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    • SingCham is the premier business chamber for Singaporean interests in Indonesia. Founded in 2006, SingCham aims to promote the business interests of individuals or companies operating in Singapore and/or Indonesia. SingCham provides networking activities, events, and useful information for its members, and acts as the liaison between the Singaporean business community and the Singapore and Indonesian governments. With a focus on fostering better networking and feedback among members, SingCham is committed to providing valuable resources and insights to help members connect, learn, and grow their businesses in Indonesia. Join SingCham today and become part of a thriving business community that benefits from exclusive resources, networking opportunities, and business insights.

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    26Dec, 2018
    Bali enacts plastics ban, targeting 70 percent reduced use in 2019

    Bali has taken a big step to curb pollution in its seas, enacting a ban on troublesome single-use plastics like shopping bags, styrofoam and straws.

    Bali Governor Wayan Koster announced the ban on Monday, as stipulated in Gubernatorial Regulation (Pergub) No. 97/2018, expressing hope that the policy would lead to a 70 percent decline in Bali’s marine plastics within a year.

    The new policy carries a six-month grace period dating from Dec. 21, when it was signed and took effect.

    Jakarta plans to follow Bali’s example by drafting a similar gubernatorial regulation that bans single-use plastic bags.

    Jakarta Environmental Agency head Isnawa Adji said that Jakartans had already agreed to reduce plastic waste. According to a survey by the Indonesia Plastic Bags Diet Movement, more than 90 percent of Jakarta’s residents agreed to reduce their use of plastics.

    Isnawa said that one effort to reduce single-use plastics was to limit drinking straws at restaurants, with other establishments to follow suit.

    He said the agency would ask for input from stakeholders and residents in the months prior to enacting the ban.

     

    (read more: The Jakarta Post)

    photo: John Cameron / unsplas

    19Jul, 2018
    Major companies are banning plastic straws, Starbucks will do globally in 2020

    American Airlines joined Starbucks and Hyatt announcing that they are phasing out the use of plastic straws globally. Plenty of companies in countries like the U.K. and Taiwan, such as McDonald’s and Marriott International — which just announced an initiative to eliminate plastic straws worldwide — are ahead of their counterparts in the U.S. in terms of reducing their reliance on plastic.

    So while those who announced this week are not the first to pledge giving up plastic straws, they’re certainly the biggest name brands in the U.S.

    For an international company like Starbucks, phasing out single-use plastic straws from its more than 28,000 stores around the world will eliminate the use of 1 billion straws every single year. The coffee giant is replacing straws with newly designed recyclable lids that will “become standard on most iced drinks,” according to a press release from the company. It’s a big deal given 50% of Starbucks sales in 2017 came from cold beverages, a 13% increase from five years ago.

    The new lids are already being used for some Starbucks drinks in 8,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada. While the new lids will still be made of plastic, they will be comprised of polypropylene, which “can be widely recycled,” according to the company.

    Starbucks announced via Twitter that they will no longer using plastic straw globally in 2020.

    (Read full article: TIME)