HumasUPNVJ - Universitas Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Jakarta (UPNVJ) once again demonstrated its contribution in promoting sustainability through a Focused Discussion Forum (FGD) themed “Assessment of Stakeholder Readiness in the Implementation of Recycled Content for PET, HDPE, and LDPE Plastic Packaging” at the Manhattan Hotel, Jakarta, Thursday, November 14, 2024.

This event, which was initiated together with the WWF-Indonesia Foundation through the Plastic Smart Cities program, is a strategic step in supporting the implementation of circular economic policies in Indonesia.

This FGD presents various stakeholders from ministries, academics, industry associations, to business actors who are relevant to plastic recycling management.

The event was opened by UPNVJ Vice Rector I for Academic Affairs, Dr. Henry BH Sitorus, and Irfan Bakhtiar as Director of the WWF-Indonesia Market and Climate Transformation Program. The speech and discussion focused on the national action plan related to increasing the use of recycled raw materials in plastic packaging, in line with the government's target to reduce plastic waste by 30 percent by 2025.

In the event, Dr. Dianwicaksih Arieftiara, Ak., CA, CSRS, GRCE, who is also the Lead Consultant of the recycled content study, presented comprehensive policy recommendations prepared by UPNVJ.

"The use of recycled raw materials not only supports waste reduction, but also strengthens the circular economic ecosystem in Indonesia," he said.

Accelerating the Circular Economy

The productive discussion identified key challenges such as supply chain, production capacity, market readiness, technology, and baseline minimum percentage of recycled content. The discussion was facilitated by researchers from the Center for Sustainable and Strategic Development Studies (Puska SSuD) LPPM UPNVJ, who ensured that the discussion and breakout group sessions were effective in gathering relevant input from various stakeholder perspectives.

This event is also a real manifestation of UPNVJ's commitment as a strategic study center in sustainable development.

"We are proud to be part of a sustainable solution to the plastic waste problem in Indonesia. Hopefully the recommendations resulting from this FGD can have a real impact," said Dr. Sri Lestari Wahyuningroem, Chair of the UPNVJ Research and Community Service Institute.

The FGD was closed with optimism from all participants towards closer collaboration between sectors to achieve Indonesia's vision in sustainable waste management. With the presence of UPNVJ in the formulation of strategic policies, it is hoped that steps towards a circular economy will be further accelerated.