MLH PP Muhammadiyah Launched Green Qurban

MOSAIC-INDONESIA.COM, JAKARTA — The Environmental Assembly (MLH) of PP Muhammadiyah released the Green Qurban program at PP Muhammadiyah Building, Jakarta, Wednesday (4/6/2025).  This event which is coinciding with International Environment Day,  will be held at seven points in various regions of Indonesia on June 7-8, 2025. 

Chairman of MLH PP Muhammadiyah M Azrul Tanjung said that Green Qurban was held with the awareness that Indonesia as one of the mega-biodiversity countries facing various threats from deforestation, water crisis, air pollution. The impact of climate change is also becoming more pronounced. Nevertheless, Azrul said, people's collective awareness is far from sufficient while public participation in safeguarding the environment is not yet systemic and sustainable.

For this reason, Azrul said Green Qurban is part of the effort to educate the public, presenting environmentally friendly sacrificial practices.” Why Green Qurban? Because as it is known that slaughtering sacrificial animals is not friendly, we have started to do it not only in the form of socialization, but we also pay attention for example in some places we have prepared in Java, in Sumatra. In Papua, we have also done how to cut sacrificial animals in an environmentally friendly way,” Azrul said on Wednesday.

In Green Qurban 2025, Muhammadiyah will educate people to reduce the use of plastic bags during the distribution of qurban by using organic and reusable packaging, such as teak leaves, bamboo shoots and others. Muhammadiyah will also educate people to manage sacrificial animal waste responsibly such as cleaning waterways or rivers after slaughtering sacrificial animals.

He confirmed that Green Qurban 1446 H/2025 is the result of cooperation with Hajj Financial Management Agency and sacrifice cutting committee spread across seven points including Medan (North Sumatra), South Tangerang (Banten), Cilacap and Pati (Central Java), Lamongan (East Java), Bima (NTB) and Sorong (Southwest Papua).

From plastic waste to forest protection

Alongside Green Qurban, Azrul stated, Muhammadiyah has taken real steps in plastic waste management, environmental education, and forest protection. He explained that Muhammadiyah actively transforms plastic waste into valuable products, such as bags, sajadah, and peci, through collaboration with sharia banks. “This is also a movement that we have done especially later with the sharia banks,” he said.

One of the latest breakthroughs was the launch of Plastik Pay or ATM Garbage, a machine that encourages people to exchange plastic waste for recycling. The program has been launched in Ramadan 2025 and will be expanded throughout Indonesia with the support of sharia banking as well as State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN). “We expect companies to contribute to carbon reduction through this approach,” Azrul added.

MLH PP Muhammadiyah also cooperated with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MOE) to implement the Advanced Adiwiyata Program. The program combines environmental education with Islamic values advanced in Muhammadiyah schools.

With more than 5,000 Muhammadiyah schools, the potential for ecological transformation in the education sector is enormous. According to the Ministry of Environment, schools that implement Adiwiyata have a positive influence on the environmentally friendly behavior of students and teachers.

“We are encouraging Muhammadiyah schools to be environmentally friendly, for example by reducing single-use plastics, using tumblers, and creating green campuses,” Azrul explained. The principal training will be held in Cirebon on June 23, 2025, with plans to expand beyond Java.

Papua holds 35 percent of Indonesia's primary forests. However, pressure on indigenous forests and conservation areas continues to increase. Highlighting the threat of deforestation, MLH will hold a Forest Empowerment Workshop in Sorong, South West Papua, on June 30, 2025.

This workshop involved MLH managers in Papua for training in sustainable forest management, advocacy, and empowerment of indigenous communities. Muhammadiyah is committed to strengthening the capacity of local communities in safeguarding critical areas, while promoting sustainable policies at the regional level.

Azrul admits completely eliminating dependence on plastic is difficult, but the reduction step must be consistent. “We continue to encourage young Muhammadiyah cadres to become environmental ambassadors who educate the public,” he said.