The RECP programme organized an introductory workshop on RECP as a business opportunity for small industries, jointly with the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprise (MoCSME) on 6 December 2016 in Jakarta. In their opening remarks, MoCSME Assistant Deputy for Industry and Service Mrs. Victoria Br. Simanungkalit, Programme Officer of Embassy of Switzerland Mrs. Dewi Suyenti Tio, and UNIDO Chief Technical Advisor Mr. Rene Van Berkel, all stressed the importance of small businesses for the socio-economic development of the country.

Mr Van Berkel elaborated on business case, concept, and practices for RECP, illustrated with Asian examples from amongst others handicrafts, tourism and food sectors. Mr Mochammed Iqbal, representing Centre for Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Indonesia (CRECPI), complemented with national examples from rice milling and batik sectors. Participants representing sector associations for plastics, rubber, food and textiles as well as selected local and regional government all endorsed the relevance and benefits of RECP for small industry sector. In response, Mr. Van Berkel emphasized the need to implement RECP in large groups of small businesses, which would require greater cooperation and collaboration between line ministries and regional authorities as well as strengthened business relations with the small industry sectors.

The introductory workshop was organized within the framework of the Indonesian RECP programme, funded by the government of Switzerland, implemented by UNIDO in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Ministry of Industry. The Programme is already working to support RECP implementation in small industry sector, particularly in rice milling in West Java and tourism sector in Central Java.