Encouraging and Implementing Sustainable Production and Consumption of Eco-Friendly Batik in Indonesia and Malaysia
Brief Description
Small and medium enterprises producing batik operate with excessive use of water, wax, chemical dyes and bleaching agents that are harmful to the environment. Low health and safety awareness also leave the workers exposed to hazardous substances on a daily basis. There is no demand-led stimulus for batik SMEs to switch to a cleaner method of production. In addition, female workers who greatly contribute to the beauty of batik are still fighting for equal rights in the work place.
The SWITCH-Asia “Clean Batik Initiative (CBI)” seeks to address the low environmental indicators of the Indonesian and Malaysian batik industry by attempting to implement cleaner production (CP) concepts in batik production as part of its Sustainable Production (SP) component. This involves targeting the adoption of Environmental Oriented Cost Management, Good Housekeeping, Chemical Management, Water and Energy Efficiency, and Fit-for-Purpose technology by approximately 600 SMEs in Indonesia and Malaysia. Additionally, batik SMEs that successfully implement CP concept will be eligible to receive various trade and promotional assistances from the Sustainable Consumption (SC) component of the CBI project. This includes marketing consultancy, media exposure, online product promotion, business matchmakings as well as support for domestic and international trade fairs. In parallel, public awareness events to various consumer groups will be conducted to encourage a switch of consumption habits that will favour green products such as clean batiks. In order to complement concrete interventions in businesses and consumer organisations, the CBI project will also facilitate policy dialogues and lobby group activities with governments at local, regional, and national level.
News
July 2010, Klaten (Java)
The SWITCH-Asia project "Encouraging and Implementing Sustainable Production and Consumption of Eco-friendly Batik in Indonesia and Malaysia" conducts a workshop on Environmental Oriented Cost Management, Good Housekeeping and Chemical Management. The training is designed to groom local professionals with relevant background to become the technical consultants during the programme implementation in the field. Focus of the SWITCH-Asia project “Clean Batik Initiative” also includes training on cleaner production methods for the batik sector.
June 2010, Jakarta
The CBI team welcomes the arrival of short-term Senior Expert Services (SES) expert Wolfgang Bandur on 17 June 2010 who will support the implementation phase of the Sustainable Production component. The Austrian national will spend his first few weeks in Jakarta to complete some assignments for CBI before being stationed in Yogyakarta for the remaining of his 10 weeks stay in Indonesia (until 20 August 2010).
June 2010, Yogjakarta
On his first tour in Asia, Andris Piebalgs, the European Commissioner for Development visited the SWITCH-Asia project “Clean Batik Initiative” in Yogyakarta. The Commissioner saw how the project relates to sustainable production in the traditional textile industry in Indonesia by creating demand for eco-friendly batik production.
May 2011
At the launch of the SWITCH-Asia Clean Batik Initiative, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry called for a "switch" of batik small and medium enterprises from unsustainable management and production practices to more efficient and sustainable patterns. On 24 May, the Malaysia German Chamber of Commerce together with the EU Delegation and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment launched the Malaysian part of the Clean Batik Initiative (CBI). CBI project coordinator Thomas Brand explained that batik manufactures with natural dye instead of chemical would act as a good source of economy to the country as environmentally-friendly batik would be able to fetch a high price internationally. The Ambassador-Head of the European Union Delegation to Malaysia, Vincent Piket, said during the Ceremony: “The art the batik-makers of Malaysia know pretty well already – they have handed it down from generation to generation; there is nothing that a European orang putih can teach them on that. What we can offer is some of the European knowhow on making the production of batik more environmentally friendly, more safe for the workers and more sustainable.” The European experience can help enhancing the efficiency in the use of water, materials, dyes and energy in batik production by the SMEs. The batik industry has been associated with inefficient and poor environmental practices. The Clean Batik Initiative aims to improve resource efficiency and also promote a cleaner and safer working environment for batik workers. The CBI project operates in Malaysia as well as in Indonesia. The Malaysian part of the Clean Batik Initiative is implemented by the Malaysia German Chamber of Commerce with co-funding of the European Union. The SWITCH-Asia Initiative in Malaysia will address 100 batik producing SMEs in Kelantan and Terengganu.
May 2010, Yogjakarta
With a Regional Info Day and several local Info Day in different Indonesian cities the SWITCH-Asia project “Clean Batik Initiative (CBI)” is now entering its implementation phase. The Info-Days introduces the SWITCH –Asia project to SME business owners and their key staff in order to raise their awareness for the issues addressed in the programme and to show them how they can benefit from participating in the CBI programme
The German-Indonesian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (EKONID) in cooperation with the Indonesian Cleaner Production Centre (ICPC) of the Ministry of Environment Republic of Indonesia, officially lauched the Clean Batik Initiative (CBI). The ceremony was held on 2 March 2010 at the Textile Museum, Jakarta. The inauguration ceremony was a truly festive event, attended by well known figures and patrons of the batik arts.
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Project Coordinator
- German-Indonesian Chamber of Industry & Commerce
Project Partner
- Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- IHK Academy Munich