How Does SE 11/2025 Connect EPR to Environmental Approvals?

1.0 The Integration Mandate: Bridging Two Regulatory Systems

On October 14, 2025, Indonesia's Minister of Environment and Head of the Environmental Control Agency (BPLHD) issued Surat Edaran Nomor 11 Tahun 2025 tentang Pengintegrasian Kewajiban Pengurangan Sampah oleh Produsen dalam Persetujuan Lingkungan (Circular Letter Number 11 of 2025 on Integration of Producer Waste Reduction Obligations into Environmental Approvals). This circular letter addresses a critical regulatory gap: while Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations have existed since PERMENLHK P.75/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/10/2019, these obligations operated separately from Indonesia's environmental approval (Persetujuan Lingkungan) framework. The circular's background section states: "Sesuai dengan amanat Undang-Undang Nomor 18 Tahun 2008 tentang Pengelolaan Sampah dan Undang-Undang Nomor 32 Tahun 2009 tentang Perlindungan dan Pengelolaan Lingkungan Hidup, serta amanat Peraturan Menteri Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan Nomor P.75/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/10/2019 tentang Peta Jalan Pengurangan Sampah oleh Produsen diperlukan penguatan tata kelola pengurangan sampah oleh produsen secara terpadu dan terintegrasi dengan mekanisme Persetujuan Lingkungan yang ada" (In accordance with the mandate of Law Number 18 of 2008 on Waste Management and Law Number 32 of 2009 on Environmental Protection and Management, as well as the mandate of Ministerial Regulation P.75/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/10/2019 on the Producer Waste Reduction Roadmap, strengthening of integrated producer waste reduction governance aligned with existing Environmental Approval mechanisms is required). This integration represents a significant policy evolution: producers must now incorporate waste reduction commitments directly into their environmental documents (UKL-UPL/RKL-RPL), transforming EPR from a standalone reporting obligation into a core component of environmental compliance. The circular creates a unified accountability framework where waste reduction targets, monitoring plans, and performance indicators become measurable conditions within environmental permits (see Matrix 1.1 below).

Matrix 1.1: SE 11/2025 Core Integration Elements

2.0 Legal Foundation: Five Pillars of the Integration Framework

SE 11/2025 rests on five primary legal instruments that together establish the foundation for integrating EPR into environmental approvals. Section D (Dasar Hukum) of the circular explicitly lists these regulations: "1. Undang-Undang Nomor 18 Tahun 2008 tentang Pengelolaan Sampah; 2. Undang-Undang Nomor 32 Tahun 2009 tentang Perlindungan dan Pengelolaan Lingkungan Hidup telah diubah dengan Undang-Undang Nomor 6 Tahun 2023 tentang Penetapan Peraturan Pemerintah Pengganti Undang-Undang Nomor 2 Tahun 2022 tentang Cipta Kerja Menjadi Undang-Undang; 3. Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 81 Tahun 2012 tentang Pengelolaan Sampah Rumah Tangga dan Sampah Sejenis Sampah Rumah Tangga; 4. Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 22 Tahun 2021 tentang Penyelenggaraan Perlindungan dan Pengelolaan Lingkungan Hidup; 5. Peraturan Menteri Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan Nomor P.75/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/10/2019 tentang Peta Jalan Pengurangan Sampah oleh Produsen." UU 18/2008 Pasal 15 establishes the foundational producer obligation, mandating that producers manage post-consumer waste as part of the Extended Producer Responsibility principle. PP 81/2012 operationalizes this through specific mechanisms including waste limitation (Pasal 12), recycling (Pasal 13), and reuse (Pasal 14). PP 22/2021 governs the Persetujuan Lingkungan system, establishing UKL-UPL (Upaya Pengelolaan Lingkungan Hidup - Upaya Pemantauan Lingkungan Hidup) and RKL-RPL (Rencana Pengelolaan Lingkungan Hidup - Rencana Pemantauan Lingkungan Hidup) as the key environmental compliance documents. PERMENLHK 75/2019 provides the EPR roadmap with specific targets, producer categories, and reporting requirements. SE 11/2025 bridges these frameworks by mandating that EPR obligations be documented within UKL-UPL/RKL-RPL matrices (see Matrix 2.1 below).

