MAS Holdings has announced that two of its manufacturing sites in Central Java, Indonesia, would be the company's first to be totally powered by renewable energy.

According to MAS Holdings, the carbon footprint of a garment manufactured at PT MAS Arya Indonesia (MAS Arya) renewable-powered facilities in Indonesia would be reduced by 5% to 15%.

The project is also expected to lower MAS Arya's total carbon footprint by an estimated 3,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of over 657 passenger vehicles.

MAS Arya has signed a 15-year renewable power purchase deal with Indonesia's state-owned electricity supply and distribution agency, PT PLN (Persero), and is the first company in Indonesia's Semarang Region to do so.

MAS Arya will obtain all of its electricity from geothermal power sources, reducing the facility's carbon emissions from total energy consumption by over 98%. Each unit of power acquired by the MAS Arya facilities will be accompanied by a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC), which confirms the environmentally-friendly nature of the power generation source.

The program was launched as part of Indonesia's attempts to boost renewable energy's share in the country's energy mix from 11% in 2021 to a quarter (25%) by 2025. The World Resources Institute (WRI), a non-profit organization committed to environmental sustainability, has accredited it.

Sid Amalean, MAS Holdings' head of sustainable business, said that the shift to renewable power at MAS Arya represents a critical milestone in MAS' quest to decrease the environmental impact of its operations.

Amalean added that public-private cooperation of this sort is crucial to creating a real impact in the fight against climate change. Similar prospects are being aggressively pursued by MAS in other countries where we operate. MAS has invested heavily in coordinated measures to decrease the environmental effect of their supply chain, in addition to lowering direct emissions from their activities.

PLN UP3 Semarang’s manager Eric Rossi, said that Indonesia acknowledges the necessity of public-private partnerships to expedite their renewable energy output. They appreciate MAS' long-term commitment to acquiring renewable energy certificates, which promotes renewable energy generation's financial viability.