Behind the Eco-friendliness of “batik warna alam”'; Discovering the motives behind the production of batik in Jarum village, Klaten

Abstract

The policy of sustainable production has encouraged small batik businesses to shift to natural dyes as these are considered eco-friendly. However, the motivation behind juragan batiks' embracing natural dyes still has some question marks attached. This qualitative study explains the motivation of the juragan batiks in using natural colourants in their production of batik warna alam and explores the significance of batik warna alam to juragan batik. We found the production of batik warna alam tended to be triggered by economic reasons not environmental consciousness. This related to the meaning of batik warna alam to maintaining the economic survival of the juragans. Juragans are convinced that batik warna alam is eco-friendly according to the indicators to which they subscribe: (1) the materials are found in their immediate surroundings; (2) the process causes no pollution or environmental destruction; and (3) the production does not pose a health threat to people, including workers. This study provides the insight that an eco-friendly-labelled production might not necessarily be motivated by a high level of environmental consciousness.

Institutional Barriers and Facilitators of Sustainability for Indonesian Batik SMEs: A Policy Agenda

“…SMEs are forced to critically re-evaluate their business strategies, especially regarding cleanliness, health, safety, and environmental sustainability (CHSE) [4]. Socio-ecological and economic challenges have, thus, risen for the batik industry in Indonesia [5][6][7][8].…”

“…The Indonesian batik industry is a sector with many SMEs. However, batik SMEs are hardly known for their ecologically sustainable behavior [6,7]. For example, per kilogram of batik produced, a batik SME can produce up to 125 L of wastewater, which may contain harmful substances from synthetic dyes and is often drained into rivers without proper water treatment [5].…”

The Blue Water Footprint of Block-printed Batik Coloured by Natural Dye of Myrobalan (Terminalia bellirica Roxb.) Mordanted by Alum and Copperas

“…In natural dyeing, a white cotton cloth should be soaked into natural dyes extracts in turns with drying, and those steps are done repeatedly until an expected colour is formed [6]. Repeated cloth-soaking means absorbing the liquid extract of dyes, and because the water will be evaporated during the drying process, this pattern corresponds to the consumptive water use which is a component of Blue Water Footprint [7].…”

Teaching the Effect of Limestone Particle Fixation on Batik Natural Color Density in Inclusive Classroom

“…Recently, several techniques have been developed to foster eco-fashion (Handayani, Kristijanto, and Hunga, 2018;Wirawan and Alvin, 2019). As known, natural color contributes a positive impact on the environment (Pujilestari, 2015;Suheryanto and Haryanto, 2008) and the materials are accessible as it is easy to find.…”

“…As known, natural color contributes a positive impact on the environment (Pujilestari, 2015;Suheryanto and Haryanto, 2008) and the materials are accessible as it is easy to find. Besides, natural colors are relatively cheap (Amalia and Akhtamimi, 2016;Handayani, Kristijanto, and Hunga, 2018;Setyawati, Darmokoesoemo, Ningtyas, Kadmi, Elmsellem and Kusuma, 2017). However, sometimes there are still many misconceptions of people who claim that natural colors do not provide economic benefits due to their long processing time, and limited color diversity (Hakiim, Sari and Efelina, 2019).…”