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Gojek Pledges to Achieve Zero Emissions, Zero Waste & Zero Barriers by 2030 in First Annual Sustainability Report

Report is the first to be compiled by a Southeast Asian Internet company in alignment with international standards (GRI and SASB)

 

JAKARTA, INDONESIA – Media OutReach – 30 April 2021 – As part of its sustainability mission to create positive impact and long-term value for people and the planet, Gojek, Southeast Asia’s leading mobile on demand services and payments platform, today announced commitments to Three Zeros: Zero Emissions, Zero Waste and Zero Barriers, to be achieved by 2030. Gojek unveiled these pledges in its first annual Sustainability Report, which detailed its progress to date and way forward in implementing thorough environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices.

Focusing on where the company can make the biggest impact for all of its stakeholders in line with pressing environmental and social issues, Gojek’s approach will be structured around three specific areas: environmental sustainability (GoGreener) to achieve Zero Emissions and Zero Waste, as well as socio-economic progress (GoForward) and equality and inclusion (GoTogether) to achieve Zero Barriers.

Gojek’s ESG report is the first to be compiled by a Southeast Asian Internet company in alignment with international standards.[1] Select disclosures relating to the relevant material issues have been assured by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Indonesia[2]. Gojek is leading the region’s tech industry in integrating ESG best practices across its business and voluntarily disclosing its performance on material ESG issues.

Kevin Aluwi, Co-CEO, Gojek, said, “We have always been a company that is focused on finding the intersection of what is good for society and company growth. It is part of our DNA and the reason people come to work at Gojek. As we’ve grown, it has become more important to develop a way to make sure we hold ourselves to account and are constantly pushing forward and leading the industry on issues that are so important to us and society as a whole. That’s why we are scaling our efforts to embed environmental and social considerations into the very heart of our organization. In doing so, we hope to create lasting, impactful change for our communities, partners and the world we live in, ensuring we can live up to our mission for the long term.”

Andre Soelistyo, Co-CEO, Gojek, added, “There is a pressing need for the private sector to take action and help address the most critical environmental and social issues that plague our planet and communities today. As Gojek continues to grow in size and strength, with millions relying on our platform daily, we have a responsibility to do so sustainably. Through the integration of industry-leading ESG practices, we are ensuring we do business better across our entire ecosystem, while paving the way for other companies in the region to do the same. These are issues that are of increasing importance to stakeholders everywhere and we are determined to exceed their expectations for the good of Indonesia, Southeast Asia and the rest of the world.”

Gojek is already making significant strides towards its targets, which will be reviewed and disclosed annually:

GoGreener

● Committed to conducting an annual inventory for scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions[3], and waste accounting, to commence in 2021

● Launched the GoGreener Carbon Offset in-app feature – the world’s first for B2C carbon offsetting in the ride-hailing industry

● Commissioned feasibility studies and pilot projects to accelerate the adoption of EVs, with the ambition to transition to 100% EVs by 2030

● Launched the GoTransit service to better integrate its first and last mile transportation with public transportation

● Joined the steering committee of the National Plastic Action Partnership for Indonesia, managed under the World Economic Forum’s Global Plastic Action Partnership

● 13+ tons of single-use plastic waste prevented through a paid cutlery program (since August 2019); 6.3+ tons of single-use plastic waste collected through various pilot programs in 2019, with several new pilots commencing in 2021

GoForward

● Helped 530,000+ driver partners save on their daily expenses through the Swadaya program (benefits program for driver partners)

● Diversified income-earning opportunities for driver partners through collaboration with PromoGo and the launch of GoCek[4]

● Launched the GoFood Partners Community (with over 54,000 merchant partners) to help hone business and digitization skills for micro and small businesses

GoTogether

● Signed the UN’s Women Empowerment Principles for advancing gender equality and committed to only hosting gender diverse panels for Gojek speaking events

● Established an employee-led Council to steward corporate diversity, equality and inclusion policies and programmes

● Developed processes and infrastructure for employees to launch Employee Resource Groups[5]

The report embodies Gojek’s commitment to supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To ensure greater accountability, the company is also forming a Sustainability Advisory Council, comprising impartial external experts from various organizations including UN Women, ASEAN Centre of Energy, University of Indonesia and more.

