Jakarta, 18 October 2024 – In order to increase commitment to sustainability and responsibility in managing food waste in business operations while celebrating World Food Day, Danone Specialized Nutrition (SN) Indonesia, PT Anugerah Pharmindo Lestari (APL) – a member of Zuellig Pharma, and PT Ray Hikmah Jaya (RHJ) today held an event signing of cooperation plaque at RDTX Place Building, Jakarta. This collaboration is a strategic step to reuse powdered milk that is not absorbed by consumers and the market by processing it into animal feed, rather than using the incineration process. This initiative is expected to prevent food waste and reduce carbon emissions, which is one of the main focuses of this year's World Food Day.
The signing of this Collaboration plaque was carried out by Lee Meng Thoong (CEO of Danone Specialized Nutrition Indonesia), Christophe Piganiol (President Director of APL), and Adi Susanto (Director of RHJ), who are stakeholders in driving this sustainability program. This program targets the reuse of 500 kg of unused powdered milk (including packaging) as animal feed. This initiative is expected to be able to prevent 452 kg of food waste and reduce CO2 emissions that would otherwise be produced when the incineration process is carried out.
According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report entitled Food Waste Index 2021, Indonesia will be the country with the largest production of food waste in Southeast Asia. The total food waste produced by Indonesia every year reaches 20.93 million tons. It cannot be denied that this food waste material comes from various sources, both from the household sector and also from the food industry sector. The partnership between Danone SN Indonesia, APL and RHJ is an example of a responsible and innovative approach to product waste management. This collaboration is also in line with environmental responsibility and contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) such as No.12 for Responsible Consumption and Production, No. 13 for Climate Action, and No.17 for Partnership to Achieve Goals.
Lee Meng Thoong, CEO of Danone SN Indonesia, said that this initiative is in line with the company's sustainability strategy, Danone Impact Journey (DIJ), where the company is committed to providing quality products to bring health to the Indonesian people while making a positive contribution to society and the environment. One of Danone's ambitions is to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030.
“At Danone SN Indonesia, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. One of our concrete actions in the field of sustainability is taking collaborative action with a number of our business partners to reduce environmental impacts. This time, we developed a program to reuse powdered milk products that are not absorbed by consumers and the market so as to reduce food waste and carbon emissions in our supply chain. Danone SN Indonesia also collaborates with partners who have credibility in their fields to ensure that this management process can be carried out optimally," said Lee Meng Thoong.
Christophe Piganiol, President Director of APL stated, " This collaboration signifies APL’s focus on sustainability and our desire to partner with our clients to make a bigger impact, as we make stridestowards our sustainability vision of building a healthier future for the communities we serve" said Christophe Piganiol. "By working with Danone SN Indonesia and RHJ, we are not only reducing our carbon footprint, but also building the basis for a stronger and more sustainable partnership for the business ecosystem."
By reprocessing powdered milk that is not absorbed by consumers and the market into animal feed, this project is also in line with global efforts to implement responsible consumption. Food waste from powdered milk has high protein value as well as vitamins and minerals, so by reusing powdered milk that is not absorbed by consumers and the market, it can increase the growth of livestock that consume it and be more beneficial for society.
The signing of this plaque marks the start of a partnership that will have a sustainable environmental impact. This joint effort confirms that sustainability is a shared responsibility that requires bold collective action. Danone SN Indonesia, APL and RHJ prove that business success and responsible environmental management can go hand in hand, setting a new standard for responsible waste management in Indonesia.
