Danone-AQUA TPST Samtaku: Indonesian Company’s Big Movement in Circular Economy
Nowadays, the single-use of plastics in Indonesia has been being one of the most crucial problems that occur in large-scale society. If we look closely at it, the problem is actually bigger than what we imagine. Not only that it impacts the environmental issue but also in a larger correlation such as the economic system. Thus, many actors are being called out by the social movement for being responsible for plastic usage and waste management. On the other hand, the industries are somehow forced to apply a better system that aligns with the principle of sustainability. Indonesia as one of the large developing countries that show significant growth at its economic rate is also facing an environmental crisis, especially for waste management.
Considering the fact that a circular economy can be an effective way to solve those environmental problems, Indonesia starts to gain more attention to it. Danone-AQUA, one of the biggest mineral water producers in Indonesia, introduced its program on behalf of the effort to minimize plastic waste and start a more circular and sustainable system through better waste management at TPST Samtaku Jimbaran (AQUA Press Release, 2021). Waste management at the TPST Samtaku Jimbaran, which was fully initiated by the private sector, uses a circular economy model and Zero Waste to Landfill, meaning that the waste collected at this facility will later be managed and can be fully reused so that nothing is wasted into the environment or ends up in the TPA. This includes used plastic bottles that will be sent to Veolia’s recycling plant to be processed into rPET (recycled PET) material as the raw material for the new Danone-AQUA plastic bottle. Organic waste will be managed into compost and some will be processed together with residual waste using RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) technology to produce fuel.
Even though there is no commonly accepted definition of a circular economy, many practitioners and academics working in this field agree on some key ideas. The circular economy method is based on natural material flows that are fueled by solar energy and produce almost zero waste — all by-products can decay to become building blocks for new life (Akenji & Bengtsson, 2019). In order for human society to use plastics sustainably in the long run, consumption and production systems must follow principles related to natural material movement (Akenji & Bengtsson, 2019). The action taken by Danone-AQUA by building TPST was then being a stimulation for a more sustainable food industry. By prospering better management for plastic waste and utilizing a platform for making it a circular system, those acts could lead to a life-changing effect on the future environment.
The circular economy is given as a response to the current unsustainable consumption and production systems as such an alternative to the current linear system. Moreover, the CE is defined as holistic because a broad perception of the CE contains multiple relations and a variety of indicators within various areas, such as plastics, food, or electronic and electric equipment, etc (Zwiers, Jaeger-Erben & Hofmann, 2020). From what we see, TPST Samtaku which was built by Danone-AQUA was at least fulfilling about one indicator in the circular economy in terms of plastic waste management.
A supportive response was given by the Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, as he stated that this movement can be really beneficial for the growth of the circular economy in Indonesia (AQUA Press Release, 2021).
Waste management, especially plastic waste, is a priority commitment of the Government of Indonesia. Many policies and programs have been implemented, one of which is by encouraging the development of a circular economy which is not effective in dealing with waste, but also has an economic impact on the community. The government really appreciates and supports the Danone-AQUA initiative to continue to strengthen its commitment to managing waste in Indonesia using the principle of a circular economy, so that it can support the government’s program to reduce plastic waste in the oceans by 70%by 2025. -Luhut Binsar Panjaitan
Nevertheless, the long journey is still awaited. We have to understand that Danone-AQUA is a high-profit private sector that has a big amount of privileges in doing that movement. In order to implement it comprehensively, all sectors need to synergize their production system towards a more sustainable way. This TPST Samtaku waste management could be a great start, yet it still needs more participation from other sectors in Indonesia.
References
Akenji, L., Bengtsson, M., Kato, M., Hengesbaugh, M., Hotta, Y., Aoki-Suzuki, C., … & Liu, C. (2019). Circular economy and plastics: A gap-analysis in ASEAN member states. Institute for Global Environmental Strategies.
AQUA Press Release. (2021). Danone-AQUA Memperkuat Komitmen Ekonomi Sirkular dengan Meresmikan TPST Terbesar di Bali. Accessed from AQUA | Danone-AQUA
Zwiers, J., Jaeger-Erben, M., & Hofmann, F. (2020). Circular literacy. A knowledge-based approach to the circular economy. Culture and organization, 26(2), 121–141.
