Used bags are among 370 bales of clothing destroyed by the Indonesian Ministry of Trade in an effort to protect consumers from threats of health.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – To protect consumers from threats of health, the Ministry of Trade destroyed 730 bales of used bags, clothing and shoes suspected of being imported, valued at approximately 10 billion rupiahs.

The measure was taken symbolically by Indonesia’s Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan on Friday (March 17), at a bus terminal in Pekanbaru city, Riau province.

"As a response and one of our responsibilities for the increasingly widespread trade in used bags, clothing and footwear which were imported, that are not in compliance with regulations, we destroyed 730 bales of used clothing, footwear and bags with a value of up to 10 billion rupiahs.

This is a follow-up to our supervision of the trade and import of used clothing which we carry out sustainably," the trade minister said.

He also emphasized that this action is a form of the Indonesian Ministry of Trade's commitment in the process of monitoring and law enforcement related to violations in the field of trade and consumer protection.

The measure is a concrete step by the ministry in following up on President Jokowi's directive on March 15 when opening the Business Matching of Domestic Products, in which he criticized the import of used clothing because it has disrupted the domestic industry.

“The president's directive is very strict so that the domestic industry and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) must be protected from the intrusion of used clothing from imports. The Ministry of Trade regularly monitors and oversees the circulation of these used clothing and enforces the law by destroying them," the minister stated.

He emphasized that used clothes are goods that are prohibited from being imported based on the Minister of Trade Regulation Number 18 of 2021 as amended by the Minister of Trade Regulation Number 40 of 2022 concerning Amendments to the Minister of Trade Regulation Number 18 of 2021 concerning Export Prohibited Goods and Import Prohibited Goods.

In addition to law enforcement, education and socialization measures on the use of domestic products are also carried out, he said, hoping that consumers would prioritize buying new clothes produced by domestic industries and MSMEs.

Domestic products are no less good than imported ones both in terms of quality and trends, said the minister, adding that the high use of domestic products can also suppress the circulation of used clothes.

"We call on the Indonesian people to be proud of using domestic products in order to maintain the dignity of the nation. By avoiding the use of imported used clothing, consumers can avoid the negative effects of used clothing in the long term and at the same time participate in strengthening the domestic industry and MSMEs," he noted.

*1 U.S. dollar = 15,375 rupiahs

Reporting by Indonesia Window