Sinar Mas partner up with Singapore and Indonesia in combating COVID-19

Partnering with Temasek Foundation, Sinar Mas is honoured to announce that it will kickstart a #BYOBclean initiative in the Indonesian island of Batam.
In March, Temasek Foundation started the The #BYOBclean “bring your own bottle” initiative which supplied 500ml of free hand sanitizer for each household in Singapore. Sinar Mas first participated in this initiative.
Being an Indonesian company who also has a foothold in Singapore, Sinar Mas is delighted to able to bring together players from both countries in an effort to ensure the health and safety of the people of Batam amid this pandemic.
This partnership between Temasek Foundation, Tuan Sing Holdings Limited, the Indonesian National Police (POLRI), the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the Government of Batam exemplifies a united front that transcend countries and business interests in order to ensure the health and safety of everyone.
Under the #BYOBclean initiative in Batam, households in Batam will receive over 200,000 litres (or 400,000 500ml bottles) of hand sanitizer which are provided for by Temasek Foundation from 11 April onwards. The venue will be at Familiy Centres, which is the equivalent of Community Centres in Singapore with volunteers and equipment from Sinar Mas and other partners.
To collect free hand sanitizer, interested residents must bring their own clean, recycled bottles as part of the collective responsibility reduce waste as well as reuse and recycle bottles.
The recycled bottles could be ordinary PET or other plastic bottles, alongside glass bottles and empty shampoo bottles. As long as every bottle has at least 100ml of capacity, residents are allowed to bring up to five smaller bottles. A special label will by volunteers to each bottle, after which residents fill up their own bottles with 500ml of hand sanitizer solution.
Regular handwashing with soap and water has been recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as it is effective in preventing viruses and germs. Also, hand sanitizers are particularly useful when there are no washing facilities.
One of the non-alcohol disinfectants which can be used against coronaviruses is 0.05% of benzalkonium chloride or BKC, as per the guidelines given by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in the European Union.
The hand sanitizer is not flammable as it is a water-based zero alcohol hand sanitizer. It also does not irritate the skin, does not stain clothing and not corrosive or toxic.
Bernard Tan, who is the Sinar Mas Country President for Singapore stated: “In these unprecedented times, it is heart-warming to see such unity on show. This united front is vital to ensure that those who need help can get it, and also because the spirit of togetherness can help people soldier on through difficulty.”
“We are humbled by the commitment shown by all involved, and grateful to Temasek Foundation for the opportunity to stand with the people of Singapore and Indonesia,” Mr Tan added.
Chief Executive of Temasek Foundation Connects, Lim Hock Chuan remarked: “We are united in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Just as we have equipped the Singapore community with hand sanitiser to help them stay prepared and stay resilient, Temasek Foundation stands by our neighbours to support communities to get through these tough times.”
“This partnership reflects our common goal of building resilience in our people and preserving the capabilities of our communities to recover from this crisis,” Mr Lim also highlighted.
“It is heartening to see the region come together to offer help to each other. This initiative is being launched in the virtual space, but even as we all adhere to difficult measures put in place to protect us all, Sinar Mas remains inspired, and stands prepared to contribute more in the future,” he later concluded.