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THRIFTING CAN BE DONE AS LONG AS IT IS WITH LEGAL CORRIDORS: SANDIAGA

INDONESIA’S Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno said, thrifting activities may be carried out as long as they are in accordance with legal corridors, namely used goods that will be sold from within the country, not imported.

“Thrifting if it is in accordance with legal corridors, used goods are purchased in Indonesia not based on imported goods that have been banned, this is certainly a very open opportunity. Thrifting is the activity of buying or selling used goods with the aim of being reused,” Sandiaga said in The Weekly Press Briefing monitored in Jakarta, Monday (03/06), 2023.

Sandiaga also gave an example of one of the domestic brands that was creative in reusing used clothes (rework clothes), which was able to innovate until it was ordered by world-renowned singer Billy Eilish.

“He did re-working clothes from vintage clothes and it turned out to have been used by Billie Eilish and several big world celebrities. So, this activity must be facilitated as long as it is within the legal corridor and does not use used imported clothes,” he added.

For information, as previously reported, the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (Kemenkop UKM) proposed a ban on thrifting because it is considered to damage local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). This was also previously conveyed by Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan, who said that the trade in imported used clothing was prohibited.

One of the reasons for this is related to the mold found in imported used clothing, so that steps are needed to safeguard the health of the Indonesian people. In addition, these safeguards are also related to the protection of the domestic textile and textile product industry.

For information, used clothing is an item that is prohibited from import based on Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 18 of 2021 as amended by Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 40 of 2022 concerning Amendments to Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 18 of 2021 concerning Export Prohibited Goods and Import Prohibited Goods. [sources/photo special]