Common Seas

There are a lot of people in Indonesia that have to deal with poverty and unemployment. Everyday, thousands of people search and apply for jobs all over the country. Even though the number of unemployed people in Indonesia has dropped by 410,000 in the first quarter of 2023, almost 8 million people still have no way to make a living for themselves or their families. This predicament also affects people with disabilities. They are less likely to be hired because of people’s view on them; it’s hard enough for them to do basic day-to-day things, let alone jobs with high pressure where they have to meet certain targets.

The government has already made laws to help people with disabilities to access employment and be treated well in those jobs. For example in Pasal 5 Ayat (1) and Pasal 11 UU No 8/2016, it is stated that people with disabilities have a right to be employed in jobs that are organized by the government, BUMN, or the private sector without discrimination. Additionally, it is stated that they have a right to obtain the same wage as workers who have no disabilities, receive proper accommodation in their work, not be dismissed for reasons related to their disability, and access to back-to-work programs; everything one would expect of a fair, proportional and dignified work placement. Despite these measures, many companies actively choose to turn a blind eye to people with disabilities because they are considered as a potential liability.

With the high unemployment rate in Indonesia and people with disabilities’ low chances of getting a job, we have decided it would be good to shed a light on an organization that is trying to help. Common Seas is an organization based in the United Kingdom that tries to reduce and stop plastic pollution in rivers and seas. In Indonesia they have a program called Clean Blue Indonesia where they focus on cleaning the Brantas River. The Brantas River, located in East Java, is the main source of drinking water for people in the province. Common Seas considers that it is important to take care of this resource and prevent any further pollution of said river.

As the Governor of East Java, Khofifah Indar Parawansa stated in an interview, “The Brantas River is the lifeblood of East Java, but it is heavily polluted – particularly plastic waste. We all depend on the river for our lives, so there is a lot of demand to make things better. The East Java Provincial Government is collaborating with different parties to find a solution. Clean Blue East Java is one of these and has my full support.”

The Common Seas organization has identified single-use diapers are the most common source of pollution in the Brantas River. Everyday, at least 1.5 million single-use diapers are thrown away and they contribute to half of the waste found in the river. Common Seas then decided to focus on trying to reduce the single-use diapers by making reusable diapers and educating the public about the dangers of pollution caused by single-use diapers.

Now you might be wondering, what does an organization that wants to clean East Java’s river have to do with lowering the unemployment rate in Indonesia? Well, to produce said reusable diapers, Common Seas decided that they wanted to give back to the community; rather than buying them from a company, they decided to hire women and people with disabilities. The workers get training and they also get paid for the work they do. According to their brochure, it is said that the project will employ over 200 local women and disabled people. We think Common Seas has brought a wonderful and welcome change to our community. Not only do they provide jobs to the marginalized, but they are also working with the government to try and clean the Brantas River.

We are hopeful that with the availability of the reusable, affordable diapers, customers will be enticed to buy and use them. With the help of health workers from local clinics and P.C. Muslimat, the region’s largest women’s charity, we (Aini and Veve) are optimistic that reusable diapers from Common Seas can reduce household expenditure and help more women and disabled people make a living.

Interview

Interviewees:
Celia Siura – COO
Ani Yulika – Production and Procurement
Ivana Tejokusumo – Program Intern

Q: What kind of organization is Common Seas and what is its main focus?

Ivana: Common Seas is a not-for-profit social enterprise based in the United Kingdom that collaborates with other countries although we operate alone in Indonesia.

Here we have a project namely “Clean Blue Indonesia” where we focus on trying to reduce the plastic waste in the Brantas River, more specifically waste created from single-use diapers. After conducting research of pollution sources in the river, we found that 50% of the waste in Brantas River comes from single-use diapers so we’re here to tackle this problem.

Celia: At least 1.5 million single-use diapers enter its waters everyday, which comes to around 500 million daipers a year. The Brantas River travels through 17 megacities and through communities of 17 million people with 18.000 babies potentially using single-use diapers living near the river itself.

Q: How long have you worked at, or been associated with, Common Seas? And what are your main roles in this organization?

Celia: I started working here in June n 2021, so I have been working with Common Seas for two years. Right now my position is Chief Operating Officer for Indonesia.

Ani: I have been working at Common Seas for two years as the Production and Procurement Manager.

Ivana: I have been interning at Common Seas for around two weeks.

Q: What are some of your duties or activities in the organization on a daily/weekly basis?

Celia: I manage Common Seas in Indonesia. I manage the program and its operations, handle relationships with the government, stakeholders, fund-raising, and I also manage our campaigns.

Q: What part do you think the organization plays in the life of the local community, and the lives of its citizens?

Ivana: Common Seas in Surabaya has begun to focus on reusable diapers as a tool to educate citizens and health workers as well as campaigning on the pollution risks of single-use diapers, how to use reusable diapers properly, and the benefits of using reusable diapers such as saving money, etc. Reusable diapers are made by local women and disabled people to help drive a lasting behavior change that prevents 186 million single-use diapers from entering the country’s rivers.

Celia: In short, we provide a stable income for the manufacturers of these reusable diapers, namely women and disabled groups that need the money. People who use our product can save around 75% of their household expenses if they were to change their habit of using single-use diapers to reusable ones. These diapers also keep babies from catching diseases such as urine infections, cholera, typhoid and hepatitis A. Single-use diapers can also cause antibiotic resistance.

We educate the citizens on the dangers of plastic pollution. For example, if they throw plastic trash in the river and there is another ecosystem that depends on the river water, when we pollute the river ourselves, catch and eat fish that live in the river, we will also consume some microplastics that the fish has in its system. Even people who don’t throw things away in the river may get all kinds of diseases caused by the pollution because our main drinking water comes from the Brantas River.

