Indonesia continues journey towards circularity in plastic packaging

Indonesia, the most active market in Southeast Asia, has been drawing enormous investments into its numerous industries to serve its population of 279 million. One of its most dynamic sectors is the packaging industry which provides a wide range of products due to the introduction of more sophisticated technologies and material solutions. Indonesia's packaging market is expected to expand by more than 3% annually. The country has been moving towards a circular economy to curb the vast amounts of plastic packaging consumed and discarded. Indonesia has made tremendous progress in recent years as calls for effective plastics recycling intensifies.  

The recently concluded 2024 ASEAN Manufacturing Summit: Creating a Circular Economy for Plastics on 13-14 August in Jakarta, Indonesia, aimed at helping address the issue of sustainable plastic packaging and variety of solutions that plastics manufacturers can take to reduce the environmental impact of their operations. The conference had the active participation of the most influential industry associations, relevant government agencies, educational and research institutions, and industry-leading private companies – all with the goal of exploring opportunities in the Indonesian plastics packaging and recycling industries.

The Summit was supported by leading associations such as Indonesian Plastics Recyclers (IPR), Indonesian Society for Quality (ISQ) and Indonesian Packaging Federation (IPF). The event was also supported by major companies — RunTai Knives Co., Ltd, Diing Kuen Plastic Machinery Co., Ltd, Guangzhou Tyrone Environmental Technology Co., Ltd, Dongguan Hongguan New Materials Co., Ltd, and Foshan Baijinyi Precision Technology Co., Ltd.

Sustainable packaging: Meeting circular economy trends

The presentations covered a wide range of subjects where delegates gained an incredible amount of  knowledge. The first presenter was Mr. Putut Pramono who is the Education and Sustainable Director of IPF, a business, non-profit, and non-governmental organization of the packaging industry in Indonesia founded in  August 1977. Mr. Pramono is also a Technical Advisor of Indonesia Packaging Recovery Organization (IPRO). With more than 23 years experience in packaging, he opened the session with his presentation “Plastic Packaging Circularity: Emerging Trends and Its Impact on Demand for Innovative Technologies  and Materials” and provided industry updates and trends, his observations on consumer behavior changes and technology developments.

The Indonesian Plastics Recycles (IPR)  was represented by its Central Management Committee, Mr. Gadhapi Aulia Maran. IPR is a non-for-profit association that comprises plastics waste recyclers in Indonesia. Established in 2018, IPR aims for the implementation of Circular Economy model and principle in the plastics recycling sector. Mr. Maran tackled the current status, future outlook, and challenges to EPR implementation in Indonesia.

Mr. Henky Wibawa, the Executive Director of IPF and former VP Education of World Packaging Organisation (WPO), explored the process of designing packaging production to meet sustainability challenges. His long years of experience in the packaging industry has made him one of the most sought-after speakers on the topic, in particular, on the issues of circular economy and smart manufacturing.

“Environment-Friendly Injection Molding Technology for Packaging Applications” was discussed by the President- Director of PT Bilplast Grapindo, a trusted provider of a variety of plastic machines, including recycling extruders, plastic brooms, sacks, ropes, aqua glasses, and PET bottles. He is experienced in turn-key plastic manufacturing projects from material to finished product including processing know-how.

Efficient waste management, recycling and production processes   

During the  afternoon session, Mr. Eki Setijadi, the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Jangjo Indonesia, discussed how the industries could support waste management initiatives towards a circular economy through sustainable practices that benefit both the environment and society. Jangjo is a forward-thinking waste management company, focusing on end-to-end solutions and innovations that redefine industry standards.

Mr. Moch Malik, the Founder and Chairman of ISQ, talked about the strategies that companies must obtain to meet today’s standard. He explored how standardization promotes efficiency, sustainability, and market acceptability in technologies through case studies and industry perspectives. He also encouraged the delegates to join ISQ to stay updated on the latest standards in Quality, Health, Environment, Sustainability, Compliance, Anti-Bribery, Energy, Cyber Security, and Information Security.

Mr. David Tanos is the Chief Marketing Officer of Namasindo Plas, a leader in plastics packaging manufacturing in Indonesia with 2,600 employees and 15 plants all over Indonesia. Mr. Tanos explained the processes and factors that lead to a good food grade rPET and safety packaging.

The last speaker was from Windmöller & Hölscher Indonesia which was represented by its Regional Manager, Mr. Joe Heru. For 150 years, the company has been constantly demonstrating its innovative power to supply machinery and systems for the manufacturing and converting of flexible packaging made of paper, woven fabric and film. Mr. Heru presented the company’s commitment to provide sustainability packaging based on mono material - MDO films.

The delegates also had the chance to learn from techniques and experiences of three more experts in the industry during the panel discussion. It was participated by panelists Mr. Effen Wijaya, the Director of PT Eco Ramah Lestari; Mr. Candra Tanuwijaya, the CEO of PT Surya Indo Utama and; Ms. Yustina, the Director of PT Trikarya Sukses Makmur. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Reymund Levy, the CEO of Multidaya Prima Selaras. 

Factory visits to Pan Era Group and Indoplastik Sukses Abadi

On the second day of the conference, the delegates arrived early for the factory tours. From Jakarta, the delegates took a two hour bus ride to Pan Era Group in Banten, where they were warmly welcomed by its Managing Director, Mr. Wilson Pandhika. Before proceeding to the plant tour, the delegates were informed by the Plant Manager, Ms. Arfah Fitria Rahman, of the safety guidelines, and procedure to ensure orderliness in the tour experience. Commercial Manager Mr. Suwandi Budinata also introduced the profile and history of the company and presented the certificates achieved by the management.

Delegates visited the Pan Era Group's advanced recycling facility in Cikande

Pan Era Group is one of the largest Polyethylene and Polypropylene recycling companies in Southeast Asia, leading the way in providing sustainable plastic solutions. Pan Era Group’s recycling process encompasses multiple stages from waste characterization waste, washing and extrusion process each designed to maximize the value and quality of recycled plastic. By using recycled plastic resin 100% locally sourced from Indonesia this effort is committed to advancing sustainable solutions, implementation of socially impactful sourcing and support the circular economy. The delegates were provided with protective gears such as helmet, high-visibility vests, face masks and earplugs prior to the tour of the facilities. They were given the chance to witness firsthand the processes applied by Pan Era in producing various types of resins.

Indoplastik Sukses Abadi production facility was also visited by the delegates.

After the tour, the delegates had lunch before heading to the second plant, Indoplastik Sukses Abadi, located in Tangerang. Indoplastik provides solutions for a variety of quality vacuum plastic packaging products. With more than seven years of experience in the packaging industry, the company had a production capacity of more than 5000 sheets per day for PVC, fulfilling the requests of its clients on time. The Company Director, Mr. Anto Wijaya, met the delegates upon arrival at the plant and brought them to the PET sheet cutting and vacuum facilities. Mr. Wijaya also showed the cutting, forming and vacuum machines that the company uses. Together with Ringier Events, the delegates thanked the leaders of both companies that hosted the factory tours for entertaining and answering all their inquiries.

- For more information on Ringier Events' upcoming conferences, visit: www.ringierevents.com