UNU Jogja Student Wins Award at Bisantren 2025 Through Circular Economy-Based Business Innovation

Jombang, Indonesia – Winie Puspa Angelia, a Management student from Nahdlatul Ulama University (UNU) Jogja, won Third Runner-Up in the Business Competition Bisantren 2025 held in Jombang on Sunday, October 26. In this competition, Winie competed with 25 other finalists from various universities and Islamic boarding schools across Indonesia.

The Bisantren 2025 competition served as a platform for students and santri to present creative and solution-oriented business ideas focused on sustainability and community empowerment. The event aimed to encourage participants to develop business concepts that generate economic profit while also creating positive social and environmental impact.

Winie’s business idea, called SALAAM, integrates a full circular economy approach with premium custom design services. Through SALAAM, she proposed an innovative way to transform non-organic plastic waste—commonly found in Islamic boarding schools and local communities—into high-quality furniture with both aesthetic and functional value.

What makes SALAAM stand out from conventional recycling businesses is its dual focus on custom design and production services, tailored to consumers’ needs. The products also guarantee durability, including resistance to termites and water, making them a superior and long-lasting alternative compared to similar products on the market.

Winie explained that the idea for SALAAM was inspired by her concern over the large amount of plastic waste accumulating in boarding schools and the lack of sustainable solutions to manage it. By combining design thinking and technology, she aims to create a new economic chain that preserves environmental integrity. “SALAAM is not just a product, but a movement toward a more eco-conscious and value-driven lifestyle,” she said.

Nurna Pratiwi, a lecturer from the Management Study Program at UNU Jogja, expressed her appreciation for Winie’s achievement. “Winie is an active student, both inside and outside the classroom. She has participated in several business plan competitions and won multiple times. I hope she continues to be an inspiration for other Management students,” said Tiwi proudly.

With this achievement, Winie hopes to further develop the SALAAM project into a real business that involves Islamic boarding school communities as partners in production and education. She also emphasized the importance of university support in nurturing student entrepreneurship. “I want to show that students can become agents of change through sustainable innovation that benefits society,” she concluded. [Latifah]