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HONG KONG, Nov. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
DHL Express Hong Kong today celebrated 'DHL Food Wise Day', a dedicated day set aside by the company to raise awareness and help address the issue of food waste in Hong Kong. Over 3,600 tons of food is wasted daily in the territory, while many underprivileged people struggle to get access to food. Through a series of activities, DHL is calling on customers and staff to participate in a day of action on 22 November. A key initiative by DHL will see the company donating one kilo of rice to Food Angel, a charity organization, for every kilo of goods shipped by registered customers on 'DHL Food Wise Day'.
Food Angel collects around 1,000 kilos of surplus food from caterers every day. It then screens, cooks or reheats the food, converting it into hot meals free of charge for the underprivileged. Over 2,000 of these meals are served every day.
The move comes amid continued concerns that Hong Kong's food waste problem is growing, whilst some inhabitants still go hungry. According to the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), 40% of waste in Hong Kong's landfills is food waste, and the amount of commercial and industrial food waste has doubled in five years. In parallel, the Council of Social Service notes that 1 in 3 seniors are struggling to meet basic nutritional needs and 1 in 4 children have less than 3 meals a day. Waste food also generates large amounts of methane, a major contributor to global warming.
DHL Express Hong Kong will also harness the efforts of its customers in addressing Hong Kong's food waste and nutrition problems. To participate, customers will need to register on the 'Food Wise Day' mini-site beforehand.
Ken Lee, Executive Vice President Commercial Asia Pacific and Managing Director Hong Kong and Macau, DHL Express, said, "We're delighted to be working with Food Angel to ensure that our employees and customers understand the sheer scale of Hong Kong's food waste problem and can do something to help. Food Angel does great work by turning what would be waste into nutritious food for the city's underprivileged. Their work is an excellent example of the projects we implement as part of our ongoing Corporate Responsibility commitments."
Gigi Tung, Founder of Food Angel said, "Today's partnership with DHL shows what can be achieved in just one day of education and action on this important issue. We're grateful to their customers and staff for working with us to understand and reduce food waste. If we can minimize waste successfully, we'll be part of the way towards feeding Hong Kong's hungry."
'DHL Food Wise Day' will also see DHL employees encouraged to sign a pledge to reduce day-to-day food waste. For every pledge made, DHL will donate a kilo of rice to charity. Food Angel will also hold an experience workshop where DHL staff will learn more about the issue and also sample the 'lunch boxes' that Food Angel produces using surplus food.
The day takes place against the backdrop of the company's continued commitment to Corporate Responsibility (CR) in Hong Kong. Earlier this year, as part of its GoGreen program, DHL introduced the DHL Power Bike, with which staff can exercise while generating power that recharges the hand-held scanners used by drivers, meaning express shipments are handled with lower overall carbon emissions.
Also in 2013, under the GoTeach program, DHL established its UPstairs program, which supports the families of four staff with contributions towards their education as well as mentoring and internships from the company. As Hong Kong moves into 2014, DHL will continue to contribute further to the local community through various ongoing and new CR initiatives.
