Around 5,5 million single-use sachets of detergent alone are wasted daily in Indonesia. Alner (Alternative Container, formerly known as Koinpack) offers consumers a tech-enabled refill system of packaging for the products of their daily needs, so they can be reused without damaging the environment.

 

Alner is a young social enterprise founded to solve Indonesia’s single-use sachet crisis. Their reusable daily goods packages are spread through a network of local warungs, the small high-frequency stores where Indonesians get their foods and daily needs products. Due to the low-quality plastics are usually made of, they can’t be recycled and are one of the most problematic types of waste in the country. This makes them one of the most problematic types of waste in the country, causing health risks for local communities.

 

Through their blockchain-inspired, tech-enabled refill system of reusable containers, Alner offers a zero-waste alternative to package household essentials such as shampoo, dish soap and detergent. Consumers get more value for their money and receive a reward for returning their reusable containers. The containers are cleaned using eco-friendly materials that preserve the quality of the refill products.

This way, Alner’s deposit-and-reward system makes eco-friendly packaging accessible for middle to low-income Indonesians.  

 

Within just a few years after starting, the company has been able to sell over 15,000 zero-waste bottles through 35 sales points and online channels to more than 700 loyal customers in the Greater Jakarta area. That way, it has at least 100,000 single-use packages from becoming leaking into the environment. 

 

Alner also creates value for local micro-entrepreneurs. The social enterprise enables warung store owners, peer-to-peer sellers and waste banks (community-owned enterprises that reuse and recycle garbage) to increase their income. In addition, large companies in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector can use the Alner system in their circular supply chain to sell their products zero waste.