Known for their modernised traditional Indonesian wear, and their embedded sustainable practices, Sejauh Mata Memandang continued its commitment to environmental preservation last Thursday when their team came along to Muara Angke Wildlife Sanctuary for Marine Debris Ranger training with DCA.
Sejauh has been incorporating sustainability into their products since their founding in 2014, by using responsible production methods, a consistent catalogue (rather than fast fashion), reusing leftover materials, and recycling textile waste.
Indonesia is one of the top 10 textile [ZF1] producers globally – in 2019, Indonesia alone produced an estimated 2.3 million tonnes of textile waste, of which approximately 2 million tonnes ended up [ZF2] in landfill or incineration! The impact of the fashion industry goes further than this though. Every time fabrics and textiles are washed and used, small fibers break away. The fibers of synthetic fabrics such as nylon, polyester and acrylic are what we call “microplastics”. When microplastics enter our waterways, they can be consumed by our marine wildlife, causing widespread impact to biodiversity, marine health, and also to our own health, through the food we eat! It is estimated that 35% of all microplastics in the oceans are sources from fibers of synthetic textiles.[ZF3]
By incorporating sustainable fashion practices, producers can try and reduce this impact. Maintaining a consistent catalogue reduces the fast-fashion cycles of throwing out “old” clothing. Using natural fibers such as cottons or wools reduces the amount of microplastics ending up in the waterways after washing and wear.
Through collaboration with NGOs such as DCA, producer groups can get a real idea of how their business fits into the environment and are able to develop achievable and science-based practices to improve their sustainability. They also get the opportunity to do trainings and workshops in which they and their staff can connect to nature and the environment, just like Sejauh!
The group met in the morning at the Muara Angke Wildlife Sanctuary where they were given a run-down of the day by DCA and the SM Muara Angke BKSDA Team. The event was broken up into 4 main activities: Identifying microplastics in sediments; exploring the Muara Angke Wildlife Sanctuary Area; Planting Mangroves, and sampling and sorting macro and micro plastic waste in the area.
The day kicked off with Intan Kusumastuti, a member of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), who gave a presentation detailing the sources of and impacts of micro and nano plastics in Indonesian waterways. The Sejauh group were able separate microplastics from sediments using a sieving technique, and then used a Digital Microscope for citizen science to magnify and examine microplastics in the sediment.
Next up, boots on! The group went for a walk through the mangroves, guided by the BKSDA Team, where they got to see the mangrove ecosystem, diversity of fauna and learn about the real impacts of climate change and pollution on the coastal areas and fishing villages.
Geared with their new-found knowledge, they got down into the water and helped the mangrove regeneration program by planting their own seeds! Despite some near slips, everyone made it out dry and clean, and got to know the mangrove ecosystem right up close.
The group them moved onto the boats and went for a ride down the Angke river for some mangrove ecosystems clean up. On the way, the wildlife came out on the mangrove side of the river! Lots of birds and lizards popped up to say hello. Each participant received a reusable bag and some gloves. At the mouth of the river, they used nets to collect samples of trash from the water. Once they returned to the Sanctuary, DCA taught the Sejuah team about the “Adventure Ranger” method of sorting and collecting data on the collected trash. Together, the trash was separated into piles of different material types, which were then counted and weighed. The group found that despite only finding one piece of textile (fabric), it had the heaviest weight! They reflected on how fabric and textile waste might cause more harm to local ecosystems.
The day finished up with a discussion of ideas and brainstorming for the future. Overall, a fun day in the field for all – with 35 new baby mangrove tress growing to show for it!
Thank you Sejuah Mata Memandang for all your work!
[ZF1]https://www.tinkerlust.com/impact-report/fashion-impact-report.pdf
[ZF2]would be good to visualise this somehow
