Reduce National Plastic Waste, Packaging Innovation and Waste Banks Become Industry Strategy

Indonesia’s plastic waste volume is estimated to continue increasing over the coming years. World Bank projections show that national plastic waste generation in 2025 could reach 9.9 to 12.4 million tonnes annually, or approximately 13.98 per cent of total waste.

This situation is driving industry players to accelerate plastic reduction strategies, particularly through packaging innovation and strengthening waste management systems. This effort also aligns with the national target of reducing plastic waste by 30 per cent by 2029–2030.

Ajinomoto Indonesia Group is one of the companies integrating these strategies through its Ajinomoto Health Provider concept. The programme combines packaging innovation, community-based waste management, and environmental education.

The company has introduced several packaging innovations to reduce plastic usage. Since 2020, Ajinomoto has implemented mono-material packaging, utilised recycled materials, and reduced packaging thickness across several products.

Ajinomoto has also implemented packaging innovations that replace some plastic material with paper. This innovation is reported to reduce plastic usage by up to 30 per cent in MSG product packaging.

For other products such as Masako, the implementation of the “No Inner Plastic” initiative and reduction of header parts reportedly saves plastic usage by 8.4 per cent. Meanwhile, Sajiku’s mono-material packaging innovation achieves approximately 9.5 per cent efficiency in plastic usage per package.

“To prepare a better Indonesia, we continue to expand the impact of Ajinomoto Health Provider not only through education on balanced nutrition, but also through fostering more prudent and responsible waste management practices,” said Grant Senjaya, Head of Corporate Communication at PT Ajinomoto Indonesia, on Thursday (12 March 2026).

Overall, the company recorded a reduction in plastic usage of 1,736 tonnes throughout 2025. This measure is claimed to support plastic waste reduction policy in accordance with regulations from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, which targets a 30 per cent reduction in plastic by 2029–2030.