Tofu factories are spread across Indonesia as tofu is a cheap source of protein and favorite food for almost all population groups. Most tofu producers are micro/small business owners. In addition to soybeans, clean water is the most important input to produce tofu curd. It will generate a large amount of wastewater and solid waste, which still contains significant amounts of easily biodegradable organic matter. There are often complaints and protests from the public about the pollution in air and water in the area from the discharged waste. Tofu producers know about this, but their limited income and capital force them to ignore the environmental issues. The potential of tofu waste treatment technologies to produce new products or clean materials that can be fed back into the production process is discussed and reviewed to ensure all input materials in the tofu process can be used optimally and efficiently in a closed-loop production process. And it could be implemented easily and economically by the factories.
TopIntroduction
After five years of implementing Sustainable Development Targets (SDGs), Indonesia still has some work to do. For example, with Indonesia's population in 2020 reaching 270 million, the annual waste generated has also increased to more than 68 million tonnes. In addition, the exploitation of natural resources has not been matched by efforts to implement sustainable production chains for the environment, economy and society by all sectors. This situation adds to the environmental burden and contributes to climate problems which are increasingly widespread and have an even more significant impact.
Global Carbon Atlas (2019) reported that Indonesia's carbon emission level in 2019 reached 618 MtCO2or about 1.7% of total global emission. Various, integrated strategies are needed so that Indonesia can contribute positively to reducing world carbon emissions through methods that also ensure the welfare of the Indonesian population. The Government of Indonesia has already adopted the Circular Economy concept into its vision and development strategy to achieve national economic growth targets and promoting environmental sustainability. The concept must encourage businesses to strongly consider the concept of green economy to reduce the environmental burden caused by excessive material and energy consumption. A paradigm shift is needed so that the current linear economy that tends to be highly extractive and resource- and CO2-emission intensive, becomes a circular economy. This concept is needed to ensure that all input materials are utilised optimally, and is described as a closed-loop production process through the principles of: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, and Revalue (Residual Management/Repurpose). Indonesia is very serious about implementing the circular economy concept in an effort to successfully achieve the SDGs target in 2030. In 2019 the Ministry of National Development Planning/BAPPENAS has launched a roadmap as a framework for all stakeholders to participate in achieving the SDGs by emphasizing the linkages between one goal to another, as well as the role of stakeholders and finance.
A study from BAPPENAS, UNDP, and the Government of Denmark (2021) showed that Indonesia's economy can grow up to USD 45 billion by 2030 through the full adoption of a zero-waste circular economy model. As one of the five studied key sectors, food and beverage industries can reduce up to 50% of waste 59 million tonnes of annual carbon emission, as well as saving up to 4,000,000,000 m3 of water.
An essential industry in the food and beverage sector that can reach the majority of the Indonesian population is the tofu making industry. Tofu, a food product originating from China, has been a staple in South-East Asia for centuries. This product is a cheap and popular protein-source and can be made locally throughout Indonesia. While 80% of demanded soybean is still imported, Indonesia's annual tofu consumption averages 8.1 kg/person [BPS-Statistic Indonesia, 2019]. Provinces in Java island make up the greatest tofu and soybean consumers. As an example, the annual tofu consumption in West-Java province reached 9.84 kg/person (Hakiki, 2020). Additionally, the population density on Java island is also the highest, meaning that the island produces the highest volume of waste.
The tofu industry in Indonesia is people's industry, characterized by workers of less than five people for micro scales and 5-19 people for small scales. The Ministry for Research and Technology of Indonesia in 2010 reported that there were around 84,000 micro-and-small-scale (MSS) tofu factories and a total production capacity of 2.56 million tons/year of soybean (Indriyati & Diyono, 2012). It reflects the business structure in Indonesia, which is 99% dominated by MSS to medium-sized enterprises, and involves 95% of workers (Capri, 2017). However, it only contributes to 56% of the Indonesian GDP.