Cooperatives and SMEs Minister Teten Masduki has urged MSME players to employ environmentally friendly business practices to support the green economy thrust.
Currently, green economy or environmentally friendly business practices are on the ministry’s agenda for transformative recovery, he informed during a webinar on ‘Green Economy Indonesia Summit 2022: The Future Economy of Indonesia,’ accessed from here on Thursday.
Currently, there are 65 million micro, small and medium enterprises, which make up 99.9 percent of the total businesses in the country.
The large number of MSMEs employ 97 percent of the workforce, and at the same time, contribute 61.7 percent to the GDP (gross domestic product).
Given their sheer number, MSME players need to pay attention to environmental aspects, the minister said.
According to research conducted in October 2021 by the ministry, in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme, 95 percent of more than three thousand MSMEs showed interest in and support for environmentally friendly business practices.
Such practices include making efficient use of energy, reducing waste in production processes, as well as employing environmentally friendly practices to benefit the business in the long term.
He said research showed one interesting result: MSMEs owned by women tended to be more supportive of environmentally friendly and inclusive practices compared to those owned by men.
Furthermore, data from the SMERU research institute in 2021 revealed that 73 percent of young Indonesians were interested in entrepreneurship, and 81 percent of youths were interested in running environmentally friendly businesses.
The high interest in environmentally friendly business practices and the G20 Presidency this year provide a good opportunity to push MSMEs to support the green economy.
During its G20 Presidency, Indonesia will collaborate with stakeholders to conduct programs geared toward the development of green MSMEs, including investor matchmaking outputs, green MSME catalogs, showcases, exhibitions, webinars, and policy studies as well as business assistance training, he added.
The minister urged everyone, ranging from the government, private sector, state-owned enterprises, to the academic community, to participate in the development of green, inclusive, and sustainable MSMEs.
He said he believed that by working hand-in-hand, they could attain the goal of green economy.
Source: Antara News