Sinar Mas Land and Plasticpay Launch Reverse Vending Machine (RVM): Exchanging Plastic Bottle Waste for Electronic Money

BSD City, April 22, 2024 - In line with the company's business development, Sinar Mas Land continues to undertake various activations to achieve a better and sustainable life. The company proactively implements various environmental care programs in line with the efforts of the Ministry of National Development Planning of the Republic of Indonesia to fulfill the 17 points of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations in 2015.

Sinar Mas Land, through Living Lab Ventures (LLV), collaborates with Plasticpay, a startup engaged in plastic waste recycling. In this cooperation, LLV provides access for Plasticpay to place a Reverse Vending Machine (RVM), an automatic machine that can accept plastic waste from the public. People who collect plastic bottle waste through Plasticpay vending machine will receive points that can be converted into electronic money, such as GoPay, OVO, Dana, LinkAja, InaCash, and rewards points in the OneSmile application. The Breeze will be the first location for the placement of the Plasticpay machine in BSD City, which will start operating on Thursday morning (18/4).

Plasticpay is a social movement based on a digital platform, which encourages people to be wiser in managing waste. The collected plastic waste will be recycled and produce Recycled Polyester Staple Fiber ("Re-PSF") granules, yarns, and fabrics that meet all high-quality standards for use as raw materials for pillows, dolls, beds, carpets, furniture, and automotive interiors. Instead of having a negative impact on the environment, plastic waste is turned into economic value.

Dony Martadisata, Managing Director President Office Sinar Mas Land, said, "The placement of RVM at The Breeze, BSD City, complements various efforts by Sinar Mas Land to support sustainable development through a number of green initiatives. Hopefully, the joint movement with Plasticpay can also encourage the wider community to contribute and enjoy incentives in managing plastic waste. Let's together commit to living more sustainably and leaving a better environment for future generations."

Bayu Seto , Partner of Living Lab Ventures, welcomed, "LLV continues to receive positive responses from the community for the environmentally based developments undertaken by the company. Our dedication to implementing environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) principles is also in line with Sinar Mas Land's commitment to realizing socially and environmentally responsible business practices. Therefore, we invite the community to optimize circular economy activities through Plasticpay's digital technology. In this collaboration, LLV facilitates Plasticpay to expand its service area to BSD City for easy access by residents, with its placement in The Breeze area. In the future, we will also bring this success to other commercial areas developed by the company."

During the event, Suhendra Setiadi , CEO of Plasticpay, said, "I express my highest appreciation for the strategic cooperation between Sinar Mas Land, Living Lab Ventures, and Plasticpay in accelerating the Decarbonization of Indonesia Net Zero Emission 2060. I strongly believe that this collaboration will have many inclusive social, economic, and environmental impacts, supporting Circular Economy programs in Indonesia. There are over 800 Reverse Vending Machine units and Dropbox already distributed in several areas, including Jabodetabek, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Banyuwangi, and Bali. More than 31,300 people have participated as Agents of Change, successfully reducing carbon footprint by over 975,000,000 grams of CO2 from global warming. A total of over 9,900,000 plastic bottle wastes have been recycled into environmentally friendly products such as tote bags, pouches, statement bags, prayer mats, and various other environmentally friendly creative products, processed together involving several SMEs in the country. Equally interesting, the point collection program has generated an E-Wallet balance totaling more than Rp766,000,000."

The collection of plastic bottle waste through Plasticpay supports SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), which will be implemented by Sinar Mas Land, especially in the field of Environment and Economy. These SDGs are global programs under the UN to achieve sustainable development. Other Environmental contributions are made through various programs, including Plastic to Food (conversion of plastic waste value with groceries), Plastic to Book (exchange of plastic waste with books), and the utilization of plastic waste processed into asphalt raw material mixtures for urban-scale infrastructure development. There is also Green Habit as an invitation to energy saving and waste awareness for employees and residents, as well as Kurban Berkah Tanpa Sampah (use of biodegradable packaging such as woven bamboo). In the Economic field, the company has conducted training for UMKM Pasar Rakyat Go Digital and UMKM Ramah Lingkungan (development of businesses based on natural materials and recycling). In addition, the company's contributions continue in the fields of Education, Health & Sports, and Social Welfare.