“With less than 10 years to achieve the SDGs, we have to act now. By using the best available science, aligning with global standards and accreditations and applying a data-driven approach to our methodology, we are ensuring our strategy is as robust, relevant and impactful as possible. We also know we cannot achieve this alone and will leverage our network of like-minded partners to accelerate our progress through innovative and transformative expertise and capabilities,” said Tanah Sullivan, Group Head of Sustainability, Gojek.

Dr. Allinnettes Adigue, Head of the ASEAN Regional Hub of GRI, said: “Corporate sustainability is good for the people, planet and long-term profitability of a company because in the end, no one can do business in a dead planet. It is no longer a question of whether companies should report on their sustainability impact. Sustainability reporting is here to stay. It is now a question of whether what companies report are accurate and relevant, and clearly communicates their impact on the economy, environment and society. These issues matter to a wide range of stakeholders, not just the narrow interests of a few.

“GRI Standards, as the most widely used reporting standards in the world, is not just a reporting blueprint but more importantly, it provides organisations a global common language to set their sustainability goals and regularly measure, analyse and report on their progress. In turn, this allows them to continuously improve their sustainability performance. The GRI Standards encourages companies to focus on material topics that reflect their most significant sustainability impact through the use of quantitative data, narrative assessments and indicator-based systems.”

Protecting livelihoods and sustaining the community amid COVID-19

Gojek also helped to minimise the impact of COVID-19 across its ecosystem, ensuring the health and safety of stakeholders, developing new products and services to meet changing needs and creating alternative income opportunities for merchants and driver partners. In 2020, Gojek founded the Anak Bangsa Bisa Foundation (YABB) to support its partners and the wider community affected by the pandemic, raising IDR 100 billion from senior leadership and GoTroops and IDR 20 billion from corporate donations and other donation programs[6].

Gojek also protected consumers and the wider community, leveraging the scale of its network to keep consumers up to date on health and safety guidelines as well as launching several app features and initiatives to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and support frontline workers.

The full Sustainability Report can be found here.


[1] Gojek’s first Sustainability Report is aligned with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).

[2] KAP Tanudiredja, Wibisana, Rintis & Rekan, the Indonesian member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ global network, has undertaken a limited assurance engagement on the selected disclosure according to the relevant GRI standards in response to Gojek’s material ESG issues.

[3] The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol defines Scope 1 emissions as all direct GHG emissions, Scope 2 emissions as indirect GHG emissions from the consumption of purchased electricity, heat or steam and Scope 3 emissions as all other indirect emissions that are not covered in Scope 2.

[4] The collaboration with PromoGo enables two-wheel driver partners to earn additional income by carrying advertisements on their vehicles while GoCek is an in-app feature that enables Gojek driver partners to work on additional tasks (such as validating the onboarding of new GoFood merchants) in their spare time to earn more income.

[5] Employee Resource Groups are voluntary, employee-led groups that provide a safe, supportive space for individuals with shared experiences.

[6] Equivalent to approximately US$6.9 million from senior leadership and GoTroops and US$1.4 million from corporate donations and other donation programs, at time of reporting.

About Gojek’s Sustainability Report

This is Gojek’s first annual Sustainability Report, to disclose its performance on material ESG topics to all stakeholders. Following this year, the report will be published on an annual basis as part of the company’s ongoing voluntary disclosure of ESG performance and related metrics.

This report has been externally assured by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards as it represents the global best practice for sustainability reporting. Gojek has also applied two sector-specific reporting standards by SASB, 1. Internet Media and Services and 2. Road Transportation, to guide its disclosures on the financial materiality of sector-specific ESG issues.

More information about the different disclosures presented in the report and how they align to GRI and SASB standards can be found in pages 42 and 46 of the Sustainability Report.

About Gojek

Gojek is Southeast Asia’s leading on-demand platform and a pioneer of the multi-service ecosystem model, providing access to a wide range of services including transportation, food delivery, logistics and more. Gojek is founded on the principle of leveraging technology to remove life’s daily frictions by connecting consumers to the best providers of goods and services in the market.