Matrix 2.1: Legal Hierarchy Supporting EPR-Environmental Approval Integration

3.0 Target Sectors: Three Producer Categories Under SE 11/2025

SE 11/2025 applies to the same three producer categories established under PERMENLHK 75/2019, but now requires these producers to integrate waste reduction obligations into their environmental approval documents. Section C (Ruang Lingkup) states: "Surat Edaran ini berlaku bagi Produsen sebagaimana dimaksud dalam Peraturan Menteri Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan Nomor P.75/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/10/2019 tentang Peta Jalan Pengurangan Sampah oleh Produsen, yaitu pelaku usaha yang memproduksi barang yang menggunakan kemasan, mendistribusikan barang yang menggunakan kemasan dan berasal dari impor, atau menjual barang dengan menggunakan wadah yang tidak dapat atau sulit terurai oleh proses alam" (This Circular Letter applies to Producers as defined in Ministerial Regulation P.75/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/10/2019 on Producer Waste Reduction Roadmap, namely business actors who produce goods using packaging, distribute packaged goods from imports, or sell goods using containers that cannot or are difficult to decompose by natural processes). The three sectors are Manufacturing (Sektor Manufaktur), Retail (Sektor Ritel), and Food & Beverage Services (Sektor Jasa Makanan dan Minuman). Manufacturing covers food and beverage industries, consumer goods industries, and cosmetics and personal care industries. Retail includes shopping centers (Pusat Perbelanjaan), modern stores (Toko Modern), and traditional markets (Pasar Rakyat). Food and beverage services encompass restaurants (Rumah makan), cafes (Kafe), restaurants (Restoran), catering services (Jasa boga), and hotels (Hotel). Each sector has distinct waste profiles and must develop sector-appropriate inventory, targets, and monitoring mechanisms within their environmental documents (see Matrix 3.1 below).

Matrix 3.1: Target Sectors Under SE 11/2025

4.0 Purpose and Objectives: Five Goals of Integration

SE 11/2025 Section B (Maksud dan Tujuan) establishes five specific objectives for integrating EPR obligations into environmental approvals. The first objective is "Memperkuat komitmen dan peran aktif produsen dalam melaksanakan pengurangan sampah sesuai Peraturan Menteri Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan Nomor P.75/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/10/2019 tentang Peta Jalan Pengurangan Sampah oleh Produsen" (Strengthening producer commitment and active role in implementing waste reduction per PERMENLHK 75/2019). The second objective targets procedural integration: "Mengintegrasikan kewajiban pengurangan sampah oleh Produsen ke dalam mekanisme Persetujuan Lingkungan termasuk pelaporannya" (Integrating producer waste reduction obligations into Environmental Approval mechanisms including reporting). The third objective enhances oversight: "Meningkatkan efektivitas pengawasan dan evaluasi pelaksanaan kewajiban Produsen melalui Aplikasi Kinerja Produsen dengan sinkronisasi pelaporan Persetujuan Lingkungan" (Increasing effectiveness of producer obligation supervision and evaluation through the Producer Performance Application with Environmental Approval reporting synchronization). The fourth objective addresses accountability: "Memperkuat akuntabilitas Produsen dalam pengelolaan produk dan/atau kemasan pasca-konsumsi melalui pelaporan yang terukur dan terverifikasi" (Strengthening producer accountability in post-consumer product and/or packaging management through measurable and verified reporting). The fifth objective supports national targets: "Mendorong pencapaian target nasional pengurangan sampah melalui integrasi data dan informasi pengelolaan sampah" (Encouraging achievement of national waste reduction targets through data and information integration). These objectives collectively transform EPR from a parallel compliance system into an integrated component of environmental management (see Matrix 4.1 below).

