Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Environment has expressed its readiness to provide assistance in implementing circular economy principles in the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program to ensure food production and waste do not burden the environment.
“Our target is to guide Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPGs) in building a circular ecosystem, which we are actively doing. Every action we take must embed circularity, including the president’s priority programs,” Environment Deputy Minister Diaz Hendropriyono said in a statement confirmed on Monday.
Speaking at the Indonesia Net-Zero Summit 2026 in Jakarta on Saturday (August 1), Hendropriyono noted that his ministry has provided technical assistance and environmental infrastructure support to several pilot SPPGs or MBG kitchens.
This initiative has delivered tangible benefits for local communities, such as using wastewater treatment plants to support agricultural irrigation.
The Ministry of Environment underscored that implementing a circular economy—where materials are reused and recycled—does not always rely on high technology, but is also deeply rooted in local wisdom.
After inspecting various regions, the deputy minister highlighted highly adaptable best practices at SPPGs in Gorontalo and Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). In these locations, food waste is repurposed into animal feed, while used cooking oil is recycled for community benefit.
Strengthening circular principles is deemed urgent to combat increasingly extreme global climate change.
Hendropriyono warned of real threats to Indonesian islands if significant mitigation and adaptation measures are not taken across all development sectors.
“Maplecroft forecasts that around 1,500 small islands will sink by 2050, and according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), more than 115 medium-sized islands will submerge by 2100. That is why we must ensure circularity in everything we produce,” he said.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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