The company was established in 2010 focusing on courier and motorcycle ride-hailing services, before launching the app in January 2015 in Indonesia. Since then, Gojek has grown to become the leading on-demand platform in Southeast Asia, providing access to a wide range of services from transportation, to food delivery, logistics and many others.

Gojek now operates across main cities in four Southeast Asian countries. As of March 2021, Gojek’s application and its ecosystem have been downloaded more than 190 million times by users across Southeast Asia.

Gojek is dedicated to solving the daily challenges faced by consumers, while improving the quality of life for millions of people across Southeast Asia, especially those in the informal sector and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The Gojek application is available for download via iOS and Android.

#Gojek

85 New Cases of Covid-19 Recorded in Laos

Covid-19 update

Laos has confirmed another 85 cases of Covid-19 today, with Vientiane Capital experiencing the highest number of cases.

Microsoft APAC Enabler Program helps 110 PwDs in six countries match to roles within the first seven months of launch

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 30 April 2021 – Since the launch of the Microsoft APAC Enabler program seven months ago, sixteen PwDs have secured full time roles, internships, mentorships[i], and training[ii] opportunities through the program, with more than 110 PwDs are currently being matched to 65 potential roles with Microsoft Partners.

Caption: Jidapa Nitiwirakun (left) and Pairin Chakaja (right) from the Pattaya Redemptorist Technological College for People with Disabilities in Thailand at Microsoft Thailand.

Sri Lanka joins Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, South Korea and New Zealand, where non-profits like Enable Lanka Foundation and the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities educate and train Partners on creating inclusive workplaces and being inclusive employers. These nonprofits join 19 other Microsoft Partners including ZILLIONe Systems Solutions, Redstone System, and DDLS Philippines to remove barriers for a more diverse workforce.

“In 2020, we saw an incredible number of businesses which have pivoted to cloud. With this, being equipped with a digital skillset is fast becoming the currency of our post-pandemic world. To unlock more for PwDs, it’s imperative that skilling and employment opportunities in technical roles are front and center of our economic reset in the region. Which is why we are so proud of the next step Microsoft is taking in our accessibility journey, a 5-year commitment to help bridge the global “Disability Divide”, doubling down to expand what is possible with accessible technology, opening doors for disabled talent to enter the workforce and continuing our journey of disability inclusion in the workplace,” said Pratima Amonkar, Chair for D&I and Accessibility for Microsoft APAC who leads the Microsoft Enabler Program.

In a roundtable discussion on digital skills during a virtual visit to Asia Pacific yesterday, Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella shared that to transform society, we need to create opportunities for the more than 1 billion people in the world who have disabilities, so they can participate in the world economy. He shared the importance of having a continuous learning mindset and reiterated Microsoft’s mission that is grounded on ensuring every person has the tools and skills that allow them to create, build and change the communities they live and work in.

PwDs hired by employer partners

  • Zeus Oliveros is one of the first PwDs to be hired through the program. He joined Cognizant Philippines‘ call center team as an Associate for three and a half months doing callouts and data analysis. Through this experience, he found his passion for content development and marketing and is now looking for a role in that area.
  • Kang Joohyun, a person who is deaf, is currently employed in Cloocus Korea. While she is still new to the team and is learning about the company’s major sales and purchasing structure, she will in time take a leading role in the cost accounting department.
  • Marcus Tan is a third-year student at Temasek Polytechnic with cerebral palsy. He joined NTT Data in Singapore for a three-month internship in October 2020 and was tasked with developing an internal application. Following his internship, NTT Data Singapore is now conducting talks to PwD students and their wider cohorts in local polytechnics to raise awareness around diversity and inclusion.
  • Jidapa Nitiwirakun and Thatsaphon Chikhunthod are currently interning at NTT Asia Pacific (Thailand)‘s information technology department while completing their degrees at the Pattaya Redemptorist Technological College. This internship has shown Thatsaphon that his physical disabilities do not inhibit his dreams of being a programmer; a career which he finds challenging as there are always new developments to learn, practice and apply.

