Plastic prices soar, DPR urges people to get used to carrying shopping bags

Member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Daniel Johan, invited the public to get used to carrying shopping bags when traveling, following the phenomenon of soaring plastic prices due to global conflicts. According to him, the surge in plastic prices is not only felt by the trade sector but also small business actors who are used to using plastic as packaging, including for the public as consumers.

"It must be admitted that plastic has become the premier need of people's daily lives. And when the price of plastic soars, the domestic sector is also greatly affected," said Daniel Johan in his statement, Saturday, April 18.

As is known, the price of plastic in Indonesia has increased significantly due to global geopolitical conflicts that disrupt the supply chain where Indonesia's dependence on imported raw materials reaches 60 percent. The increase in plastic prices touched the figure of 30 to 80 percent until April 2026.

According to Daniel, the surge in plastic prices, which has begun to be felt by small business actors, the trading sector, to households, shows that global turmoil can enter the domestic economic space through a path that is often considered simple, namely packaging materials that have been used every day.

"This situation is not enough to be read only as an increase in production costs or additional burden for business actors, but as a signal that the national dependence structure on fossil-based materials is still very high and vulnerable to external changes," he said.

Even so, Daniel sees this condition as opening an important space to accelerate changes that have been moving slowly.

"The increase in plastic prices can be a moment for us to reduce our dependence on disposable plastics and strengthen the ecosystem of using alternative materials that are more sustainable," said Daniel.

Daniel said that for years the transition to a 'green' lifestyle has been limited because plastic is always the cheapest, easiest to obtain, and most practical to use.

"When prices start to change, the policy adaptation space becomes much more open. As done by some developed countries," said the PKB legislator from West Kalimantan I.

Daniel views that the increase in plastic prices can be an opportunity for Indonesia to further strengthen green economic policies. This step is also an effort to reduce plastic waste that harms the environment.

"The UN environment agency notes that every day there is plastic waste equivalent to 2,000 garbage trucks that are thrown into the sea, rivers, and lakes," said Daniel.

"Even globally, around 19 to 23 million tons of plastic waste pollute the world's aquatic ecosystems every year, which has an impact on climate change. If it is left unchecked, this is very dangerous for the ecosystem," he continued.

For this reason, Daniel sees an increase in plastic prices as a step to change people's lifestyles. For example, by getting used to not using disposable packaging for merchandise.

"It can start with people getting used to carrying shopping bags that can be used many times. Or when buying food, bring a container that can be washed and reused," urged Daniel.

Meanwhile, for traders, Daniel assessed that the use of packaging could be encouraged to return to the traditional mode.

"Like using organic materials that are much faster to decompose than plastic. In some cultural areas, packaging with leaves, baskets, or jars is still widely found," he concluded.