Jakarta. The National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) Indonesia, a multi-stakeholder platform focusing on tackling marine debris, is teaming up with the government to keep the seas plastic-free.

NPAP and the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment hosted the “Beating Plastic Pollution from Source to Sea” forum in Bali on Nov. 3-4, ahead of the G20 Summit. 

“I believe that such collaborative action determines our future. And at the upcoming G20 summit, we must support this pledge and promote this to other stakeholders who care about the next generation,” Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan during the event.

Indonesia has set a target to reduce 70 percent of its marine debris by 2025. “To this end, the government works with stakeholders who have made efforts that are not business as usual to help accelerate waste management and prevent waste from entering the waters,” said the Deputy of Environment & Forestry Coordination of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment Nani Herdianty.

According to Nani, manufacturers, producers, retailers, and F&B services should try to reduce, reuse, and recycle their products and packaging. The government is also working alongside multiple stakeholders, among others, NPAP Indonesia.

“NPAP has become a multi-stakeholder platform that puts together policymakers, experts, business leaders, civil society organizations, and academia in five task forces, namely policy, financing, innovation, behavior change, and metrics,” Nani said.

NPAP Indonesia chairwoman Tuti Hadiputranto added, “This is one of the biggest problems that the world is facing today. And the government, business, or community cannot work alone. Collaboration is key for our success in reducing the amount of waste leaking into the sea,”.

The seats in the business matching rooms were made of 100% recycled plastic. Tuti also mentioned that the event’s merchandise was made from recycled plastic. Local artists were involved in creating installations using thousands of plastic litter.

“All this is to show our support for the circular economy. We hope that this can inspire more summits by reducing plastic use during the event, especially at the G20 Summit in Bali,” Tuti said.

The “Beating Plastic Pollution from Source to Sea'' forum is supported by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) as the strategic partners, as well as the World Bank and Delterra as the knowledge partners. Asian Development Bank (ADB), Danone-Aqua Indonesia, Unilever Indonesia, German Development Cooperation, and SecondMuse. Also on the list are Minderoo Foundation, Nestlé Indonesia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Kedaireka, PHINLA, National Coordination Team for Marine Debris Handling (TKN PSL), Divers Clean Action, Waste4Change, EcoBali, Coca-cola Europacific Partners Indonesia Mitra Adiperkasa, Starbucks Indonesia, Greenhope, and DUITIN.

Director of Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability of PT Coca-Cola Indonesia Triyono Prijosoesilo also gave his comment on plastic pollution. He said that The Coca-Cola System (Coca-Cola Indonesia and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Indonesia) has collaborated with many stakeholders to create a solution for a circular plastic packaging collection in Indonesia. 

“We will always support the efforts done by the government or other stakeholders such as NPAP to address the pace of the plastic litter in Indonesia. This year, we took part in the ‘Beating Plastic Pollution from Source to Sea’ forum hosted by NPAP to welcome [Indonesia’s] G20 Presidency,” Triyono said.

“We believe that more collaborative actions would help realize the efforts to bring a better circular economy to Indonesia. In line with our company’s global vision of 'World Without Waste’, we will continue to try to realize our commitment to collect and recycle a bottle for each one sold and consumed globally by 2030,” Triyono said.

According to NPAP Indonesia gender, equity, and social inclusion (GESI) ambassador Yeni Wahid, the group also embraced a gender-responsive approach in whatever it does or commissions.

“We should no longer ignore the social aspect of the plastic economy. To create a just circular economy, all stakeholders must realize the hardships faced by women and other marginal groups. They also need to work together to promote gender equality and social inclusion across the plastic value chain,” Yenny concluded.

NPAP Indonesia hosted the “Beating Plastic Pollution from Source to Sea” forum as part of its support for Indonesia’s G20 Presidency. 

Earlier this week, the leaders of the world’s biggest economies convened in Bali to discuss the most pressing issues related to global healthcare architecture, energy transition, and digital transformation. The summit ended with the adoption of the Bali Leaders’ Declaration. On plastic pollution, the declaration reads, “In line with the UNEA Resolution 5/14, we are committed to developing an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, with the ambition of completing the work by the end of 2024.”

At the end of the summit, Indonesia passed over its G20 Presidency baton to India.