Indonesia's Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Minister Teten Masduki has firmly rejected the sale and purchase of imported used clothes or "import thrifting" to safeguard the textile micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and shoe textile products.

The import thrifting trend poses a risk to jobs because the textile industry is a labor-intensive industry that employs many workers, Masduki explained. He urged customs to be stricter and improve their monitoring of illegal imports of used clothes, which have been banned.

Masduki stressed that the government has a strong rationale for rejecting imports of used and illegal textile products. He added that such imports are not aligned with the government's drive to encourage local product consumption through the Proud of Indonesian Products National Movement.

Under this national movement, the government has implemented a policy requiring 40 percent spending on MSME products in goods procurement. According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), this policy could lead to national economic growth of 1.85 percent and the creation of 2 million jobs without new investment. Masduki believes that similar efforts can improve national economic growth when it comes to household consumption.