Following a four month long process, the Informal Plastic Collection Innovation Challenge (IPCIC), a collaboration between the Indonesia National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) with the World Economic Forum, UpLink and the Ocean Plastic Prevention Accelerator (OPPA), has been successfully completed with 11 partnerships formed among participants and major Indonesian waste management stakeholders.
12 local and international innovators have undergone training, mentorship, and partnership building, to scale their solutions that will increase the effectiveness of plastic waste collection and recycling by elevating the livelihoods, transparency, capacity, and role of the informal sector.
“We are immensely appreciative of the partnerships and commitments formed within a short period of time. We hope these collaborations will catalyze systemic change in the waste management sector, and contribute towards reducing 70% of plastic waste by 2025,” said Duala Oktoriani, Program Manager at OPPA.
The IPCIC team proudly announces the 11 partnerships formed during the program:
1. Duitin - Griya Luhu: Connecting Duitin waste pickers to Griya Luhu waste banks
2. Duitin - LPBI NU: Waste management for LPBI NU communities and incentives will be donated back to the mosques
3. Duitin - Sampangan - Softex Kimberly Clark: Management of diaper waste and sanitary pads
4. Duitin - The Kabadiwala: Collaboration to improve waste collection technology
5. Duitin - Unilever Foundry: Digitalization of waste banks in Java-Bali region
6. Empower - Geledek: Creating waste collection ecosystem by including traceability and transparency
7. Griya Luhu - Surabaya Central Waste Bank: Digitizing the operational system of the Surabaya Central Waste Bank via Griya Luhu App
8. Octopus - Prof. Enri Damanhuri (ITB): Prof. Enri Damanhuri joins Octopus advisory board
9. Rekosistem - Aqua: New rebox (reverse vending machine) installation through sponsorship from Aqua to collect more plastic bottles from consumers 10. Rekosistem - Surabaya Central Waste Bank - Robries: Collaboration for plastic waste collection, sorting, and recycling
11. Rekosistem - Gojek: Responsible waste pickup services for Gojek’s cloud kitchen
Over 52 corporate representatives, capital providers, and organisations also attended the IPCIC Showcase Fest, a three-day long virtual pitching event (20 - 22 October) held to close the program.
Further connections were fostered during the event, indicating a promising outlook on collaboration opportunities to improve the waste sector.
"The IPCIC Showcase Fest is a brilliant event to connect the innovators with the key players in plastic waste reduction initiatives. We are hoping more partnerships will happen in the future" said Hidayah Hamzah, NPAP Manager.
To accelerate solutions on the ground, selected participants will be supported with a total of $45,000: Duitin, Empower, Griya Luhu, Plastic Bank, Rekosistem, The Kabadiwala.
Yash Lohia, Chief Sustainability Officer at Indorama Ventures, said “We are proud to support the Informal Plastic Collection Innovation Challenge (IPCIC) to support innovators building the circular economy of tomorrow, as well as to learn first-hand from experts. We hope this project will create greater understanding of the circular economy in Indonesia and promote the benefits of using recycled products. Great innovations make the circular economy go round.”
Indonesia’s plastic pollution crisis remains a challenge, evident by the projection of a 30% increase of plastic waste into the country’s waterways between 2017 and 2025 - from 620,000 tonnes per year to an estimated 780,000 tonnes per year.
Meanwhile, the role of informal workers is pivotal in preventing plastic pollution. Out of the 1 million tonnes of plastic waste collected, around 700,000 tonnes are successfully recycled and do not end up in landfills.
Collaboration is also key to boost these changes. “Urgent innovative solutions that will improve and better support Indonesia’s informal waste sector are needed, and the IPCIC team looks forward to supporting other initiatives in the future,” said Klaus Oberbauer, Program Manager at OPPA.
-
The Informal Plastic Collection Innovation Challenge is a collaboration between The Indonesia National Plastic Action Partnership with World Economic Forum, UpLink and the Ocean Plastic Prevention Accelerator, a social innovation ecosystem builder supported by The Incubation Network - regional initiative powered by SecondMuse, The Circulate Initiative, The Alliance to End Plastic Waste, and Global Affairs Canada. Special thanks to Indorama Ventures and Suntory. IPCIC Innovators: Duitin (Indonesia), Empower (Norway), Griya Luhu Indonesia (Indonesia), Kabadiwalla Connect (India), NEPRA (India), Octopus (Indonesia), Plastic Bank (Indonesia), Rekosistem (Indonesia), SecondLife (Singapore), Seven Clean Seas (Singapore), The Kabadiwala (India), TrashCon (India).
