Class 1: Circular Economy Foundation

Climate crises are often portrayed as abstract numbers showing rising global temperatures, when in reality its impacts are much closer to our daily lives, from increasingly unpredictable weather to growing pressure on natural resources. This challenge is deeply rooted in the lifecycle of the materials we use every day, including how they are produced, consumed, and ultimately managed at the end of their use. However, amid today’s overwhelming flow of information, sustainability issues are often presented in oversimplified or black and white ways, which can obscure the deeper systemic roots of the problem.

Recognizing that accurate and data driven narratives are key to driving public behavior change, Chandra Asri Group, through its Indonesia Asri campaign, collaborated with Narasi Academy to present the EcoCircular Fellowship Program. We believe that journalists and content creators play an important role in translating complex environmental issues into stories that are balanced, credible, and accessible to the public.

Through the “Circular Economy Foundation” class, participants were encouraged to move beyond environmental jargon and develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between material use and global emissions mitigation. The program provided a learning space for media practitioners to sharpen their critical perspectives and produce sustainability stories that are not only inspiring, but also substantive and responsible, in supporting a more circular future for Indonesia.

Speaker
Astryd Viandila Dahlan
CSWM Universitas Indonesia (Circular Economy and Climate Crisis Expert)

Objectives

• Strengthening Climate Literacy
  To explain the fundamentals of the climate crisis in a clear and substantive way so participants can understand its urgency.

• Highlighting the Link Between Materials and Emissions
  To explain the relationship between material use, production and consumption patterns, and their impact on the climate.

• Establishing a Foundation in Circular Economy
  To build participants’ understanding of circular economy principles and their relevance in addressing current plastic waste management challenges.

Class 2: Plastic Sorting

There is a common assumption that once plastic has been used, it automatically becomes waste that has lost its function. However, from a circular economy perspective, the value of plastic is determined by how it is treated immediately after its end of use. The main challenge faced by the recycling industry today is not a lack of technology, but the declining quality of materials due to contamination from organic waste and the habit of mixing different types of waste at the source. A small decision such as not cleaning food residue or mixing dirty plastics with clean ones can cause an entire batch of material to lose its economic value altogether.

Through the class “Following the Plastic Journey: The Key to Proper Sorting,” Chandra Asri Group, through its Indonesia Asri campaign in collaboration with Narasi Academy, seeks to close this behavioral gap by transparently unpacking the waste journey of plastic. The main focus of this session is to equip journalists and content creators with technical knowledge on material quality standards, from understanding resin identification codes to applying proper cleaning principles. By strengthening the narrative around the importance of maintaining plastic quality at the downstream stage, media practitioners are expected to educate the public that waste sorting is a tangible step in preserving resource value for Indonesia’s circular economy.

Speaker

1. Nicko A. Setyabudi
   Circular Economy and Partnership Manager, Chandra Asri Group

Objectives

• Understanding the Plastic Waste Journey
  To explore the journey of plastic waste from its source to the recycling process in order to identify critical points that determine a material’s value.

• Industry Standard Based Sorting Education
  To explain proper sorting techniques based on material type, cleanliness condition, and the requirements of the recycling industry.

Transforming Insights into Educational Content
To support participants in translating field insights on waste management into coverage concepts or content that is educational and solution oriented.

Class 3: Plastic Recycling Innovation

Plastic has long been perceived by the public as the end point of consumption, when in fact, within the modern industrial ecosystem, it is an asset that holds significant economic value. The transformation of waste into valuable resources is now possible through various technological innovations, ranging from mechanical recycling to advanced methods such as chemical recycling and pyrolysis. These innovations are not merely technical processes to manage waste, but part of a systemic strategy to ensure materials remain within the economic value chain and are not wasted.

