Recycling Revolution in Jakarta
In collaboration with the Dutch company Enviu, the firm Alner has established itself in over 600 sales points in Jakarta. Now, they are working to involve even more consumers in what they refer to as a reuse revolution.
Published: 09.August, 2024 Last updated: 05.December, 2025
– Alner is the platform that meets your daily needs. Everything from soap to rice and oils, completely waste-free, by delivering the products in returnable and refillable containers.
This is how Bintang Ekanda explains the project, which has already had a tremendous impact on the local community and the environment in the Indonesian capital. Ekanda is the CEO of Alner, which he co-founded just four years ago.
Since 2023 alone, they have avoided the production of over 500,000 single-use packages and reduced CO2 emissions by over 17 tons.
Se hvordan butikkene fungerer:
Rewarding Collaboration
Detergents, groceries, and hair products: At over 600 outlets in Jakarta, consumers can now access these in environmentally friendly containers, which instead of ending up in the trash after use, 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 consumption, explains Ekanada.
Alner started collaborating with the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund in 2023, and Ekanada says the project funds from there have been essential in their efforts to establish themselves in more locations. In addition, it has helped them develop the technology they use in their warehouses, where they, among other things, wash and prepare used packaging to be sent out to the stores again. Ekanada shares that their experience is that plastic bottles are the best option for reuse in low-income markets, as they can be reused up to 50 times.
– Should have Alner everywhere
Alner reports that they have achieved all the milestones set so far. Since receiving funding 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 aimed at low-income customers. As a result, Alner avoided over 232,000 units of single-use plastics, generated over 50,000 dollars in additional income for micro-entrepreneurs, and reduced CO2 emissions by over 17 tons.
Eline Leising is the Chief Program Officer at the Dutch foundation Enviu, which counts Alner as one of its initiatives. She is delighted that the project has made such significant progress in such a short time.
– Ideally, we should have Alner everywhere! There should be a large joint packaging system for all major suppliers. That way, it would be possible for all kinds of consumers to join the reuse revolution and use Alner for their daily needs.
