Jakarta, August 15, 2023 - Plastic waste has become a disaster that affects the environmental quality in Indonesia. As an effort to support the government in reducing plastic waste, PT Blue Bird Tbk collaborates with WWF-Indonesia in the Plastic Smart Cities program by conducting an initiative to replace bottled mineral water with the use of reusable drinking bottles to 1,500 Blue Bird taxi drivers in the DKI Jakarta area.  

The goal of this collaboration is to reduce plastic waste in the environment by 30% in DKI Jakarta. This collaboration is in line with the government's program to achieve the Indonesia Clean Waste 2025 target by reducing upstream waste by 30% and handling waste by 70% by 2025.

Based on data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the total waste generated in Indonesia in 2022 reached 33.1 million tons and 18.01% was plastic waste. It is estimated that between 4.8-12.7 Mt of plastic accumulates in the ocean each year (Jambeck et al., 2015), 80% of which is believed to come from land-based sources while the remaining 20% from marine-based sources, such as fisheries and the shipping industry (Ocean Conservancy, 2017).  

Plastic Smart Cities is an initiative launched by WWF with a mission to encourage cities and coastal centers to reduce the leakage of plastic waste into nature by 30% by 2030 by working with stakeholders around the world. The Plastic Smart Cities program in Indonesia has been running since 2021 with a locus in three urban areas, namely DKI Jakarta, Depok City, and Bogor City.  

Irfan Bakhtiar, Director of Climate & Market Transformation of WWF Indonesia stated, "The collaboration between PT Blue Bird Tbk and WWF-Indonesia invites companies to be able to play an active role in reducing plastic waste at the source through the involvement of drivers as agents of change and a form of corporate commitment in running a responsible business. Hopefully, this collaboration can inspire other companies to make changes and encourage other business sectors to contribute to the reduction and handling of plastic waste." 

On the same occasion, Mediko Azwar, Chief Marketing Officer of PT Blue Bird Tbk stated, "Bluebird is proud to be part of a positive movement to support a better life from the creation of healthy environmental conditions. This is in line with the company's overall sustainability vision commitment. Through this collaboration, Bluebird hopes to further increase the awareness of drivers and employees gradually to change their behavior, so that they can become individuals who encourage improvements in environmental quality, moreover, they can also be agents of change because they will serve many customers every day." 

Bluebird has actively partnered with various parties including WWF-Indonesia to support the 3R (Reuse, Reduce, Recycle) initiative. Through various partnerships, Bluebird has succeeded in supporting more than 8,000 drivers and employees to be more responsible in using disposable plastic packaging, potentially reducing more than 120 tons of plastic bottles annually through management and substitution.

This collaboration program is a concrete manifestation of both parties in promoting a responsible and sustainable lifestyle to prevent unmanaged plastic waste in Indonesia.

-Finished- 

About PT Blue Bird Tbk 

PT Blue Bird Tbk ("BIRD") is a publicly listed company in the field of passenger transportation and land transportation services which has 19 subsidiaries and is spread across 18 locations in Indonesia (Jadetabek, Cilegon, Medan, Manado, Bandung, Palembang, Padang, Pangkalpinang, Batam, Bali, Lombok, Semarang, Surabaya, Pekanbaru, Makassar, Balikpapan, Solo and Yogyakarta). 

Bluebird is committed to providing safe, reliable, and comfortable land transportation services with easy access for customers. The company's extensive distribution network includes more than 600 exclusive points in hotels, malls, and shopping centers, as well as various online reservation channels. The expansion of accessibility is further strengthened by the presence of the MyBluebird booking application which now has 20 new features and a variety of transaction methods to support ease and comfort of mobility. 

Bluebird's business integration consists of 7 main pillars including regular taxi services (under the "Blue Bird" and "Pusaka" brands); executive taxi services (under the "Silver Bird" brand); limousine and car rental vehicle services (under the "Golden Bird" brand); bus rental services (under the "Big Bird" brand); inter-city shuttle services (under the "Cititrans" brand); and car auction services (under the "Caready" brand); as well as logistics services (under the "Bluebird Kirim" brand) Bluebird has been listed as an issuer on the Indonesia Stock Exchange since November 5, 2014. 

About WWF-Indonesia 

WWF-Indonesia is a civil society organization with a local legal entity and global network, supported by more than 100,000 supporters. Our mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. For the latest news, visit www.wwf.id and follow us on Twitter @WWF_id | Instagram @wwf_id | Facebook WWF-Indonesia | Youtube WWF-Indonesia | Line Friends WWF Indonesia

About Plastic Smart Cities 

Plastic Smart Cities is a WWF initiative that works with cities around the world to prevent plastic waste from entering nature. Since 2018, the initiative has supported cities and coastal centers that take bold action to stop plastic pollution. WWF is working with 25 pilot cities to achieve a 30% reduction in plastic leakage by 2025, through better waste management and advancing the circular economy. Together, we aim to reach 1,000 Plastic Smart Cities around the world to join the movement by 2030. For more information, visit www.plasticsmartcities.id. 

Media Contact: 

PT Blue Bird Tbk: 

Emeralda |Head of Corporate Communications PT Blue Bird Tbk

E: emeralda@bluebirdgroup.com 

P: (62) 812-8227-7271 

Rio Qashmal | Public Relations PT Blue Bird Tbk 

E: rio.qashmal@bluebirdgroup.com 

P: (62) 877 - 8210 - 0137 

Karina Lestiarsi | Communication Officer WWF-Indonesia

klestiarsi@wwf.id

+62 852 1816 1683