Reuse Revolution in Jakarta
In collaboration with the Dutch company Enviu, the business Alner has established itself in over 600 retail outlets across Jakarta. They are now working to bring even more consumers into what they call a reuse revolution.
Published: 04.September, 2024 Last updated: 04.September, 2024
-Alner is the platform that covers your daily needs. Everything from soap to rice and oils, all without waste, by delivering products in returnable and refillable containers.
This is how Bintang Ekanda explains the project, which has already had a significant impact on the local community and the environment in Indonesia's capital city. Ekanda is the CEO of Alner, which he co-founded just four years ago.
Since 2023 alone, they have avoided the need for over 500,000 single-use packages and reduced CO2 emissions by more than 17 tons.
See how the stores operate:
Rewarding Collaboration
Detergents, groceries, and hair products: At over 600 retail locations in Jakarta, consumers can now purchase these items in eco-friendly containers that can be returned to the store and reused—again and again.
-We came up with the idea for Alner because Indonesia has a problematic relationship with single-use plastic, explains Ekanada.
Alner began collaborating with the Environmental Trading Fund in 2023, and Ekanada says the project funding from the fund has been essential in helping them expand to more locations. It has also helped them develop the technology used in their warehouses, where they clean and prepare used packaging for redistribution. Ekanada shares that their experience shows that plastic bottles are the best option for reuse in low-income markets, as they can be reused up to 50 times.
Alner Should Be Everywhere
Alner reports that they have achieved all the milestones they set so far. Since receiving support from the fund, they have added an additional 500 retail outlets to the project and created six new jobs. The project also launched three new products targeted at lower-income customers. As a result, Alner avoided over 232,000 units of single-use plastic, generated over $50,000 in additional income for micro-entrepreneurs, and reduced CO2 emissions by over 17 tons.
Eline Leising, Chief Program Officer at the Dutch foundation Enviu, which has Alner as one of its initiatives, is thrilled with the project's rapid progress.
-Ideally, we should have Alner everywhere! There should be a large collective packaging system for all the major suppliers. Then, all kinds of consumers could join the reuse revolution and use Alner for their daily needs."
