MEMBANGUN CITRA BERKELANJUTAN GREEN BATIK PEKALONGAN: PEMBERDAYAAN SINERGIS BRANDING, EKOLOGI DAN DIGITALISASI MENUJU PASAR FASHION BERKELANJUTAN - Ngatindriatun, Ngatindriatun; Butarbutar, Dicky Jhon Anderson; Aini, Nurul; Udin, Noor; Sriwidadi, Teguh; Ni'mah, Fadhilatun; Ferdinand, Samuel Alvin; Hardi, Laura Emmanuela; Wibowo, Iqbal Andika; Atmaja, Mario Rafael (Journal of Community Empowerment, 2025)
ABSTRAK                                                                                     Industri batik Pekalongan menghadapi tantangan signifikan terkait rendahnya literasi branding berkelanjutan, keterbatasan kemampuan digital, serta belum optimalnya pemanfaatan nilai ekologis sebagai keunggulan kompetitif. Pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini bertujuan memberdayakan UMKM Green Batik Pekalongan melalui integrasi strategi branding hijau, penguatan ekologi produksi, dan digitalisasi pemasaran untuk meningkatkan daya saing di pasar fashion berkelanjutan. Kegiatan dilakukan melalui sosialisasi, pelatihan green marketing, workshop digital marketing, pendampingan pendaftaran ecolabel, serta pengembangan storytelling dan strategi komunikasi merek. Mitra terdiri dari 20 pelaku UMKM batik di Kecamatan Pekalongan Utara. Evaluasi dilakukan melalui pre-test, post-test, observasi, dan analisis hasil produksi konten. Hasilnya menunjukkan peningkatan kapasitas signifikan: pemahaman green marketing meningkat 97,6%, kemampuan produksi konten digital meningkat lebih dari 500%, 18 UMKM memiliki akun bisnis aktif, dan 10 produk memperoleh draft ecolabel, dengan 4 di antaranya memasuki tahap pengajuan awal. Selain itu, peserta menghasilkan 15 narasi storytelling dan satu dokumen Strategi Komunikasi Merek Berkelanjutan yang siap diterapkan. Program ini membuktikan bahwa pemberdayaan sinergis antara branding, ekologi, dan digitalisasi efektif dalam memperkuat citra Green Batik Pekalongan serta relevan untuk direplikasi di sentra batik lainnya.Kata kunci: Green Marketing; Ecolabel; Green Batik Pekalongan; Digital Marketing; Pemberdayaan UMKM. ABSTRACTThe batik industry in Pekalongan faces significant challenges related to the low literacy of sustainable branding, limited digital capabilities, and the suboptimal utilization of ecological value as a competitive advantage. This community engagement program aims to empower Green Batik Pekalongan MSMEs through the integration of green branding strategies, ecological production enhancement, and marketing digitalization to strengthen their competitiveness in the sustainable fashion market. The program activities included socialization, green marketing training, digital marketing workshops, ecolabel registration assistance, and the development of cultural storytelling and sustainable brand communication strategies. The beneficiaries consisted of 20 batik artisans in Pekalongan Utara District. Evaluation was conducted through pre-tests, post-tests, observations, and analysis of digital content outputs. The results show significant capacity improvements: green marketing understanding increased by 97.6%, digital content production improved by more than 500%, 18 MSMEs established active business accounts, and 10 products obtained ecolabel drafts, with 4 progressing to the initial verification stage. Additionally, participants produced 15 storytelling narratives and one comprehensive Sustainable Brand Communication Strategy document ready for implementation. This program demonstrates that synergistic empowerment combining branding, ecological practices, and digitalization is effective in strengthening the sustainable image of Green Batik Pekalongan and is highly relevant for replication in other batik production centers.Keywords: Green Marketing; Ecolabel; Green Batik Pekalongan; Digital Marketing; MSME Empowerment.