AQUA Reinforces Commitment To Packaging Innovation And Optimizes Plastic Waste Management

Photo: Special

JAKARTA - As a pioneer of bottled drinking water (AMDK) in Indonesia, AQUA always innovates to present quality products that are committed to ensuring quality and safety, as well as prioritizing the impact on the environment. One of the innovations created to achieve this goal is to present Galon Guna Re-AMDK products.

In addition to the re-purpose Galon made from polycarbonate (PC), AQUA has also circulated a re-purpose Galon made from environmentally friendly polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The two AQUA Galon Repurposes are both safe, of high quality, and meet government regulatory standards such as SNI and BPOM.

The Galon Repurpose Packaging made from PET has been introduced since 2019 with a focus on distribution in the Bali and North Sulawesi areas. In 2024, the AQUA Galon Guna Repeat PET began to be distributed more gradually to the Jakarta and West Java areas.

Both AQUA Galon Repurpose products both PET and PC are of high quality quality, have a high food safety standard, and maintain the purity of AQUA in them. The use of this Repurpose Galon packaging is in line with the #BijakBerplastic AQUA commitment to use 100 percent of reusable, recycleable, or postable packaging. AQUA is also targeting to increase recycling elements in bottled bottles by up to 50 percent. As part of a visit to the AQUA production facility in Mambal, Bali, AQUA also has the opportunity to receive visits from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin), and the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) to the Bali PET Recycling Business Unit (RIBU) facility in Denpasar, Bali, to demonstrate the capability of AQUA in recycling its consumption packaged past and presenting quality products while maintaining environmental sustainability.

Wisti Noviani, Head of the KLHK Circuit Economics Division, appreciated AQUA's initiative to use recycled packaging on its products so far, including the use of PET on its new Galon Repurpose.

This is one of the efforts to reduce plastic packaged waste from bottled drinking water products and create a positive impact on the environment. We hope that this initiative can continue, and can inspire other food and beverage producers to continue to play an active role in reducing their packaging waste, especially single-use packaging waste," he explained, in a written statement, Saturday, August 3.

Jeffri Ricardo, Packaging Circarity Senior Manager of Danone Indonesia, emphasized AQUA's support to contribute in encouraging the achievement of the Indonesian government's targets in overcoming waste problems.

"We believe that the implementation of a circular economy is one of the solutions in overcoming waste problems in Indonesia. Therefore, AQUA continues to encourage the implementation of a circular economy through the #BijakBerplastic movement with three main focuses, namely the development of waste collection infrastructure, education to consumers and the public, as well as packaging innovation in products," he explained.

AQUA Galon Repurpose PET which has also begun to be introduced to Jakarta and West Java is a form of AQUA's commitment to implementing the circular economy. The current Galon Guna Re-MP and PC are official AQUA products that are safe, can protect the quality of AQUA mineral content, and are environmentally friendly," he added. Plastic waste smuggling is one of the main problems in Indonesia. The National Waste Management Information System (SIPSN) noted that in 2022, Indonesia produced 21.19 million tons of waste. Of the total waste, 34.45 percent was not managed so that it has the potential to pollute water sources and sea and environment. The government targets plastic waste reduction to the sea by 70 percent by 2025 and seeks to encourage community involvement and the private sector in waste management.

In collaboration with various parties, AQUA has initiated the development of 6 recycling business units, TPST, TPS3R, and Waste Banks spread across Indonesia; and empowers nearly 10,000 scavengers throughout Indonesia. As a result, AQUA has collected up to 22,000 tons of plastic waste in Indonesia every year.

Plastics that have been processed and then processed and recycled into various products that have economic value, are mainly raw materials for new bottle packaging made from recycled plastic.

The reuse of AQUA packaging aims to build reductive, reuse, and recycle (3R) habits in the community. In addition to being more efficient, repackaging is also an environmentally friendly option because it has the potential to reduce up to 83 percent of carbon emissions, reduce plastic use by up to 78 percent, and is able to prevent the use of more than 770,000 tons of new plastic (virgin plastic) each year. In terms of education to consumers and the public, AQUA leads a national campaign for recycling education by reaching 100 million people and 5 million children.

"AQUA is committed to providing health to as many people as possible in each of its products by prioritizing innovation and sustainability principles to support environmental conservation and community empowerment. To tackle plastic waste problems and support the improvement of the community's economy, we continue to collaborate with various parties and focus on implementing circular economic principles through the #BijakBerplastic program, and actively educating the public about the importance of implementing reduce, reuse, and recycle in their daily lives," concluded Jeffri.