Building an inclusive economy in APAC

Accessibility must be a priority. And every one of us will experience a form of disability at some point in our lives, whether temporary, situational, or permanent. By empowering PwDs to fully participate in our economies, we are effectively increasing our productive population, and this can lead to a 1-7% rise in GDP.

Microsoft provides training in technology skills including cloud and artificial intelligence, bi-monthly tech consult sessions where volunteer employees share their tech expertise with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Teams. More than 120 PwDs have benefitted from these sessions.

“The feedback from the Microsoft Partners have been extremely encouraging. By supporting them through the program and enabling them to have a focused approach, our Partners are seeing their cultures improve, their people becoming more inclusive and their community being more empathetic.” Pratima continued.

Microsoft has rolled out 45 training hours focused on inclusive hiring and design as well as assistive technologies enabled through artificial intelligence on Microsoft Azure. Microsoft Partners receive education and training by NPOs, on topics such as workplace modifications required and on how to best work with and mentor PwDs.

“The last seven months have been an incredible period of learning and growth for us and our Partners and we have just begun the journey. For the Microsoft APAC Enabler Program to reach its full potential, I hope that more Partners, nonprofits, PwDs will join us, so that together, we can work collectively towards an inclusive future for every person.” Pratima concluded.



[i] Mentorships prepare our PwD talent for employment by pairing them with a potential hiring manager in a mentor-mentee relationship that can last up to one year or more.

[ii] Training offered by employer partners equip our PwD talent with skills and knowledge related to upcoming projects to prepare them for a potential full-time role.


About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

#Microsoft

EDL To Discount Electricity Rates During Lockdown Period

Electricity rate increase alarms Lao residents

Electricite du Laos is to provide a three percent discount on electricity rates to residential consumers during the lockdown period.

TRILUX strengthens partnership with Sonepar in Singapore

Supplier of high-quality and individual lighting solutions and global market leader in B-to-B distribution of electrical products, solutions and related services create a partnership designed to grow customers benefits.

 

SINGAPORE / ARNSBERG, GERMANY – Media OutReach – 30 April 2021 – TRILUX announced a partnership with Sonepar in Singapore. This partnership is an extension of the historically strong ties between the TRILUX Group and Sonepar in Europe, and will enable both parties to create sustainable promising business opportunities in the ASEAN region.

Sonepar is an international top customer and partner of the TRILUX Group. The extension to Singapore is a first step to further strengthen TRILUX’ business cooperation in selected key markets in Asia-Pacific. “Our brand promise is to provide individual and future-proof lighting solutions” says Joachim Geiger, CSO & CMO TRILUX Group. He continues: “Especially in Asia-Pacific we put end-user customer needs first in all we do through open innovation. Next to that, we are a knowledge partner for all stake holders across the entire value chain. A partnership with Sonepar will enable us to execute and further develop these key points.”

Sonepar in Singapore is a multi-specialist, focused on four key market segments: Project Lighting, Industrial Automation, Commercial Electrical, and Energy Infrastructure. “Intelligent lighting solutions is key to illuminating the pathway to a sustainable future and TRILUX is an ideal partner”, says Andrew Bennett, Country Managing Director Singapore of Sonepar. “TRILUX’s quality and innovative roadmap is the perfect complement to Sonepar’s strategic direction in supporting Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative”.

The services and knowledge, which Sonepar can provide their business partners with, are in line with TRILUX’ strategy. Geiger says: “For TRILUX, Singapore is the strategic hub in the ASEAN region for digital lighting innovation and sustainability. A strong partner with local experience, excellent capabilities, skills and long-standing network can help us towards further development of the TRILUX brand and business in Singapore. Sonepar meets all these requirements, which makes them the perfect partner in this field.”

About TRILUX

TRILUX SIMPLIFY YOUR LIGHT represents the simplest and most reliable path to customised, energy-efficient and future-proof lighting solutions. In the dynamic and ever increasingly complex lighting market, customers are provided with optimal advice, ideal orientation and perfect light. To ensure this, TRILUX offers a wide portfolio of technologies and services as well as high-performance partners and companies in the TRILUX Group The lighting specialist combines single components to create custom-designed complete solutions — always perfectly tailored to the customer’s requirements and specific applications. In this way, complex and extensive projects can be simply and rapidly implemented from a single supplier. According to the principle of SIMPLIFY YOUR LIGHT, simple planning, installation and ease of use is focused on for customers in addition to quality and efficiency.

