the potential to open up new jobs from tons of textile waste.
Media Indonesia journalist Indrastuti said that it still takes time to achieve good fashion utilization with environmentally friendly materials. The public, Indrastuti added, does not yet understand how to extend the life of the fashion they buy. The application of a circular economy to textiles in Indonesia is still less popular when compared to the food and packaging sectors. Currently, Indrastuti emphasized, Indonesia needs a continuous campaign and education to increase public interest in the application of a circular economy in the textile sector.
Meanwhile, senior journalist Saur Hutabarat assessed that to realize a circular economy in the textile sector, the technology is already available. In fact, he said, there is already technology to change fabric fibers into their original materials.
The main challenges, according to Saur, are two things. The first is a change in lifestyle which essentially changes the view from more is less to less is more. The second is institutionalizing the recycling economy down to the citizen level. Saur assessed that the drop box mechanism in the implementation of the recycling economy must continue to be encouraged, through massive public communication. (Z-2)
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