UNM Students Secure PKM 2026 Funding for Eco-friendly Styrofoam Alternative Made from Coconut Waste
Students at Universitas Nusa Mandiri (UNM), a Digital Business Campus, have demonstrated their keen ability to identify socially and environmentally impactful business opportunities. Through the concept of green entrepreneurship, the SERATIM BAG student team has secured national funding for the 2026 Student Creativity Programme (PKM) under the Entrepreneurship scheme (PKM-K), organised by the Directorate of Learning and Student Affairs (Belmawa).
The achievement came via an innovative proposal titled SERATIM BAG: Transforming Coconut Husk Fibre into Eco-friendly Cooler Boxes as a Sustainable and Innovative Styrofoam Alternative.
The student team has developed an alternative styrofoam replacement made from coconut husk fibre, which is typically considered agricultural waste. Through innovation and sustainable business practices, the waste is transformed into eco-friendly cooler boxes that effectively maintain temperature while reducing non-biodegradable waste.
The SERATIM BAG team is led by Zahra Maysarah Bachtiar from the Digital Business Study Programme, with members Nikita Maharani, Salma Ananda, and Jahra Fatia Hidayat from the same programme, as well as Ardelia Saviera from the Management Study Programme.
The head of UNM’s Digital Business Study Programme, Lia Mazia, praised the students’ achievement as a tangible implementation of innovation- and sustainability-based entrepreneurship education.
‘Students today must do more than just possess business skills; they must also address social and environmental challenges. The SERATIM BAG team demonstrates that business innovation can align with sustainability concerns,’ she said on 27 May 2026.
She added that as a Digital Business Campus, UNM continues to encourage students to adopt creative, adaptive, and visionary thinking in building technology-based or green businesses.
‘We want UNM students to be entrepreneurs who pursue not only profit but also create positive social and environmental impact,’ Lia said.
The entire process of material research, business model development, and commercialisation strategy for SERATIM BAG has been closely guided by mentor Johan Hendri Prasetyo.
According to Johan Hendri Prasetyo, the team’s success stems from collaboration, consistency, and the students’ courage in developing innovative business ideas.
‘The students identified real environmental challenges as opportunities. They didn’t just focus on the product but also considered its business value, social impact, and long-term implementation potential,’ he said.
He hopes the SERATIM BAG innovation can continue to be developed for mass production and widespread public acceptance.
‘With this PKM funding support, we are confident SERATIM BAG will evolve into a competitive eco-friendly product that contributes to reducing styrofoam usage,’ Hendro said.
The SERATIM BAG team’s success in securing PKM-K funding demonstrates UNM students’ competitive innovation and entrepreneurial capabilities at the national level.
With Belmawa’s funding support, the SERATIM BAG prototype is expected to be rapidly developed and commercialised as part of a green, innovative, and sustainable business solution for the future.