The TRILUX Group has six production facilities in Europe and Asia and supports international customers via 30 subsidiaries and a large number of sales partners. The light business division consists of the brands TRILUX SIMPLIFY YOUR LIGHT, Oktalite and Zalux. Associated companies are the TRILUX Innovation and Technology Centre), Retail Analytics Specialist Crosscan, ICT and the the online platform watt24. The TRILUX Akademie has locations in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain and France communicating expertise concerning topics, trends and new developments in the lighting sector. The company employs just under 5,000 employees worldwide, with headquarters in Arnsberg in Germany.

For further information, please visit our website at www.trilux.com.

About Sonepar

Sonepar is an independent family-owned company with global market leadership in B-to-B distribution of electrical products, solutions and related services. Through a dense network of 100 brands spanning 40 countries, the Group has an ambitious transformation agenda to become the first global B-to-B electrical distributor to provide a fully digitalized and synchronized omnichannel experience to all customers. Drawing on the skill and passion of its 45,000 associates, Sonepar had sales of €23 billion in 2020. Sonepar makes its customers’ lives easier, over the counter, visiting customers, by phone or online, — however we’re needed. Sonepar’s ambition is to become “La Référence” – the standard-setter for all its stakeholders. www.sonepar.com

Sonepar in Singapore

Sonepar in Singapore is a multi-specialist, focused on four key market segments: Industrial Automation, Commercial Electrical, Project Lighting and Energy Infrastructure. In January 2021, Cable Solutions and Oakwell Distribution rebranded as Sonepar to form the foundation of the new Sonepar in Singapore. www.sonepar.com.sg

#TRILUX #Sonepar #SoneparSingapore #PoweredByDifference

Users in China Gain Greater Access and Functionality with The Updated ONLYOFFICE “Documents” App Available on Xiaomi Marketplace

ONLYOFFICE offers new Documents versions for Android- and iOS-based mobile devices

 

RIGA, LATVIA – Media OutReach – 30 April 2021 – ONLYOFFICE “Documents” is a free mobile office app for editing documents, spreadsheets and presentations, and managing them both locally and online. Users can collaborate on docs together with teammates and view, manage and edit local files. This tremendously versatile set of office tools lends itself to mobile use – as an office suite on the go – that is proving very appealing for users in China, where mobility is seen as a premium advantage in a working environment that often requires more than simply sitting at a desk with a standard PC.

A major advantage is that ONLYOFFICE Documents allows easy access to and management of files stored in the cloud. Team members are able to grant different types of access rights: read only, review or full access, providing external access to files via links. With ONLYOFFICE Documents, multiple users can edit the same doc simultaneously, and changes appear as co-authors are typing.

For users in China, language is no barrier. Recent enhancements and updates to the mobile versions of ONLYOFFICE include Chinese and Lao (Laotian) interfaces for Documents under Android 11.0.

Availability in Chinese app marketplaces
An important recent development is that these latest versions of the mobile ONLYOFFICE Documents app are now available for download in China. The new Android app version, 6.4, is now available in the Xiaomi marketplace. (No link provided; the stores is accessed through the device.) and in the Huawei App Gallery: https://appgallery.huawei.com/#/app/C102942717

ONLYOFFICE, is now officially trademarked in China, and ONLYOFFICE can be hosted on Alibaba Cloud for users in China.

Tariff adjustments
Additional important news is tariff adjustments for ONLYOFFICE. The developers have added both a free plan for small teams and a VIP cloud for extra-large enterprises and those who work with sensitive data.

With the new plan “Startup”, all the basic functionality of ONLYOFFICE cloud is free for small teams of up to five users. This is a financially safe and attractive way for new users to gain experience with the Documents app.

At the high end of the market, VIP cloud is the new plan for large businesses and those who operate in regulated industries or simply need additional security levels. The plan enables creating several portals for different company branches. One portal can allocate thousands of users with 250GB of storage each.

