Going Green: Viridien Singapore Aims for Zero Waste

Successful initiative by our Singapore team to achieve zero single-use packaging in the office gains recognition throughout the wider community.

Singapore, with its rich cultural diversity, is a paradise for food lovers, with many food courts and food vendors selling a wide variety of tempting food within walking distance of the Viridien office.

After the Covid-19 pandemic, high demand for takeaway food continued in the city, as many residents had got into this eating habit for hygiene reasons. Viridien’s Singapore team members were no exception and were also contributing to the rise in the use of single-use meal packaging. As Barry Hung, geoscience manager for the APAC region, explains: “Our office pantry trash bin would be almost overflowing with Styrofoam containers and plastic bags from the takeaway meals our people ate every lunch time. It gave me the idea to try and reduce our use of these containers and bags by replacing them with reusable alternatives. With Lay Kin Khek, our onsite Environmental Champion, we quickly came up with a plan.” 

The team set a collective goal of achieving zero single-use Styrofoam and plastics in any form, such as containers and bags, etc., in the office. Lay Kin adds: “Our wider aim was to raise employee awareness about environmental issues, including ways of reducing, reusing and recycling packaging to minimize waste, and play our part in reducing plastic pollution.” 

By starting with its office team, Barry and Lay Kin hoped to not only help them get into the habit of using reusable containers for takeaway food but also set an example that would influence others around them, including the takeaway community at the food courts. 

To engage Viridien team members at the start of the campaign, they all took part in a survey to gauge their commitment to saying ‘NO to single-use disposables’ and find out which type of food container they preferred as the management team wanted employees to feel they ‘owned’ their individual containers. Food containers were then purchased for all Viridien Singapore employees as they all pledged to say NO to single-use packaging. To emphasize the positive environmental impact of their actions, they were all invited to watch a video and take part in a short quiz before collecting their reusable food containers and lunch bags. Everyone then took part in a team activity to design their unique name label stickers for their containers. 

As part of the campaign, which ran for two and a half months in 2022, the office pantry was also redesigned to house two sinks and a new dishwasher. All Singapore employees are now expected to use reusable cutlery and containers when food is served for celebrations or when they take packed food to the office. Xiaoxuan Chen, an imaging geophysicist, said: “The whole experience was fun and engaging. Even today, I enjoy collecting my packed lunch from the nearby vendor center as I feel like I’m taking part in a fashion show when my colleagues and I swing our pretty lunch bags as we walk along the road.” Mengmin Huang, a senior imaging project leader, also sees the benefits: “Every time I pass my reusable container to the vendor who packs my food, I feel good that I’ve saved one single-use plastic container and plastic bag to protect the planet. At the same time, I’ve saved myself 30 cents as vendors charge for single-use plastic containers. I also now bring my own cutlery instead of using the single-use cutlery provided by the vendors. By taking part in this campaign, I’ve started to gradually reduce single-use disposables in my daily life.” 

Cecilia Chng, regional HR director, APAC, is pleased with the results: “All our efforts have paid off, with most of our employees bringing packed lunches to the office in reusable containers every day. Disposable utensils are also no longer provided, and on average over 1,700 items of single-use plastic and Styrofoam packaging are avoided over a six-month period.” 

In the wider community, the act of packing lunches with similar reusable containers and lunch bags has attracted the attention of the food stall owners, and Viridien Singapore employees have received a lot of praise for their actions. As Peipei Deng, an imaging manager, explains: “Local food stall owners have also joined in the fun by calling out our names when our food is ready by reading the name labels each employee designed for their containers.” 

Initially, Min Wang, a senior research advisor, thought it was a good initiative, but that it would not last. However, after seeing the dishwasher and the newly renovated pantry, she felt the organizers had considered all aspects to make the campaign work. “I enjoy walking to the nearby food hall with colleagues to pack our lunch and then eating together at the office pantry, before leaving our containers in the dishwasher after our meal. It’s part of my daily routine now to always use re-useable containers to pack food. I also use fewer plastic bottles and try to use fewer plastic bags when shopping.” 

Barry is delighted by the enthusiastic way in which the Singapore staff embraced this initiative: “Its outcome really exceeded our expectations in terms of the behavioral change it brought about in our office and the nearby community based on our zero tolerance of takeaway packaging. We will continue to work together to organize similar initiatives that demonstrate our commitment toward sustainability in our business operations.”