Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said that the development performance of the industrial sector in the second quarter of 2021 showed an increase of 6.91%. According to him, this is in line with the national economic growth of 7.07%.

In the middle of this year, Bappenas also launched the results of a study on the potential economic, social and environmental benefits of implementing a circular economy in Indonesia which are reported to be very promising, one of which is in the textile sector. For example, the implementation of a circular economy in this sector is reported to be able to help create an economic impact of IDR 24 trillion, 200 thousand jobs, reduce CO2 emissions by 16 million tons, and save water by 1.3 billion cubic meters by 2030.

On the other hand, consumers also benefit from products that are durable, long lasting, innovative and environmentally friendly.

"We at the ministry of industry continue to support the development of sustainable fashion as a commitment to support the circular economy and the fulfillment of environmentally friendly products and production processes," he said.

He explained, sustainable fashion as part of the green industry has been stated in government regulation no. 28 of 2021 regarding the implementation of the industrial sector and has been implemented or stated in the roadmap for making Indonesia 4.0 in RIPIN and KIN 2020-2024 with a focus on the recycle polyester and staple fiber industry. In particular, he said, it came from used plastic bottles and the development of renewable and sustainable fiber rayon, with tracable woods, sustainable forestry, and eco-friendly production.

In line with that, IBCSD President Shinta Kamdani said the textile sector plays an important role in the Indonesian economy. From the ILO study data, he said, around 4.2 million people work in this industrial sector and 78 percent of them are women.

"According to data from the Ministry of Industry, there are 323 garment companies registered with the Ministry of Industry, so that Indonesia is one of the largest textile producing countries and the largest exporter of textiles and apparel in the world and contributes 6.93 percent to GDP from the non-oil and gas processing industry sector. " he said.

Director General of Waste, Waste and Hazardous Toxic Material Management (PSLB3), Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Rosa Vivien Ratnawati, explained that textile waste is a problem as well as a potential that can be utilized. August 2021 data from 292 districts shows that there is 1.7 million tons of textile waste per year. A circular economy approach can be the key to alleviating this problem.

“The basic concept is that the waste problem can be solved as a resource but economic growth can grow well. This is in line with the Minister of Industry earlier. Behavior change is the most important thing. Then the technology is recycled or reused,” said Vivien.