SMEs Ministry on Jokowi Banning Thrifting: We're Not Waste Collectors

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - In response to the ban on thrifting announced by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Deputy for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) of the Cooperatives and SMEs Ministry Hanung Harimba Rachman said imports of used clothing make Indonesia a dumping ground for waste from other countries.

The ministry opined that thrifting, the practice of buying secondhand clothes, is a problem that must be combated. “We don't want to become a nation that collects waste. It also destroys the clothing and footwear industry,” said Hanung at the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs Office, on Thursday, March 16.

He also mentioned that three percent of employment comes from the textile and textile products sector. “The contribution to GDP is also large,” he added.

According to Hanung, thrifting kills the domestic industry as it takes market share from the lower middle class. “People want to buy branded goods at low prices,” he said.

The import of massive clothes is usually accomplished in a secretive and illicit way. Moreover, some of the clothes are still feasible to use, while others are trash that must be gotten rid of. 

On this basis, Hanung assessed that the used clothing imports not only threaten the industry's sustainability but also affect the environment.

“That's what we want to fight because destroying it (the waste) also requires a lot of money. The waste treatment is different,” said Hanung.

Issues related to imports of secondhand clothes have recently resurfaced. President Jokowi has banned the business of imported used clothes or thrifting as it disrupts the domestic textile industry. He also asked related institutions to take action against such import practices.

RIRI RAHAYU | M. JULNIS FIRMANSYAH

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