With ONLYOFFICE, users can create and edit all kinds of office documents – text documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The basic formats are DOCX, XLSX ans PPTX. All the other popular formats (DOC, XLS, PPT, ODT, ODS, ODP, DOTX) are also supported. PDF files are available for viewing. You can also save and download files as PDF, TXT, CSV, HTML.

Work locally or in the cloud
Working locally, users can edit text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, view PDFs, photos and video files. They can sort, rename, move and copy files, create folders and convert files for export.

Users can log in to clouds via WebDAV. With this feature, users can directly manage, edit text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, and view PDFs stored in the connected clouds, download and upload them, as well as work with collections and directories. Either a corporate or free personal ONLYOFFICE portal can be easily created from the app.

What’s new in version 6.4 for Android

  • Document manager
  • Favorites directory for online documents
  • Folder downloading
  • All editors
  • Ability to insert and edit charts
  • Presentation editor
  • Drag-n-drop gesture for moving slides
  • Context menu for slide preview.

Support for Android 11, enables Chinese and Lao (Laotian) language interfacing, as well as bug fixes and general performance improvements.

Version 6.4 is available at Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.onlyoffice.documents&hl=en&gl=US

What’s new in version 5.1 for iOS
In the new version of Documents for iOS, version 5.1, there is now support for sharing documents with new access rights: commenting only,and reviewing only. Version 5.1 is available at the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/onlyoffice-documents/id944896972

Useful links

Official website: https://www.onlyoffice.com/

Source code: https://github.com/onlyoffice

Desktop editors: https://www.onlyoffice.com/desktop.aspx

All integrations: https://www.onlyoffice.com/all-connectors.aspx

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.onlyoffice.documents&hl=en&gl=US

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/onlyoffice-documents/id944896972

Huawei App Gallery: https://appgallery.huawei.com/#/app/C102942717

About ONLYOFFICE

ONLYOFFICE is an open-source office suite that features online editors for text documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The editors are highly compatible with MS Office formats (docx, xlsx, and pptx) and equipped with numerous collaborative tools – real-time co-editing, commenting, reviewing, and built-in chat.

The ONLYOFFICE editors are currently integrated in more than 20 popular platforms and hundreds of enterprise services, including ownCloud, SharePoint, and China’s Seafile service. Recently, Nextcloud announced a new solution called Nextcloud Hub with ONLYOFFICE editors pre-installed.

The source code of the editors is available on GitHub within the terms of the AGPLv3 license.

#ONLYOFFICE

Insolvency Administrator Dr Michael Jaffé: Wirecard subsidiary in Vietnam sold – Further Successful Sale in Asia

MUNICH/ASCHHEIM/SEOUL – EQS Newswire – 29 April 2021 – In the insolvency proceeding concerning the assets of Wirecard Sales International Holding GmbH a further successful sale could be achieved after the recent sale of several subsidiaries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Following an international bidding process, Wirecard Singapore Pte. Ltd., the subsidiary of Wirecard Sales International Holding GmbH divests its shareholding in Wirecard (Vietnam) Company Limited to South Korean credit card company BC Card Co., Ltd. The transaction is still subject to certain conditions, in particular, approval by the local merger control authority.

Wirecard (Vietnam) Company Limited has a market-leading position in the field of payment services solutions in Vietnam and is offering its customers one-stop-shop solutions starting from back-end software to front-end hardware. Among the customers are major state banks as well as numerous financial institutions.

“Despite the challenging circumstances of the international sales processes amidst a pandemic, we succeeded in preserving another Wirecard subsidiary in Asia as going concern and secured the sale of the shareholding in the best interest of the creditors,” summarized the insolvency administrator Dr Michael Jaffé after the most recent successful sale.

Additional information:

Dr Michael Jaffé is one of the most experienced and renowned insolvency administrators in Germany. He has been regularly appointed by the courts for over two decades in large and complex insolvency cases where the aim is to secure assets for creditors and to realise them in the best possible way. One special focus of his expertise lies in multi-stage group insolvency proceedings and proceedings with cross-border issues or assets that are difficult to realise. Among the most nationally and internationally renowned insolvency proceedings of Dr Michael Jaffé are the media group KirchMedia of the late Dr Leo Kirch, the former global memory chip manufacturer Qimonda and the German subsidiaries of the Petroplus Group. He also successfully completed the restructuring of caravan manufacturer Knaus Tabbert, Grob Aerospace and Cinterion Wireless Modules Holding GmbH, among others.

