Bank DBS Indonesia Supports Sustainable Food Security Through "Food Rescue Warrior" | Bahasa

Indonesia.18 Mar 2024.0 min read
Indonesia, 18 Mar 2024 - Bank DBS Indonesia launched the "Food Rescue Warrior" campaign to honour its commitment to supporting sustainable food security. The programme aims at raising public awareness as well as developing collaboration with hotel, restaurant and café (horeca) industry players to tackle the problem of food surplus that leads to food waste. The programme launch was attended by Head of Group Strategic Marketing & Communications at PT Bank DBS Indonesia Mona Monika, Founder & CEO of Jangjo Indonesia Joe Hansen, Co-founder of FoodCycle Indonesia Herman Andryanto, and representatives of SCBD Park.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2020 data show that Indonesia is the fourth largest producer of food waste in the world, at 20.94 million metric tonnes. In addition, 2023 data from the National Waste Management Information System (SIPSN) of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) show that food waste accounts for the bulk of the total waste generated, at 41.6 percent. This calls for urgent action.

To learn about the public's perspective on this issue, Bank DBS Indonesia surveyed the opinions of 3,055 respondents across Indonesia. The following are the insights gathered from the survey:
  • About84 percent of respondents expressed concern about the problem of food waste in Indonesia.
  • Interestingly, by generation, Gen Z is more concerned about food waste (86 percent) than millennials (82 percent). This means that the younger generation is increasingly concerned about sustainability and has a high sensitivity to social and environmental issues.
  • Another interesting finding of the survey was respondents' willingness to support food waste management programmes. About 80 percent of respondents said they would recommend such programmes to their relatives/acquaintances. Moreover, 63 percent of respondents would use a brand's products or services only if the brand embraces sustainability.
  • About 22 percent of respondents said they would still buy products from the brand even if the price was increased.

Head of Group Strategic Marketing & Communications at PT Bank DBS Indonesia Mona Monika said, "Food waste is a ticking time bomb for climate crisis, at the same time many people are facing hunger due to climate change. These are two sides of the crisis that we must address together for the sake of future generations. Food waste and food security cannot be solved by individuals as it requires collective efforts. Through the Food Rescue Warrior programme initiated by Bank DBS Indonesia and DBS Foundation, we invite partners and the wider community to work together to combat food loss and support food security in Indonesia."

Food Rescue Warrior helps tackle food surplus and create sustainable food security

Commercial centers, including food and beverage (F&B) industries such as hotels, restaurants, and cafes, contribute around 17.8 percent to Indonesia's waste, after household waste (38.8 percent) and traditional markets (20.6 percent), according to 2023 data from SIPSN KLHK. This means F&B players need to adopt sustainable food waste management and promote food security.

To that end, Bank DBS Indonesia launched the #MakanTanpaSisa campaign in 2020 to support the Towards Zero Food Waste vision. Through the campaign, Bank DBS Indonesia managed to save 554,822 kilograms of food impact (or food that was prevented from going to landfills) in 2023. To increase the reach and impact of the campaign on the community, in 2024, Bank DBS Indonesia and DBS Foundation collaborated to launch the Food Rescue Warrior programme.

The Food Rescue Warrior programme  is held in collaboration with FoodCycle Indonesia, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that focuses on food rescue and food waste management, and Jangjo, a startup that also focuses its efforts on food waste management. To facilitate customers in supporting businesses that manage their food waste responsibly, participating partners will be listed on the online restaurant and hotel directory at https://go.dbs.com/id-tzfw.

  • Jangjo manages food waste from restaurants, cafes, and malls in Jakarta, such as Ashta, Pantai Indah Kapuk Avenue, Mall of Indonesia, fX Sudirman, Plaza Indonesia, and SCBD Park. The waste is then processed using the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) bioconversion technology. This process produces dried larvae that can be used in farms as well as compost that can be used in plantations. In 2023, the No Food Left Behind food waste processing programme organised by Bank DBS Indonesia and Jangjo involved 83 restaurant tenants.

  • So far this year, more than 24 partners have joined the new Food Rescue Warrior programme, most of them participants of the previous year's programme such as fX Sudirman. A number of new tenants have also joined the programme, including Kopitagram and SCBD Park. The latter is a strong proponent of sustainability initiatives.

Founder & CEO of Jangjo Indonesia Joe Hansen said, "Tackling food waste requires collective efforts and a good partnership ecosystem. Therefore, in that spirit, we are excited to join the Food Rescue Warrior movement with Bank DBS Indonesia and other partners. We hope this activity can inspire more parties to contribute to a more sustainable environment.

Meanwhile, FoodCycle Indonesia focuses on managing excess food donated by hotels, restaurants and cafes to be distributed to people in need. The programme is expected to benefit 130,000 recipients, serve 3,128,571 meals to people in need, and reduce 1,916,250 kg of food waste. Currently, 75 institutions are taking part in this movement, including well-known hotel chains, restaurants and cafes such as Kopi Kenangan, Menara Peninsula Hotel, Aston Pluit Hotel, Harris fX Sudirman Hotel and many more.

Co-founder of FoodCycle Indonesia Herman Andryanto expressed his appreciation for the programme. "We really appreciate Bank DBS Indonesia's efforts to pay full attention to food rescue and food waste. The Food Rescue Warrior programme allows us, FoodCycle Indonesia, to optimise our efforts in distributing surplus food to people in need. We also support the important agenda of encouraging companies to pay more attention to greener business operations and inspire people to live more sustainably."

Bank DBS Indonesia is committed to creating a positive impact, in line with one of its sustainability pillars, Impact Beyond Banking. This pillar focuses on how the bank can have a positive impact on the environment and the communities in which it operates. All of these efforts are in line with Bank DBS Indonesia's vision to be the "Best Bank for a Better World".




About DBS
DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 19 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS is in the three key Asian axes of growth: Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The bank’s “AA-” and “Aa1” credit ratings are among the highest in the world.

Recognised for its global leadership, DBS has been named “World’s Best Bank” by Global Finance, “World’s Best Bank” by Euromoney and “Global Bank of the Year” by The Banker. The bank is at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking, having been named “World’s Best Digital Bank” by Euromoney and the world’s “Most Innovative in Digital Banking” by The Banker. In addition, DBS has been accorded the “Safest Bank in Asia“ award by Global Finance for 15 consecutive years from 2009 to 2023. DBS Indonesia is ranked second in the top as World’s Best Bank in Indonesia for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022.

Established in 1989 as part of the Singapore-based DBS Group, PT Bank DBS Indonesia (Bank DBS Indonesia) is one of the banks with the longest history in Asia. Currently operating 1 Head Office, 13 Branch Offices, 16 Assistant Offices and 4 Functional Offices and 3,011 active employees in 15 Major Cities in Indonesia, DBS Bank Indonesia provides comprehensive banking services in the corporate, SME and consumer banking segments. We also see a purpose beyond banking and are committed to supporting our customers, employees and the community towards a sustainable future.

PT Bank DBS Indonesia is licensed and supervised by The Indonesian Financial Services Authority (OJK), and an insured member of Indonesia Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS).

With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. For further information, please visit www.dbs.com