Matrix 4.1: Five Objectives of SE 11/2025

5.0 The Policy Gap: Why Integration Was Necessary

Before SE 11/2025, Indonesia's EPR framework and environmental approval system operated as separate regulatory tracks. PERMENLHK 75/2019 established producer waste reduction obligations with reporting through Aplikasi Kinerja Produsen, while PP 22/2021 governed environmental approvals through UKL-UPL/RKL-RPL documents submitted to environmental agencies. This separation created several challenges. First, producers could obtain environmental approvals without demonstrating EPR compliance, and conversely, EPR reporting occurred without connection to environmental permit conditions. Second, government agencies lacked a unified view of producer environmental and waste management performance. Third, enforcement was fragmented across different regulatory mechanisms. The circular's background explicitly acknowledges this gap: "Pengelolaan sampah pasca-konsumsi yang tidak dilakukan secara memadai berpotensi menimbulkan pencemaran lintas media serta berdampak pada kesehatan manusia, kerusakan ekosistem, dan penurunan kualitas lingkungan" (Inadequate post-consumer waste management potentially causes cross-media pollution and impacts human health, ecosystem damage, and environmental quality degradation). SE 11/2025 addresses this by making EPR obligations a required component of Persetujuan Lingkungan documents. The integration mechanism works through the UKL-UPL/RKL-RPL matrix system, where producers must document waste reduction activities, targets, monitoring plans, and reporting commitments alongside other environmental management measures. This creates a unified compliance document that environmental authorities can verify through both Persetujuan Lingkungan reporting and Aplikasi Kinerja Produsen data (see Matrix 5.1 below).

Matrix 5.1: Before and After SE 11/2025 Integration

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SE 11/2025 EPR Integration Series

This is Article 1 of 3 in our comprehensive analysis of SE 11/2025's integration of Extended Producer Responsibility into Indonesia's environmental approval system.

Complete Series:

1. How Does SE 11/2025 Connect EPR to Environmental Approvals? (this article) - The Integration Mandate
2. What Are the Six Steps for EPR Compliance Under SE 11/2025? - Implementation Framework
3. How Is EPR Compliance Verified Under SE 11/2025? - Verification and Enforcement

Regulation Reference

Primary Document:
Surat Edaran Menteri Lingkungan Hidup/Kepala Badan Pengendalian Lingkungan Hidup Republik Indonesia Nomor 11 Tahun 2025 tentang Pengintegrasian Kewajiban Pengurangan Sampah oleh Produsen dalam Persetujuan Lingkungan

English Translation:
Circular Letter of the Minister of Environment/Head of Environmental Control Agency of the Republic of Indonesia Number 11 of 2025 on Integration of Producer Waste Reduction Obligations into Environmental Approvals

Short Citation:
SE MENLH 11/2025

Issuance Date: October 14, 2025
Signatory: Hanif Faisol Nurofiq

Related Regulations:

Legal Analysis by the CRPG Environmental Law Team | Analysis Date: December 27, 2025 | Regulation Issued: October 14, 2025

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This article is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, legal opinion, or professional consultation. The analysis presented herein is based on the authors' interpretation of SE MENLH 11/2025 and related regulations as of the publication date and may contain errors, omissions, or inaccuracies despite reasonable efforts to ensure accuracy. Laws and regulations are subject to amendment, judicial interpretation, and administrative clarification that may affect the applicability or interpretation of the provisions discussed. This article does not create an attorney-client relationship between the authors, the Center for Regulation, Policy and Government (CRPG), and any reader. Readers should not act or refrain from acting based solely on the information contained in this article without seeking appropriate legal counsel from qualified Indonesian legal practitioners licensed to practice environmental law. The application of EPR integration requirements depends on specific factual circumstances including producer category, business sector, packaging materials used, environmental approval status, existing UKL-UPL/RKL-RPL documents, and regional environmental agency requirements, all of which require case-specific legal analysis. Neither the authors nor CRPG assume any liability for actions taken or not taken based on information in this article, nor for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from use of or reliance on this material. For specific legal guidance on EPR-environmental approval integration, consult with qualified legal counsel familiar with Indonesian environmental and waste management law and current regulatory practice.

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