TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) chairman Arsjad Rasjid said the fashion industry has an extremely wide market and dynamic trends. It is among the major contributors to the creative economy sector.

“From an economic outlook, the fashion industry is one of the main contributors to creative growth which accounts for 17 percent of the creative economy in Indonesia,” said Arsjad at the Indonesia Sustainable Fashion Conference at the KADIN Tower, Jakarta, on Tuesday, November 29, 2022.

The industry, however, has side effects on the environment as it is closely related to the textile industry which contributes 10 percent of carbon emissions in the world.

In addition, textile waste is the second worst water pollutant across the globe after industrial waste. “In Indonesia alone, almost 1 million tons of 33 million tons of clothing produced end up in the trash every year,” Arsjad outlined.

On this basis, he called for the sustainability of the fashion industry. “Let’s move together to reach the net zero emission goal and support Indonesia's transformation towards a sustainable green economy,” he said.

The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Deputy for Economic Affairs, Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti or Winny, said that if Indonesia could shift towards a more sustainable textile industry, this will boost the competitiveness of domestic products.

“We have to look for new spaces. Industrialization is the key to Indonesia's economic transformation,” said Winny, underlining that the fashion and textile industry must use eco-environmentally and low-carbon energy. “Otherwise, we will lose the market. So we have to move on.”

DEFARA DHANYA PARAMITHA

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