Danone-AQUA wins Best PR Campaign: FMCG category at PR Awards 2020

This post is sponsored by Danone-AQUA.

Danone-AQUA’s #BijakBerplastik movement won bronze for the Best PR Campaign: FMCG category at the seventh annual edition of the PR Awards.

The PR Awards, organised by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, honours the outstanding work in the PR and communications industry across the Southeast Asia, South Asia and ANZ regions. There were only three Indonesian companies that won awards across the 30 categories; Danone-AQUA was the only FMCG company from Indonesia which won an award.

Danone Waters’ marketing vice-president Ethan Lim expressed his excitement on receiving the award for #BijakBerplastik.

“Our #BijakBerplastik movement was born from our company’s vision of ‘One Planet, One Health’. We believe in a strong connection of how a healthy environment will impact the health of our community and ourselves,” Lim said.

“We are glad that our movement has inspired a lasting change among our partners, collaborators and stakeholders.”

Danone-AQUA pioneered sustainable business practices in the industry when sustainability was still a distant word on the horizon by introducing the first circular economy model and utilising returnable jugs in 1984.

Today, 70% of all the water sold by Danone-AQUA is through these jugs.

As of this year, Danone-AQUA also operates six recycling business units that collect and recycle up to 13,000 tons of plastic bottles annually. Danone-AQUA also partnered with The Ocean Cleanup in the research project and pilot of the world’s first interceptor implementation in Jakarta.

This wasn’t enough for Danone-AQUA and it has committed to collect more plastic than it uses by 2025. Hence, in 2018, Danone-AQUA launched recycled PET (rPET) bottle packaging that is not only made from 100% recycled plastic, but is itself fully recyclable after use.  

Throughout 2019, the #BijakBerplastik movement has encouraged the public to do their part in proper plastic management by raising the awareness of the importance of collection – proper plastic waste disposal; education – promoting the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) habit; and innovation to give the discarded plastic a second life through recycling and upcycling waste.

Fashion accessories from upcycled plastic showcased at the #BijakBerplastik Exhibition.

Through the movement, the company has conducted clean-up activities, educated consumers and students through the #BijakBerplastik Exhibition, and continues to innovate with its partners.

Earlier this year, Danone-AQUA partnered with Grab to launch the AQUA x Grab recycling initiative, making it easier for people to send their recyclable waste to the waste bank.

Danone-AQUA also expanded its collaborations by partnering with H&M Indonesia to work together on the bottle2fashion initiative – converting plastic bottles into sustainable kids wear.

“Since it first started, the movement has made significant progress by engaging more than 18 million people across its collection, education and innovation activities ranging from our consumers, the public at large, even to other companies and governments,” Lim said.

“We’ve also collaborated with public figures who are also advocates in environmental topics, such as Hamish Daud and Kelly Tandiono, who help us make sure that people are aware of the importance of waste management.”

Circular packaging and proper waste management remain Danone-AQUA’s main priority amid the COVID-19 situation. Through a partnership with a waste collecting app, Octopus, Danone-AQUA helps the most vulnerable communities in the informal sector.

This collaboration empowers local scavengers in Bali with digital infrastructures, helping them to increase the efficiency of their work and giving them access to digital financial services. It also makes it easier for people to get their waste picked up and recycled, while the circular economy is supported at the same time.

“We believe that tackling the plastic waste problem cannot be done alone. Significant change and impact are only possible through collaborations with various stakeholders, which is exactly what Danone-AQUA is doing through the #BijakBerplastik campaign,“ Lim said.

Moving forward, AQUA is committed to becoming even more sustainable by increasing the percentage of recycled materials on its general packaging from 25% to 50%, using greener energy sources, and increasing the circularity within its business operation.

Danone-AQUA is the pioneer in Air Minum Dalam Kemasan (AMDK) – bottled/packaged water – and Minuman Ringan (light beverage) in Indonesia which was established in 1983. As a native Indonesian brand, Danone-AQUA has for more than 46 years always tried to spread goodness to the community by providing healthy hydration while maintaining the sustainability of nature. Danone-AQUA is a member of the DANONE Group, one of the biggest food and beverage producers in the world.

For further information, please contact our corporate communication department at tel: (021) 2996 1234, or email us at corpcomm.aqua@danone.com.