Housewives who produce recycled products with support from Unilever Peduli, Hypermart and Sunlight have successfully brought TRASHION (Trash Fashion) recycled products to modern retail markets. It is hoped that the communities will have special interest in trashion recycled products to increase more awareness of using recycled products that indirectly can positively impact to the environment. The program, closely connected to women empowering is launched on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008, in Hypermart Puri Indah, West Jakarta. The program will be followed by a series of Trashion Bazaar Roadshows in some Hypermarts. The first road show is scheduled in July 23 – August 3 at Hypermart Puri Indah, Cibubur, and Cikarang and the second from August 8 – 27 at Hypermart Karawaci, Pondok Gede and Depok.
This program was inspired by the waste-related issue which is common in the urban developments; this is a problem for most Indonesians that should aspire us to go to the new, environmentally conscious era. We can start from our neighborhoods, as already conducted by some housewives communities who began the small and medium businesses in trashion recycled products. Besides intending to minimize waste, they see the economic opportunities by transforming waste into trashion recycled products offering attractive designs and selling values.
Joseph Bataona, Director of Human Resources & Corporate Relations, PT. Unilever Indonesia, Tbk.Said, “Through the trashion program, which is an environmental care activity initiated by Jakarta Green and Clean, including Unilever Indonesia Foundation, Delta FM Radio, Republika Daily, Aksi Cepat Tanggap and BPHLD, housewives are given trainings to make them the role models who can motivate other housewives to go forward together. The important mission behind this activity is recognizing the housewives’ high potentials so that they can contribute more to their families and communities by starting small and medium businesses in recycling. Indirectly, they help minimize the amount of waste in surrounding neighborhoods to keep the environment clean and healthy.”
Commenting on the involvement in this program, Carmelito J. Regalado, Director of Marketing & Merchandising, Matahari Food Business Division said, “As a leader in multi-format retailers in Indonesia, we’ve been helping the communities in Indonesia to meet their living requirements for almost 50 years. Today, with great concerns for poor environment, we also want to help the communities to have better, healthier, cleaner and more comfortable environment to live in. We are proud to be a part of this program, which allows us to educate the consumers on environmental issues through 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), starting from information on environmental issues, process of making recycled products into useful and valuable products, which can be seen at the trashion booths at selected locations of Hypermart.”
“Developing recycled waste into trashion has opened the economic opportunities, which allows housewives to get additional income, and even provide working opportunities for others. This is a very good example for us at Hypermart, both as individuals and as a corporation. We hope this trashion product can be an inspiration for all of us to give more attention to the environment and make better change for Indonesia’s future,” he added.
Not only reducing the amount of waste in our neighborhoods, managing dry waste is also an effort in helping to develop potentials among the communities, especially housewives. Automatically this activity gives the opportunities for trashion workers, which are the members of ‘Ibu Bersinar Sunlight’ to be more resourceful, independent and motivated in advancing their living standards, both economically and socially.
Beginning with entrepreneurship training in 2007, the trashion program was able to get 10 women entrepreneurs in its forming stage, chosen from Jakarta’s five regions, with each region represented by two women. These trashion recycled products developers then were given trainings by Unilever and its partners in the Jakarta Green and Clean program, which cover the skills in developing dry waste into trashion: from the making of patterns, tailoring, and designing, as well as motivation and tips and tricks on entrepreneurship. Then they were given funds to buy sewing machines and initial capital to be implemented on the recycled products.
This program has grown and now has more than 100 entrepreneurs who have felt the benefits of their trainings. The trashion recycled products developers have created various collections of interesting bags, wallets and umbrellas in many forms and sizes. They are also active in participating in bazaars in various places. They have created environment awareness among the public.
Rahayu Istari, a housewife who became a trashion recycled products handicrafter said, “Through the trainings I participated in, I knew that packaging waste can be transformed into valuable goods. Now, recycled products development is my main source of income, and I’m assisted by three employees who are my neighbors. I’m very excited, because with this business I and my employees have our own income and can help our families. Besides, we can also be involved in driving the awareness in our communities to create clean and healthy environment.”
Through this program, Hypermart invites consumers to reduce the use of plastic bags by bringing their own shopping bags, where using trashion shopping bags is one of the alternatives. To start with, for the duration of the trashion project, Hypermart’s consumers can trade empty packaging of Unilever’s products for souvenirs from Sunlight.