As the insolvency administrator of Stadtwerke Gera Aktiengesellschaft, a holding company for participations of the city of Gera for public welfare, he found a permanent solution for all companies. As insolvency administrator of the insolvent fund company NARAT GmbH & Co. KG, Dr Michael Jaffé sold one of the largest commercial real estate portfolios in North Rhine-Westphalia. In the insolvency proceedings of DCM Deutsche Capital Management (DCM AG), a leading provider of closed-end funds in Germany with a total investment volume of around €4.7 billion, he worked through the complex structures and successfully liquidated the investments. He is also the insolvency administrator of Pro Health AG, Phoenix Solar AG and Dero Bank AG.

As the insolvency administrator of three German P&R container management companies, he realised the worldwide container fleet within the framework of a complex cross-border structure with the aim of minimising the losses for the approximately 54,000 investors who have filed for insolvency tables for over €3 billion.

Munich Local Court appointed Michael Jaffé as the insolvency administrator of Wirecard AG and Wirecard Technologies GmbH, Wirecard Issuing Technologies GmbH, Wirecard Service Technologies GmbH, Wirecard Acceptance Technologies GmbH, Wirecard Sales International Holding GmbH and Wirecard Global Sales GmbH in a court order given on 25 August 2020.

For more than two decades, JAFFÉ Rechtsanwälte Insolvenzverwalter has been one of the leading law firms in the fields of insolvency administration, insolvency law and restructuring (in accordance with the German Law on Further Facilitating the Restructuring of Companies (Gesetz zur weiteren Erleichterung der Sanierung von Unternehmen) or ESUG), especially in complex and cross-border proceedings. An important basis for this is the many years of experience, competence and independence that are regularly in demand, especially in complex proceedings. This is one of the reasons why the firm has enjoyed the trust of courts and creditors for decades, especially in difficult proceedings where conflicting interests of the parties involved exist. With its own efficient structure, which has grown over the years, the firm can accompany proceedings of any size in the interest of creditors.

More than 90 Local Enterprises Recognised by GS1 Hong Kong’s Consumer Caring Scheme 2020

70% Consumers Feel More Confident in Consumer Caring Companies

 

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 29 April 2021 – GS1 Hong Kong (GS1 HK) today announced the result of the 10th Consumer Caring Scheme, honouring 91 local companies for their consumer-centric practices. 37% of the recognised companies are from cosmetics, personal care and healthcare sectors, whereas household products and F&B companies made up 23% and 20% of the total awardees respectively. This highlights that despite the raging pandemic, many companies are still committed to maintaining quality products and services in hope to thrive through the crisis. Award presentation ceremony will be held on 10th June 2021 at the S200 meeting room series in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre after the GS1 HK Summit, where Dr. Bernard Chan, Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, will deliver a speech at the officiating session.

Since its inception 10 years ago, the “Consumer Caring Scheme” has commended more than 150 companies that demonstrated excellence in customer service. In 2021, more than half of the companies (49 companies) received the endorsement for 5 consecutive years or more – 12 companies were recognised for “10 Years”, 29 companies for “5+ Years” and 8 companies for “5 Years”. This showed Hong Kong business community always pursues consumer care as top priority by making continuous improvement to enhance customer experience and satisfaction.

