The COVID-19 pandemic poses various challenges for across industries around the world, including the textile industry. Textiles is one of the biggest industries in Indonesia, which also contributes to environmental and social problems. There is a need for collaboration in sharing experiences and best practices between organisations. Identifying new opportunities in an ongoing and post-pandemic environment and building a resilience in this sector for its economic future is necessary.

RTL was born from a collective concern for the importance of sustainability values in the textile and fashion industry supply chain in Indonesia. It formed as a joint force to create 'an inclusive and innovative collaboration in search of best solutions to improve economic, social, and environmental sustainability'. RTL was initiated by nine institutions across the textile and fashion industry, from brands to sustainability activist organisations. The founders include Asia Pacific Rayon, Busana Apparel Group, H&M Group, PT Asia Pacific Fiber Tbk, PT Pan Brothers Tbk, PT South Pacific Viscose Lenzing Tbk, Yayasan KEHATI, Yayasan Inisiatif Dagang Hijau, and PT Sri Rejeki Isman Tbk.

At the time of publishing this case study, several outcomes have been achieved:

-       Capacity building through workshops and seminars 

-       A series of focus group discussions

-       Member recruitment

Photo credit: Soroush Zargar (via Unsplash)