U.S. Textile Waste Imports Raise Questions About Indonesia’s Recycling Capacity
- Jun 8
- 1 min read
Indonesia has agreed to allow imports of shredded second-hand clothing from the United States under The Agreement on Reciprocal Trade signed on February 19. Under the agreement, imports of worn shredded clothing (SWC) are intended to serve as raw materials for the textile recycling industry, such as patchwork fabrics and recycled yarn. The government stated that these materials will be absorbed directly by domestic industries and will not be reintroduced to the market as second-hand clothing. The policy is expected to promote circularity in the recycled textile industry while strengthening the supply of raw materials for related sectors in Indonesia.
However, the policy has also raised concerns about Indonesia’s readiness to manage textile waste, considering that domestic waste management capacity remains limited. Data from the Ministry of Environment shows that Indonesia generated approximately 2.3 million tons of textile waste in 2021, but only around 0.3 million tons were recycled. Meanwhile, the United States produced about 17.03 million tons of textile waste in 2018, with a recycling rate of only around 14.7 percent. The large volume of textile waste indicates that much of it still requires further processing, making the export of textile waste to other countries, including Indonesia, an important issue in global waste governance and sustainable textile industry practices.
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