Recognizing this significant potential, Chandra Asri Group, through its Indonesia Asri campaign, held the class “When Plastic Becomes Value: Recycling Innovation and Its Economic Potential” to explore the economic opportunities created through circular systems. This program, developed in collaboration with Narasi Academy, invited journalists and content creators to explore a growing ecosystem involving various stakeholders, from waste banks to the creative industry, which are now generating new economic opportunities and jobs for communities. Through a deeper understanding of innovation trends and market demand for recycled materials, media practitioners are expected to communicate informative, solution oriented, and data driven perspectives, helping educate the public that proper plastic management can serve as a driver of the future economy.

Speaker

Mawaddatul Ulya
Executive Officer, IPR

Objectives

• Understanding Recycling Technology Innovations
  To introduce participants to the different types and approaches of recycling innovations used in modern industry, including chemical recycling and pyrolysis technologies.

• Identifying Economic Opportunities in the Value Chain
  To map economic opportunities and emerging job creation within the circular plastic ecosystem across various stakeholders.
• Encouraging Solution Oriented Innovation Narratives
  To equip participants with the ability to develop content or coverage concepts that highlight the economic potential of recycling innovations in an informative and impactful way.

Class 4: Constructive Journalism

Environmental reporting is often shaped by narratives that oversimplify issues or trigger only short term emotional responses. In reality, the complexity of the climate crisis and material management requires public narratives that are more comprehensive, accurate, and solution oriented, so that audiences can understand the systemic roots of the problem. Without proper context, the solutions presented tend to be reactive and insufficient to address long term sustainability challenges.

Through the class “Constructive Journalism: Building More Balanced Narratives,” Chandra Asri Group, through its Indonesia Asri campaign in collaboration with Narasi Academy, invited journalists and content creators to recognize bias and framing that often isolate plastic issues from their broader ecosystem. This program equipped participants with storytelling techniques that integrate scientific, social, and behavioral perspectives without relying on dramatization. By prioritizing accuracy and context, media practitioners are expected to develop stories that foster deeper public understanding while presenting innovation and industry best practices in a fair and responsible way to support a more sustainable future.

Speaker

Laban Abraham Laisila
Senior Journalist, Narasi

Objectives

• Understanding the Principles of Constructive Journalism
  To explore the core pillars of constructive journalism and its relevance in shaping system based narratives on plastic and sustainability issues.

• Identifying Bias and Misleading Framing
  To recognize reporting patterns that oversimplify issues or present materials from a single perspective, in order to avoid misleading or overly dramatic narratives that do not reflect data accurately.
• Developing System Based and Solution Oriented Narratives
  To learn how to present innovation and material journeys in a comprehensive way by integrating data and systemic insights without dramatization.

Class 5: Storytelling Content

The complexity of the climate crisis and material management requires communication that is accurate while remaining accessible to the wider public. In today’s digital era, one of the main challenges is transforming technical data on circular economy into clear and engaging messages without compromising accuracy. Data that is factually correct can still become misleading if presented without proper context or framed in a way that oversimplifies the issue.

Through the class “Building Stories with Facts: Short Form Content for Circular Economy,” Chandra Asri Group, through its Indonesia Asri campaign in collaboration with Narasi Academy, equipped journalists and content creators with effective data visualization and storytelling techniques. The session focused on transforming complex topics such as recycling processes and circular value chains into short form video content that is both engaging and informative. By prioritizing evidence based and solution oriented narratives, media practitioners are expected to foster a more comprehensive public understanding of the potential and value of responsible plastic management.

Speaker

Hendri Wijayanto
Executive Producer, Narasi

Objectives

• Strengthening Circular Economy Data Literacy
  To enhance participants’ ability to read and interpret data related to circular plastic accurately, ensuring information shared with the public is precise and contextual.

• Designing Educational Short Form Content
  To learn effective short form content structures that communicate circularity issues in an accessible yet data driven manner.
• Reinforcing Evidence Based Narratives
  To move away from framing that triggers short term emotional reactions and adopt a more solution oriented narrative approach focused on opportunities within the circular value chain.