Siklus

Investing in Impact

P4G provided this partnership with two rounds of grant funding – US $98,724 in 2018 start-up funding and US $497,700 in 2021 scale-up funding.  

Siklus seeks to address both inequality and plastic pollution in Indonesia – 70% of Indonesians purchase household goods in single-serving sachets because they cannot afford to buy in larger quantities, meaning low-income populations often end up paying extra for their everyday needs because they cannot access the savings associated with buying in larger amounts. This solution offers products that are on average 20% cheaper and help customers to save on everyday necessities while saving the environment. 

The partnership works with Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FCMG) providers, including Nestle, P&G, Mars, Sinarmas and others to buy products in bulk and sell them as refills. Customers can order via an app or WhatsApp for the refill bikes to arrive at their doorstep. Then, they can use their own containers to refill household products, such as detergent and cooking oil, at a lower cost in the volume of their choosing. Recently, Siklus added a new method where consumers at supermarkets can return their containers, wash them and refill them with products like soap and shampoo. It is also exploring reusable packing for food items.  

In 2022, the partnership created 11 product knowledge consisting of 9 articles published on the Greeneration Foundation website, one art installation and one educational vlog in collaboration with popular Indonesian influencers. It also conducted community outreach and stakeholder events, reaching over 3900 people. With activities ranging from talk shows held for businesspeople, outreach and education about plastic waste to the public in Jakarta, Depok and Bekasi, as well as online campaign activities for #KemanaSampahmu, Siklus also co-hosted the Clean and Waste Free Indonesia Jamboree and the Indonesia Circular Economy Forum. Through the partnership, over 1,600 women across 15 villages and sub-districts were successfully educated on waste issues and invited to use the Refill Cycle service.  

In 2022, Siklus faced a challenge when it had to pause sales of all cosmetic products, like shampoo and conditioner due to the Indonesian Food and Drug Agency’s (BPOM) concern about a lack of regulation for refill solutions. After initially relying on the relationships of some of its FCMG partners, Siklus decided to engage directly with BPOM and worked along with the P4G National Platform, Hub and Jakarta Reuse Working Group to provide inputs, such as white papers, on a refill regulation and best practices. In early 2023, Siklus earned formal approval from BPOM for its new ReUse business model to wash and refill reusable containers in partnership with supermarkets.  

Siklus plans to leverage the business and sustainability momentum built with P4G’s support. With a new expanded business model, strong strategic commercial partner in Sinarmas – BSD City and one of Indonesia’s largest supermarket groups, Siklus is eager to scale best practices gained from the P4G partnership implementation.