Indonesia to tighten Customs checks after report on illegal import of used shoes in recycling scheme
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Second-hand shoes on sale at a shoe shop in Batam, Indonesia.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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JAKARTA – Indonesia will tighten Customs checks at small ports to crack down on the illegal import of second-hand shoes, the Industry Ministry said on Monday, responding to a Reuters report that found footwear donated to a recycling scheme in Singapore had been shipped to Indonesia.
A six-month Reuters investigation
Reuters, using location trackers hidden inside the shoes’ soles, recovered sneakers it donated in Singapore at second-hand goods markets in Jakarta and on Batam island, 19km south of Singapore.
In 2015, Indonesia banned the import of second-hand clothing and footwear over concerns about hygiene, as well as to protect the local textile industry.
In a statement titled “dismantling the scandal of illegal imports of used shoes”, Indonesia’s Industry Ministry said as a result of the Reuters story it would increase checks at ports to intercept any illegal second-hand shoe shipments.
“This incident shows the illegal import of used shoes is carried out in an organised manner and misuses social projects,” Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita was quoted as saying.
“The practice of illegal importation of used shoes must be stopped because it has a bad impact on the domestic footwear industry.”
The ministry is also proposing new incentives for local footwear makers importing raw materials for their businesses, and imposing tighter regulations on businesses importing textiles.
In July 2021, Dow and Sport Singapore launched a programme to grind down old shoes with rubberised soles
On Feb 27, two days after the Reuters story was published, Dow and Sport Singapore issued a statement apologising to the public for a “lapse” in its supply chain that had led to some shoes meant for recycling being shipped to Indonesia. REUTERS
