Southeast Asia is facing an urgent need to tackle its excessive plastic waste problem. Alner, an Indonesia-based startup, has reuse and refill solutions that offer a scalable, sustainable alternative to single-use packaging. In this session of the ADB Circular Economy Webinar Series, Alner’s cofounder and CEO Bintang Ekananda returns to discuss the growing operations of the company following the $450,000 grant it received after winning ADB’s Technology Innovation Challenge.

Bintang was a speaker of Session 9 of the webinar series in 2022. Back then, the grant received was still new and helped finance the addition of new technologies and equipment to help the reuse and refill process. In this session, we will explore the steps Alner (formerly Koinpack) has taken to scale up solutions and see their progress toward expanding partnerships with more fast-moving consumer goods (FCMG) companies and opportunities to grow in other countries in the region.

Bintang will also discuss the ways Alner addresses the challenges faced when scaling up reuse programs, as well as actionable recommendations for replicating these models across Southeast Asia.

Attendees will also learn about the economic and environmental benefits of such a program and the roles that government, businesses, and consumers can play in supporting reuse and refill initiatives.

Speaker​ 

Bintang Ekananda | Cofounder and CEO, Alner

Bintang Ekananda is an environmental engineer and circular economy advocate. As the cofounder and CEO of Alner, a startup specializing in returnable and refillable packaging for daily necessities, he leads efforts to eliminate waste. Bintang holds a master’s degree in Energy & Environment from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. Additionally, he serves as an assistant professor in the Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Muhammadiyah Sorong, West Papua, Indonesia. With 8 years of experience in environmental engineering and circular business models, Bintang has been recognized as a Forbes Under 30 Social Impact Honoree for 2022 and has been featured in the Eco-Business Youth A-List 2022 as one of Southeast Asia’s most impactful sustainability leaders.

Moderator​ 

Anna Oposa | Circular Economy Specialist (Consultant), ADB