Promoting SCP in ASEAN countries
ECOTHON in Indonesia 2021: Impact Startup and Idea Competition for Sustainable Consumption and Production

International mentors, coaches, judges and Indonesian competing teams in ECOTHON Indonesia 2021

HSF

Co-organised by with the ASEM SMEs Eco-Innovation Center (ASEIC) and Hanns Seidel Foundation Vietnam (HSF) since 2019, the ECOTHON series has been offering project teams and early start-ups in several ASEAN countries an interesting platform to present and develop their business ideas which are not only profitable, but also contributing to the achievement of the SDG12 “Sustainable Consumption and Production” (SCP). This year marks the first time that the ECOTHON series has been organised in Indonesia with the support of the Ministry of SMEs and Start-ups of the Republic of Korea, Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs of the Republic of Indonesia, and the Local Enablers. The event was held virtually due to the Covid-19 situation in Indonesia.

During the four days of the competition, 14 competent teams from Indonesia pitched and developed their amazing sustainable business ideas aimed at tackling challenges of climate change in Indonesia and other ASEAN countries by facilitating SCP and the transition to a circular economy in various sectors such as waste management, retailing, handicraft, manufacturing of consumer goods, agriculture, and fashion.

Mrs. Siti Azizah - Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs of the Republic of Indonesia spoke at the event

HSF

Joining the competition as the representative of one of the local hosts of the ECOTHON Indonesia 2021 and as a judge of the competition, Mrs Siti Azizah - Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs of the Republic of Indonesia – spoke highly of the enthusiastic participation of all competing teams. Furthermore, she highlighted the appreciation of the Indonesian government for initiatives like the ECOTHON which do not only encourage the development of impact entrepreneurship in Indonesia, but also help the government deal with current social and environmental problems. She emphasised that “the ECOTHON is one of the activities that support the development of Indonesian entrepreneurship to become more innovative, globally competitive, and sustainable”.

BIKI – First prize winner of ECOTHON Indonesia 2021

HSF

With the idea of making edible coatings for fruit and vegetables to reduce food packaging, the early start-up BIKI has convincingly won first prize of the ECOTHON Indonesia this year. As the first prize winner, team BIKI will participate in and pitch their business ideas to potential investors at the most famous and biggest start-up festival in Korea “K-Start-up Week Come up 2021”.

Second prize went to team Carbon Addons – an early start-up who develops a plugin software app with the ambition to offset carbon footprint from any purchases such as online products and transportation tickets. Third prize was awarded to team KAUSA with the idea of producing sustainable fashion and lifestyle products from Indonesian cultural fabric and recycled materials.

The next competition of the ECOTHON series is scheduled from 12^th to 15^th October in Malaysia.