“This incident shows that the illegal import of used shoes is carried out in an organised manner and misuses social projects,” Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita was quoted as saying in the statement.
“The practice of illegal importation of used shoes must be stopped because it has a bad impact on the domestic footwear industry.”
The ministry is also proposing new incentives for local footwear manufacturers importing raw materials for their businesses, and imposing tighter regulations on businesses importing textiles, the statement said.
In July 2021, Dow and Sport Singapore, a government agency, launched a programme to grind down old shoes with rubberised soles into granules to be used to make new jogging tracks and playgrounds. The public donated tens of thousands of shoes to the scheme.
On Feb 27, two days after the Reuters story was published, Dow and Sport Singapore issued a statement apologising to the public for a “lapse” in its supply chain which had led to some shoes meant for recycling being shipped to Indonesia.