Strategy Paper to Ensure Sustainability of Indonesian Traditional Fabrics
Jakarta. Almost every region in Asia has its own tradition of handwoven textiles. Interwoven with them are local legends, history, values and life philosophies.
While traditional textiles, or tenun, are gaining in popularity, many of the weavers are trapped in the mire of poverty.
Often uneducated, they do not know how to improve the quality of their products, package them and market to potential buyers.
Many also forsake environmentally friendly means of production and destroy their own natural surroundings.
As younger generations are no longer interested in becoming weavers and seek better future, the cultural heritage may soon be forgotten. This is why Hivos Southeast Asia has initiated the Sustainable Hand Woven Eco Textile (SHWET) project in Indonesia and the Philippines.
"The project is aimed at improving the welfare of traditional weavers by introducing sustainable tenun consumption and production," green society program officer of Hivos Southeast Asia and SHWET project manager Miranda said during a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday (31/05).
The project, which started in 2013, was funded by the European Union (EU) under the SWITCH-Asia program.
In Indonesia, the Dutch-based organization partnered with a number of NGOs, including Cinta Tenun Indonesia (Indonesian Textile Lovers Association), Aspukk (Association for Women in Small Businesses) and NTFP EP (Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Program), to provide workshops and training on sustainability to 4,332 weavers in 12 provinces.
Capacity Building
"Many of these weavers no longer know how to make natural dyes. We taught them how to produce from plants and how to manage the production waste," Miranda said.
During the past four years, Hivos Southeast Asia spoke with academics, government institutions and the private sector on sustainable tenun production and consumption.
"The results of the consultations were put into a strategy paper, which contains a roadmap for sustainable consumption and production of Indonesian tenuns for the next five years," Miranda said.
During Wednesday's conference, the strategy paper was handed to the Environment Ministry's head of product standardization Nurmayanti.
Eco-Labeling
In line with the roadmap, the ministry is now in the process of drafting a government regulation for eco-labeling of Indonesian tenuns.
"Eco-labeling augments the position of [Indonesian tenuns] in the market and helps to protect them against competitors," Nurmayanti said.
Weavers will be encouraged to apply for eco-labeling at the ministry, after which an independent agency will verify the eco-quality of the materials and processes used to produce their tenuns.
"The weavers should use only natural dyes for their products and employ good waste management system," Nurmayanti said. "The fabrics should also contain no lead."
Eco-labelled weavers will receive special incentives from the government.
"Their products will be prioritized in government procurement projects," Nurmayanti said.
The ministry is also going to include the eco-labelled weavers in the government funding programs and international exhibitions.
The new regulation is expected to be in power by the end of this year.
Natural Conservation
Climate change and environment adviser of the EU delegation to Indonesia and Brunei Michael Bucky was very pleased with the results of the SHWET project.
"We like it because the project has achieved a multi-stakeholder consultation that led to sustainable consumption and production strategy paper by using NTFP [non-timber forest products]," Bucky said.
"One way to stop deforestation in the long term is when people realize that forest is not a wasteland. There's actually a lot of values and biodiversity in the forest. It is a treasure, an undervalued treasure," he added.
Tags: Keywords: