ICETIA RAPI 2023: Eco-Friendly Batik Industry

The Faculty of Engineering at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) once again held its annual international conference, The 10th International Conference on Engineering, Technology, and Industrial Application (ICETIA) – Rekayasa Aplikasi dan Perancangan Industri (RAPI) XXII, on Thursday (7/12) at Swiss-Belinn Saripetojo Hotel, Surakarta.

The event featured six speakers, including four keynote speakers (1) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Carol Sze Ki Lin, City University of Hong Kong, (2) Dr. Ridhi Saluja, Stockholm Environment Institute, Sweden, (3) Dr. Puspita Ayu Permatasari M.Rech, UNESCO Maritime Silk Road Textile Heritage & Trisakti School of Tourism, (4) Assoc. Prof. Ir. Rois Fatoni, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, UMS. Also speaking were two invited speakers: Prof. Liyanage C. De Silva from Brunei Darussalam and Prof. Dr. Sami Ben Salma from Saudi Arabia.

The conference attracted hundreds of participants from both domestic and international backgrounds, including attendees from the UK, Japan, and Thailand. While the event was held on-site, it was also streamed live via Zoom and YouTube.

Explaining the choice of this year’s theme, “Synergizing Bengawan Solo Conservation & Environmentally-Friendly Batik & Textile Industries Towards a Sustainable River Basin”, event chair Eko Setiawan, Ph.D., said:

“UMS Faculty of Engineering is currently committed to promoting environmentally friendly batik industries and the Bengawan Solo River as major research themes and centers of excellence within the faculty.”

In relation to this, he added, the conference invited speakers with expertise in both key areas, river management and the textile industry.

The ICETIA RAPI 2023 event was attended by several students and lecturers from the Faculty of Engineering at UMS, held at Swiss-Belinn Saripetojo Hotel, Surakarta (7/12/2023).

“We hope this serves as a forum for exchanging research findings, feedback, and insights related to the seminar’s theme. It’s also a great opportunity to improve research quality and writing, while fostering collaborative networks,” he concluded.

Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Rois Fatoni, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., also delivered a presentation titled “The Contribution of Muhammadiyah Engineering Higher Education Institutions in Achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.

“At the Faculty of Engineering, we’re working to ensure students better understand SDG issues. As part of the global population under the UN, our development trajectory must align with agreements signed by the UN,” Rois explained.

He emphasized that the values embedded in the 17 SDGs are, in fact, highly compatible with Islamic teachings. “The issue,” he said, “is that no Muslim-majority country has yet shown outstanding achievement in fulfilling the SDGs.”

Rois expressed hope that the paradigm shift in education at UMS, through the rearticulation of Islamic values, can help the Faculty of Engineering lay a theological foundation for education and training. This is anchored in three core values: ibadah (worship), istiqamah (steadfastness), and istimrar (continuity).

The ICETIA RAPI event spanned two days, concluding on Friday, December 8, 2023. On the second day, the program wrapped up with a workshop titled “Workshop on Environmentally-friendly Batik Industries”, held in Kampung Batik Laweyan, Surakarta.