The pollution of water and soil by waste is one of the biggest environmental problems. Indonesia is the second-biggest contributor of plastic waste in the world, producing over 5 million tons per year, with around 3 million tons disposed to the waters around the country. One of the main reasons is that many small islands have no waste collection and no municipal disposal system for household and other waste. Due to a lack of knowledge about the dangers, people dump their waste in landfills, burn it or dispose of it in the sea.

With the Recycle for Good program, SIG and the SIG Way Beyond Good Foundation want to change people’s behavior and promote the mindful use of natural resources. The program encourages the public to drop off recyclable waste such as beverage cartons, glass, plastic, or cooking oil at a collection point and thus return it to the cycle. In return, they receive food vouchers or coupons for other goods and services they can exchange at Recycle for Good partners. 

The materials are sorted on-site and recycled by a recycling partner. SIG Way Beyond Good Foundation envisions a future where good nutrition and clean water are available to everyone, and natural habitats are preserved for the future generation. 

Holger Dickers, Executive Director of the SIG WAY BEYOND GOOD FOUNDATION: “Together with its partners, the foundation’s purpose is to identify, drive and promote activities and projects that strengthen civil society and create positive impacts for the environment. Indonesia, with its large population, has huge potential to contribute. To do so, people need to start taking small steps to lead a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.” 

With the experience of SO+MA, a Brazilian social startup working with SIG since 2018 to promote the circular economy through a reward system, the foundation developed its global Recycle for Good program. Indonesia is launching the program as the first country in Southeast Asia on March 3, 2023, at Cibubur Junction in East Jakarta, where a Recycle for Good drop point is located. Later, the program will be replicated. 

Angela Lu, President and General Manager Asia Pacific-South at SIG: “We are very happy to launch the Recycle for Good program in Southeast Asia, starting with Indonesia. Indonesia is one of the countries in the region that have taken action to address environmental issues and SIG is also taking part through Recycle for Good. We hope to see behavioral change in the Indonesian public, starting with taking small steps toward a more sustainable lifestyle, one of which is collecting and delivering their waste to the Recycle for Good drop point to be managed and recycled.” 

“After rolling out various activities that support sustainability, we are excited to implement the Recycle for Good program in Indonesia. We encourage the public to participate in taking action towards preserving our environment through collecting their waste at our drop point. This innovative model to promote recycling not only brings environmental benefits, but also socio-economic advantages by offering people in low-income communities an opportunity to improve their quality of life by saving money on essentials or learning skills to open the door to new job opportunities,” concludes Noer Wellington, Head of Market Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam at SIG.

About SIG WAY BEYOND GOOD FOUNDATION

The SIG Way Beyond Good Foundation envisions a future in which good nutrition and clean water will be available to everyone, and natural habitats will be preserved for future generations. The Way Beyond Good Foundation aims to partner with others to identify, drive and promote activities and projects that strengthen civil society and create positive environmental impacts. Cartons for Good was the foundation’s first project. It offers innovative solutions against food loss and malnutrition. 

In Bangladesh, where the foundation is running the project since 2019, surplus food will be preserved in SIG packs for schools to offer underprivileged children regular lunches throughout the year. Recycle for Good is the Foundation’s first project in the field of recycling and part of SIG’s Resource+ commitment. It is based on a reward system in which people receive points for handing in recyclable materials, which they can exchange for food and other essential goods or vouchers or donate to a social organization. The program’s overall purpose is to change people’s behavior and be mindful of natural resources. Established in 2018, the SIG Way Beyond Good Foundation is based in Neuhausen, Switzerland. For more information, visit www.sig.biz/en/foundation and www.sig.biz/en/foundation/recycle-for-good 

About SIG 

SIG is a leading packaging solutions provider for a more sustainable world. With our unique portfolio of aseptic cartons, bag-in-box, and spouted pouches, we work in partnership with our customers to bring food and beverage products to consumers around the world in a safe, sustainable, and affordable way. Our technology and outstanding innovation capabilities enable us to provide our customers with end-to-end solutions for differentiated products, smarter factories, and connected packs, all to address the ever-changing needs of consumers. Sustainability is integral to our business, and we are going Way Beyond Good to create a net-positive food packaging system. 

Founded in 1853, SIG is headquartered in Neuhausen, Switzerland. The skills and experience of our approximately 9,000 employees worldwide enable us to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of our customers in over 100 countries. 

In 2022, SIG produced 49 billion packs and generated €3.1 billion in pro forma revenue (incl. Scholle IPN and Evergreen Asia unaudited revenue). SIG has an AA ESG rating by MSCI, a 13.4 (low risk) score by Sustainalytics, and a Platinum CSR rating by EcoVadis. 

For more information, visit www.sig.biz.

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