Bank DBS Indonesia supports food rescue efforts by partnering with social enterprise Garda Pangan | Bahasa

Indonesia, 25 Aug 2021 - The issue of food loss and waste is often taken lightly. In fact, 2021 data provided by the Bappenas showed that food waste is estimated to cause IDR 213-551 trillion in economic losses per year, equivalent to 4-5 percent of Indonesia's GDP per year. In the environmental sector, in the period 2000-2019, Indonesia disposed of 23-48 million tons of food waste per year or equivalent to 115-184 kg per capita per year. The food & beverage (F&B) industry is one of the largest contributors to food waste, producing 1,702.9 megatons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions -- or equivalent to 7.29 percent of Indonesia's average GHG emissions per year. In addition, socially, the energy content lost due to food waste is estimated to be equivalent to the food portions of 61-125 million people per year.

Food waste can be reduced through food rescue, an effort to save excess food that is still in good condition and safe to eat. Excess food from the F&B industry is re-checked to ensure its quality, repackaged, and then distributed to people who cannot meet their basic needs such as food, clothes, shelter, health, and education, or the underprivileged. This effort was initiated by Garda Pangan, a social enterprise from Surabaya, one of the social enterprises supported by Bank DBS Indonesia that aims at becoming a food bank or a center for coordination of the distribution of excess food that may go to waste to the poor. 

Bank DBS Indonesia’s support during the pandemic

Bank DBS Indonesia is fully aware that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the Indonesian people in different ways, especially the poor with irregular income streams or irregular daily income, as well as people who were laid off. The drastic reduction of income has made it difficult for some people to meet the daily nutrient requirements. Therefore, Bank DBS Indonesia collaborates with Garda Pangan and invites its customers, the digibank credit card users, to donate food by exchanging their customer reward points that will be doubled (match donation) by Bank DBS Indonesia and donated in the form of food packages. Through the programme, Bank DBS Indonesia donated more than 1,500 staple food packages periodically to more than 6,000 people affected by the pandemic, such as day laborers, app-based transportation drivers, cleaners, pedicab drivers, shelter houses for former lepers around Surabaya, Malang, and Sidoarjo. Through this programme, Bank DBS Indonesia invites more customers to contribute and donate to people in need.

“Bank DBS Indonesia focuses on helping the most vulnerable people through donations by encouraging customer involvement. We distribute the donations through a social enterprise, Garda Pangan. We hope this initiative will generate more positive impacts and promote the importance of #Makantanpasisa for our environmental sustainability," said Mona Monika, Executive Director, Head of Group Strategic Marketing Communication, PT Bank DBS Indonesia.

Garda Pangan, in collaboration with its partners in the F&B industry, collects excess food that may go to waste from its partners and distribute it to people in need.

Dedhy Trunoyudho, founder of Garda Pangan, explained, “From my point of view, a former catering business owner, throwing away food is the ideal option because it is fast, cheap, and practical. But, the uneasiness stemming from witnessing food disposal moved us to initiate Garda Pangan. We seek not only to ensure that all potential waste does not end up in landfills, but also to build public awareness about the impact of wasted excess food, especially during this pandemic. Therefore, we are working with various parties who share the same concern, including Bank DBS Indonesia.”

DBS Bank’s initiatives in various countries in Asia

In addition to donating food to affected members of society, Bank DBS Indonesia, part of DBS Bank Ltd., (DBS Bank), also participated in a group initiative through Sparks, a mini-web series produced by DBS Bank, which debuted the first season in 2016, and continued with 'DBS Sparks Season Two' in 2019. Through Sparks, DBS Bank aims at conveying the true meaning of banking while changing the perception that banking only focuses on business as it can also contribute to efforts to deal with social issues. This reflects DBS's commitment to transforming and integrating banking into customers' daily lives, encouraging everyone to achieve their dreams and get more meaning out of life while creating sustainable social impacts. “DBS Sparks Season Two” consists of eight episodes. In each episode, DBS actively voices various social and environmental issues that need to be resolved by involving social entrepreneurs who play an important role in handling these issues, including food waste.

“As a bank that is driven by purpose and positive impacts, Bank DBS Indonesia is committed to becoming a financial institution that runs a responsible and sustainable business, including by actively promoting environmental protection, starting with awareness about waste management and, in 2020, initiating the "Towards Zero Food Waste" movement. The campaign, called #MakanTanpaSisa, aims at building public awareness and concern about the effects of excessive food waste on the environment," Mona Monika said.

 

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About DBS
DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 18 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 Euromoney, “Global Bank of the Year” by The Banker and “Best Bank in the World” by Global Finance. 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. In addition, DBS has been accorded the “Safest Bank in Asia” award by Global Finance for 12 consecutive years from 2009 to 2020.

DBS provides a full range of services in consumer, SME, and corporate banking. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS understands the intricacies of doing business in the region’s most dynamic markets. DBS is committed to building lasting relationships with customers, and positively impacting communities through supporting social enterprises, as it banks the Asian way. It has also established a SG50 million foundation to strengthen its corporate social responsibility efforts in Singapore and across Asia.

With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. The bank acknowledges the passion, commitment and can-do spirit in all of our 29,000 staff, representing over 40 nationalities. For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.