Indonesian Packaging Federation Conference Highlights Path to Circular Economy

Editor: Sharah Saputra (LCI Team)

The Indonesian Packaging Federation (IPF) held the “Conference on Packaging in the Circular Economy: Best Approach for Sustainable Business” on 24–25 September 2025 in Sleman, Yogyakarta. The event gathered more than 150 participants, including speakers, from 11 countries such as Brazil, China, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, the USA, and Vietnam.

The conference was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ministry of Industry, and Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas). International organisations like UNIDO Indonesia, World Packaging Organisation (WPO) also joined, alongside industry associations such as GAPMMI, academics, NGOs, business leaders, and Life Cycle Indonesia.

The event aimed to address the challenges faced by the packaging sector in shifting from a linear economy (produce → use → dispose) to a circular economy model (reuse, recycling, extended product life). Discussions focused not only on tackling packaging waste, but also on reducing carbon emissions across the packaging value chain. Participants highlighted that achieving a circular economy requires collaboration among brand owners, manufacturers, retailers, regulators, researchers, and consumers to accelerate sustainable packaging adoption and support Indonesia’s broader net-zero emission goals.

As part of the knowledge exchange, Life Cycle Indonesia (LCI) was represented by Sharah Saputra, Senior Sustainability Consultant, who delivered a presentation titled “Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a Tool for Circular Packaging Decision Making.” Sharah emphasized that 40% of global plastic waste comes from packaging, with the US, Europe, and China as major contributors. This waste not only strains resources but also harms health and ecosystems. To address this, she explained the importance of moving away from the linear “take-make-use-waste” model and adopting life cycle thinking.

Her presentation outlined how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a standardized framework under ISO 14040/44, provides a robust method to evaluate environmental impacts across every stage of a packaging’s life cycle — from raw material extraction to disposal. She also highlighted the role of Product Category Rules (PCRs) as a standardized “recipe” for conducting LCAs in specific packaging categories, ensuring comparability and credibility.

Practical examples by Sharah illustrated how LCA can guide design decisions that align with circular economy principles. She highlighted accessible platforms for beginners like the upcoming LCA Calculator powered by LCI - easyLCA, intermediate tools such as PIQET, and advanced software for experts like SimaPro. These tools are crucial for identifying environmental hotspots, comparing design options, and enabling advanced circularity strategies.

Beyond environmental measurement, she underlined that LCA is increasingly essential for businesses to comply with regulations, reduce costs, respond to consumer demand for sustainable products, address competitive pressures, and strengthen market access.

Sustainability Starts with People Too

In closing, Sharah introduced an upcoming milestone: LCI will host the 10th International Conference on Social LCA (S-LCA 2026) in June 2026, the first in the Asia Pacific region in 20 years. The conference will provide a platform for global experts to further advance discussions on life cycle sustainability.

The event was also widely covered by local and national media outlets, including TVRI, Kompas, Republika, Antara, Suara Merdeka, Jawa Pos, Harian Jogja, Harian Merapi, KR Jogja, Suara.com, and Pikiran Rakyat. This extensive media coverage underscored the growing importance of packaging innovation in Indonesia’s sustainability transition and highlighted the urgency of collective action towards a circular economy.