• Danone-AQUA and Grab together build recycling habit by encouraging users to manage waste starting from home and send valuable waste out for recycle
  • The partnership will support Indonesia Government’s movement in reducing plastic waste going to the ocean
  • The partnership will enhance circular economy, by creating economic value while protecting the environment

Jakarta, 25 February 2020 – Danone-AQUA, an Indonesian-born brand which always strives to bring goodness to the community through healthy hydration while conserving nature and Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading super app, today announces a partnership to improve the awareness on the importance of waste management to ensure a sustainable environment. Through GrabExpress Recycle, a new service embedded in the Grab platform, users can easily send their valuable wastes, especially plastic bottles and cups to the nearest waste banks. Later, the wastes will be sent to Danone-AQUA’s recycling business units (RBU) to be processed as feedstock for production of different new material used in daily life, such as new plastic bottles. This partnership is part of the commitment of Danone-AQUA & Grab in supporting the government’s program to reduce plastic waste in the ocean by 70% in 2025. This collaboration is also launched in commemoration of this year’s Waste Care Day celebration, which falls every February 21.

According to World Bank’s Indonesian Marine Debris Hotspots Rapid Assessment, Indonesia generates 175,000 tons of waste and about 14% or 24,500 tons a day of plastics every day. Unfortunately, 81% of waste in Indonesia is unsorted and have not well managed, making it difficult to recycle and causing plastic waste to end up in landfills or leak into the ocean instead.

Corine Tap, President Director of PT Tirta Investama (Danone-AQUA) said, “We are very excited about this partnership. As a pioneer in providing healthy hydration Indonesian while also protecting the planet, we are very pleased to partner with a reputable brand such as Grab where we can collaborate and reach out to more audiences and educate them on the impact of unmanaged plastic waste on the environment. Plastic waste is a huge issue in this country and we need to work together and involve more people to solve this urgent issue. With this partnership, we want to leverage our #BijakBerplastik commitment in collection, education, & packaging innovation by enabling the consumers together with us to be part of the solution for Indonesia.”

Ridzki Kramadibrata, President of Grab Indonesia said, “Grab has an ambitious new vision to empower Indonesian to move forward by creating bigger economic opportunities, creating financial inclusion and providing services that removes their daily limitations. To achieve those ambitions, we have taken vital steps starting in 2019 to operate sustainably and take active parts in sustainable efforts under #LangkahHijau in our transportation services as well as sustainable food packaging movements. Grab driver partners are engaged through this collaboration and taking part to be heroes for the environment (Pahlawan Lingkungan). They are not just the middlemen in this circular waste management process but are an important part of it.”

Neneng Goenadi, Managing Director Grab Indonesia said, “At Grab, we have a commitment to leveraging the use of technology to provide benefits to our society - our employees, users, communities, and environment. We are pleased to partner with Danone-AQUA as a brand well-known for its long commitment to bring goodness to the people and the environment. Through this partnership with Danone-AQUA, we want to show that only through collaboration, we can be a powerful force and provide solutions to the most pressing issues that are happening around us.”

Grab users need to start segregating their waste at home to make it less contaminated, then they can use the GrabExpress Recycle service in Grab’s platform to have the drivers pick up the waste. By both users and drivers who are willing to take part on this recycling effort, there will be various rewards given from promo delivery to GrabRewards points as well as circularity tour to some of the most enthusiastic users, to understand better waste issue in Indonesia. These different rewards are meant to build recycling habit in Indonesia and to introduce the economic benefit given by those valuable wastes.

Vera Galuh Sugijanto, Vice President General Secretary, Danone Indonesia added, “Since 1993, Danone-AQUA has started a recycling program called AQUA Peduli and today, the company collects around 12,000 tons of plastic bottle waste each year, through six Recycling Business Units across Indonesia. With these years of experience, we will ensure that all waste being collected through this collaboration have its second life. Plastic water bottle, for example, once it is collected then it will be processed and turned into new bottle of AQUA Life. By designing out pollution and keeping the material always in-use, through GrabExpress Recycle application, we expect this will also enhance the circular economy in Indonesia. Therefore, managed waste will provide additional economy value to millions of Indonesian people.”