Q: In what ways do you think you and the organization can play a larger role in the local community in the future?

Celia: Over the next five years, Common Seas plans to distribute over a million reusable diapers in Indonesia. Now, we are currently still in the stage of campaigning, hoping we can make the citizens of Indonesia aware of the problem in the Brantas River.

In the future we hope that all of the citizens in Indonesia will be able to access these reusable diapers. We are working with health workers in local clinics, and P.C. Muslimat, the region’s largest women’s charity, to promote and resell these reusable diapers. The promoters and resellers will also get an incentive of around 15% from the sale of these diapers, as we also need to incentivize the middlemen and service providers; it’s not only about producers and consumers.

We have successfully promoted and supplied reusable cotton diapers to 1,000 mothers in Jember, East Java. Over 98% continued to use the reusable diapers with their babies.

Q: What is the most difficult thing you do at Common Seas?

Celia: We definitely need more resources. People who are willing to work on our project. Right now, we are looking for funds and investment so we can scale up our program. We have a pilot that has been very successful in Jember. We are currently at the stage of fundraising to scale up the program and will engage with investors and international companies focused on corporate social responsibility (CSR) that might be amenable to helping Common Seas reach its goals.

Q: We hear you employ marginalized people, is that true?

Ani: Yes we do. There are currently openings for women and disabled individuals to work in the organization; people who are disabled are defined as those who have physical, mental, intellectual and/or sensory limitations but still have the same ability to work as well as able-bodied employees in general. They need to be willing to work and learn. The physical disabilities we can still consider for recruitment are, among others, related to the legs, back, hands, fingers, neck, visual impairment, hard of hearing, speech impairments, sensory – i.e. touch and taste impairment, and congenital defects.

Q: Usually employers search for able-bodied people. What made you want to employ people with disabilities?

Celia: We want to make a social impact in the local community. We are motivated by the desire to help others. Entering into contracts with factories to make the reusable diapers has been simple and beneficial; the output is faster, cheaper, and can be produced with better quality.
We are a not-for-profit social enterprise that wants to contribute to society in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, because if you solve the economic issues, it can actually help solve a lot of other underlying problems, for example education and health issues due to a lack of funds across a community.

So besides the Common Seas’ main focus, which is improving the environment, they also want to engage local communities to enjoy the benefits of the program, which is why we are working with marginalized groups.

When Common Seas first entered Surabaya and recruited people with disabilities, of our reusable diaper production 50% got rejected by the government, resellers, and promoters due to the lack of the skills of the production team, so we had to train the people we hired many times until they mastered their jobs. However, we still trusted that our team would improve. Common Seas made it through these difficult circumstances by training our staff persistently, steadfastly and consistently. As a result, our current employees with disabilities who are working with us have managed to make market-ready reusable diapers.

Reflections

Our partners in Malaysia interviewed a similar coalition called the Penang Care Society. The purpose of the PGCare Society is to provide aid and assistance to people who have been negatively affected by the pandemic and lockdowns.

They initially organized the distribution of supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic which then resulted in the expansion of the coallition. The PGCare Society now has five pillars that cater to Mental Health Aid, Food Aid, Job Aid and Financial Consultation, Virtual Care & Telehealth Service and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

As we were researching the same issue, there are a couple of similarities between Common Seas and the Penang Care Society that we have picked up on. Both teams found that it is not easy to look for someone to fund the projects and that can hinder the progress that our organizations are trying to make. Other similarities are how the organizations that we interviewed both offer not just jobs but different and many types of aid.

It is nice to know how generous and sincere these organizations are towards building and maintaining the society around us and that these organizations are supported openly by their respective governments. While the PGCare Society offers programs that have more reach across the general public, Common Seas focuses its efforts on women and those with disabilities. PGCare Society focuses on those that have been affected by the recent pandemic meanwhile Common Seas puts their focus more on clean river water.

References

Rachman, Arrjal. (2023, May 13). Terima Kasih Jokowi! Angka Pengangguran Turun, Tersisa Segini.CNBC Indonesia. https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/news/20230513161820-4-437064/terima-kasih-jokowi-angka-pengangguran-turun-tersisa-segini

Nurizal, Zulian Fatha. (2022, December 17). Kesempatan Kerja di Sektor Formal Bagi Disabilitas Semakin Terbuka. Kompas: https://www.kompas.id/baca/humaniora/2022/12/17/kesempatan-kerja-di-sektor-formal-bagi-disabilitas-semakin-terbuka/

Clean Blue Indonesia. (n.d). https://commonseas.com/countries/clean-blue-east-java

Researchers

Hiya! My name is Novellie and I am a second-year student at the University of Surabaya (UBAYA) in Indonesia, currently majoring in English for Business and PR. I am currently 19 years old. I love English because it opens a gateway to new information around the world. I love reading, drawing, and spending time with my close friends. I like listening to music – mostly Western or Japanese music. I get shy around people so proceed with caution!

Hello! I’m Rahmah Nurul Aini, but my friends call me Ain, or Vivi. I am a student in Ubaya in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. I am in the Faculty of Polytechnic, majoring in English For Business and PR, and I’m currently in my 3rd semester. I was born and raised in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia. Since I was a child, I have enjoyed dancing, learning new things, and reading books. I love both English and business! That is why I joined this study programme to learn more about such topics. To be honest, I’m still learning about branding and what aspects of business I might be good at. I spend my free time reading books, mainly fiction, watching movies or anime, playing games, napping – I swear I love naps – and editing photos and videos. I love animals, especially cats and seals, whom I find simply adorable.