Bukalapak and Bakti Barito Foundation in collaboration to support more than 15 million MSMEs for waste management

Bukalapak and Bakti Barito Foundation are collaborating together to support Indonesia’s goal to reduce unmanaged waste while enhancing awareness of Bukalapak’s MSME (Micro, Small, Medium Enterprise) partners in sorting out and managing waste, including organic and inorganic waste produced by the latter’s sales and packaging activities. Bukalapak is one of Indonesia's first ecommerce tech unicorns, while Bakti Barito Foundation is the philantrophy wing of one of Indonesia's leading energy and petrochemical companies Barito Pacific Group. Both signed a Memorandum of Understanding to show their committment in Jakarta on 14 March 2023.

Unmanaged waste is an ongoing issue in Indonesia. According to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry data, Indonesia produces around 64 million tons of mixed waste annually, or approximately 175,000 tons daily. It is crucially important to see that that amount of waste is managed properly.

In addition, a proper waste management correlates positively to the wellbeing of the communities. The Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry in 2021 cited that every person in Indonesia produces an average of 0.68 kg of waste per day.  

If the 15.2 million Bukalapak MSME Partners -such as small businesses, shop owners, and small kiosks- are equipped with waste management knowledge or skill, they can potentially contribute to reducing up to 3,7 million tonnes of waste per year.

Teddy Oetomo, Bukalapak President said, "Bukalapak's commitment is to continue facilitating MSMEs to optimize their potential as a driver of the national economy. We believe that they have great potential to create impact and make a change in their communities. We are pleased to be able to collaborate with Bakti Barito Foundation, who has the experience and knowledge on waste management and recycling."

Fifi Setiawaty Pangestu, Executive Director of Bakti Barito Foundation said, "Bakti Barito Foundation welcomes this partnership with Bukalapak, where Bakti Barito will share experiences with Bukalapak’s partners on the importance of waste sorting, waste management and recycling. We wish this collaboration can provide an added value for Bukalapak’s partners in their daily economic activities."

Bukalapak and Bakti Barito Foundation’s collaboration consists of capacity building and training sessions on selecting, managing and recycling waste. Bakti Barito will help connect Bukalapak’s MSME partners to identify and link to a composting facilities in their areas. MSME partners will also learn how to use organic waste for livestock feed and organic fertilizers and upcycle inorganic waste to useful items.

Visit our Instagram page for further information. This collaboration is also featured in Detik.com, Tempo.co, Antaranews.com, Katadata, TVOnenews, Tribunnews, MediaIndonesia.