Why is Indonesia cracking down on second-hand clothes?

Indonesia is cracking down on second-hand clothes. The country, which banned imported second-hand clothing in 2015, made the move after a report found that footwear sent to a recycling scheme in Singapore went to Indonesia. Indonesia previously said it had barred such imports on grounds of public health and to protect its micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Let’s take a closer look: Indonesia and second-hand clothes Indonesia gets most of its second-hand clothes from Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, according to Business of Fashion. That might be great for those on a budget or looking for a bargain, but it’s a big problem for Indonesian authorities. CNA quoted Small and Medium Enterprise minister Teten Masduki as saying illegally imported used clothing comprises 31 per cent of the apparel industry. Teten added that since the illicit items remain untaxed, the government is thus losing out on a massive amount of revenue. In March, Indonesia’s trade minister Zulkifli Hasan vowed to renew the battle against second-hand clothing, as per Al Jazeera.

Hasan said local thrift shops that sold used clothes would also be in the crosshairs.

“If the upstream stops, the retailers will stop too,” Hasan was quoted as saying by the website BusinessofFashion. That came after Reuters published the results of a six-month probe that found around a dozen pairs of shoes it gave to a recycling programme run by Dow chemicals and the Singapore government were resent to Indonesia. In July 2021, Dow and government agency Sport Singapore launched a programme to grind down old shoes with rubberised soles into granules to be used to make new jogging tracks and playgrounds. The public donated tens of thousands of shoes to the scheme. Reuters reporters used location trackers embedded in the soles of shoes to locate the sneakers at second-hand markets in Jakarta and on Batam, an island 19 kilometres south of Singapore. In a statement titled “dismantling the scandal of illegal imports of used shoes”, Indonesia’s Ministry of Industry said that as a result of the Reuters story it would increase checks at ports to intercept any illegal second-hand shoe shipments. [caption id=“attachment_12440512” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] People wash their clothes in a public pool of spring water in Japakeh, Indonesia’s Aceh. AFP[/caption] “This incident shows that the illegal import of used shoes is carried out in an organised manner and misuses social projects,” Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita was quoted as saying in the statement. “The practice of illegal importation of used shoes must be stopped because it has a bad impact on the domestic footwear industry.” The ministry is also proposing new incentives for local footwear manufacturers importing raw materials for their businesses, and imposing tighter regulations on businesses importing textiles, the statement said. Two days Reuters published its piece, Dow and Sport Singapore issued a statement apologising to the public for a “lapse” in its supply chain which had led to some shoes meant for recycling being shipped to Indonesia.

Indonesia in March also destroyed 7,300 bales of imported used clothing, as per CNA.

“What is being done today is part of the government’s efforts to protect the MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) producers in the clothing sector, including domestic clothing and footwear sellers,” said Small and Medium Enterprise minister Teten Masduki. Fibre2Fashion reported that the government has implemented a policy requiring 40 per cent spending on domestic MSMes in good procurement. The government says it could create two million new jobs and spur growth to 1.85 per cent. Teten earlier ordered the customs department to tighten its monitoring of such illegal activity, according to Fibre2Fashion. Teten said such items were sold in Pasar Senen, Gedebage and Pasar Baru. But not everyone is happy. A second-hand clothes seller who identified herself as Siti told Al Jazeera she’s struggling to scrape together a living.

“If there are no clothes, that means no money.”

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Kosman Samosir, a lecturer in business law at Santo Thomas Catholic University in Medan, told the outlet the government ought to be more sensitive given that 26 million Indonesians remain below the poverty line. “I personally agree with selling used clothing,” Samosir said. “It gives people who don’t have the means to buy branded clothes at full price the chance to still own a piece.” “However, there is a big difference legally between selling second-hand clothes within Indonesia to customers who need to clothe their families cheaply and importing used clothing from abroad. That is something that needs to be looked at carefully in the future.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.