A complete textile industry ecosystem needs to be built to meet global challenges in the textile and textile products (TPT) sector, including developing integrated service centers providing information and services for industry. At the commemoration of 100 years of Indonesia's textile industry held in Bandung recently, the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) built a textile ecosystem to strengthen the TPT industry, involving various stakeholders.
Kemenperin formed a textile ecosystem in the form of the Industrial Services and Solution Center (ISSC) facility at the Center for Textile Industrial Standardization and Services (BBSPJIT). The TPT industry has been using the facility since the second half of 2021. “One ecosystem formed is the Sustainable Synergy Center for automotive textiles,” said the Head of the Agency for Industrial Standardization and Services Policy (BSKJI) at the Ministry of Industry, Doddy Rahadi, in Jakarta on Monday (1/8).
The Sustainable Synergy Center (SSC) for Textile Automotive, inaugurated by the Head of BSKJI, is one link in the textile industry ecosystem chain. The automotive industry needs TPT products classed as functional textiles. These have many functions, such as sound dampers, sun visors, and antibacterial textiles for car seats and carpets. “The functional textile trend will keep growing with lifestyle developments, also driven by the Increased Use of Domestic Products (P3DN) policy and import substitution,” Doddy added.
Besides the SSC, BBSPJIT previously collaborated with the Islamic Fashion Institute
Bandung to build a halal textile ecosystem as a discussion forum on developing halal textiles and fashion together with the TPT industry and fashion designer associations. It also collaborated with the Indonesian Fiber Council to rebuild the ecosystem for developing natural fibers as environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative textile raw materials.
This Kemenperin work unit is the forerunner of textile industry services in Indonesia. BBSPJIT has supported TPT industry development for 100 years, providing information services, testing, calibration, product and quality system certification, training and technical consultancy, formulating textile standards, and inclusive, professional assistance for industry.
The establishment of the Djawatan Kerajinan (Crafts Service) under the Departement van Landbouw, Nijverheid en Handel in 1918, later merged into the Departement van Economische Zaken, marked the birth of the centers now under BSKJI Kemenperin as service centers for testing the quality of industrial raw materials and for technological and economic studies of industrial development. BBSPJIT is the center dedicated to TPT commodities, established in 1922.
Doddy said synergistic steps can improve product competitiveness, GDP contribution, exports and employment in both apparel and functional textile products. “The TPT industry continues to contribute greatly to the national economy as a social safety net and foreign exchange earner,” he said.
As a social safety net, the TPT industry employs 3.65 million people, or 18.79% of all manufacturing workers. As a foreign exchange earner, TPT exports reached USD 13.02 billion in 2021.