Commissioned by GS1 HK, a consumer survey conducted by KANTAR Hong Kong (‘Consumer Survey’) revealed that 73% of the respondents feel more confident in the companies with “Consumer Caring” logo. The result indicated the Scheme’s high level of integrity and credibility, supported by strong trust from the industry and public stakeholders. Being assessed based on the “4C” principles and core values, including “Consumer Centric”, “Conforming to Commitment”, “Championing Quality” and “Caring for Staff”, the recognised companies are evaluated through field visits, interviews and the above-mentioned Consumer Survey, with reference to the internationally-acclaimed Efficient Consumer Response (ECR). The assessment concludes companies’ service and performance on consumer care. (Please refer to the Appendix for the Recognised Companies)

Ms. Anna Lin, Chief Executive of GS1 HK said, “I am pleased to see many new joint companies, such as suppliers of personal protective equipment and healthcare products, not only set sights on short-term benefits, but also consider customer centricity as the foundation to sustaining business in the long-run. As the prospects of local sectors like F&B and retail still look bleak in the current global economic woe, ‘Consumer Caring Scheme’ could essentially serve as an invaluable platform for companies to advocate their commitment to product and service excellence, which helps build consumer trust and positive brand image, paving way for them to stand out in the market.”

Local business community has been proactively embracing high level of service standards even in pandemic. 17 new joint consumer caring companies have been selected this year, exceeding the number in the previous edition. One Health, a brand founded by the former researchers from the Institute for the Advancement of Chinese Medicine of the Hong Kong Baptist University, is one of them. “Pledged to stringent production and monitoring processes, our products have passed all safety tests set by world-class laboratories. We always put our customers first and listen to their needs and feedback, at the same time fostering positive environment for the community and the employees. The ‘Consumer Caring Company’ honour is a vote of confidence for our customers and team, offering customers a peace of mind to buy and consume whilst empowering employees to strive for excellence.” Ms. Carry Yu, the company’s Chief Executive Officer remarked.

Crowned with the “10 Years Award”, Linson Global Seafood Trading Ltd. has remained committed to first-rate customer service for decades. Its General Manager Mr. Paul Lee said, “Having worked in seafood wholesale business for years, the Consumer Caring title has driven us to strive our best from time to time to supply clients with fresh, safe, high-quality seafood at reasonable price, which help us secure a good industry reputation. We are planning to extend our value chain to the retail sector to meet the market demands, carrying forward the time-honoured heritage and service to consumers.”

For further details, please visit our website: https://www.gs1hk.org/industry-recognition/consumer-caring-scheme

Appendix

List of recognised companies of Consumer Caring Scheme 2020

(in alphabetical order by brand or company name)

10 Years Award

1

3M Hong Kong Ltd

7

Giormani

2

Autotoll Ltd

8

Linson Global Seafood Trading Ltd

3

Casablanca Hong Kong Ltd

9

Royal Medic (Holdings) Ltd

4

Cherry

10

Swire Coca-Cola HK

5

Chuan Chiong Co Ltd

11

ToolBox – a Gilman Group Company

6

Forewide Co (Retail) Ltd

12

Vitasoy International Holdings Ltd

5 Years + Award

1

AQ Bio Technology Group Ltd

16

Morita Biotech (HK) Co Ltd

2

Body-SOS

17

Nestlé Hong Kong Ltd

3

CATALO

18

Nu Life International (Asia) Ltd

4

Chan Yin Kee Co Ltd

19

Nu Skin Enterprises Hong Kong, LLC

5

Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited

20

Original Taste Workshop Ltd

6

Colgate-Palmolive (H.K.) Ltd

21

SINOMAX

7

CR Care Co., Ltd

22

Smartech

8

Danny Catering Service Ltd

23

Swipe (HK) Ltd

9

FrieslandCampina (Hong Kong) Ltd – FRISO

24

Taste of Asia Group Ltd

10

Harmonic Health Pharmaceutical Co Ltd

25

Tiger Mark (HK) Ginsengs Co Ltd

11

Health Aims Organic Functional Product Specialty Shop

26

Tung Chun Soy Sauce and Canned Food Co Ltd

12

Hongkong Post

27

Watsons Water

13

Hung Fook Tong Holdings Ltd

28

YesNutri

14

Luk Fook Holdings (International) Ltd

29

Yummy House International Ltd

15

Memorigin Watch Co Ltd

5 Years Award

1

eprint Group Ltd

5

The International Medical Co Ltd – Ricqles

2

Hair Again 2000

6

wishh!

3

Imperial Parking (Hong Kong) Limited

7

Wyeth (Hong Kong) Holding Company Limited

4

Mead Johnson Nutrition (HK) Ltd

8

You Beauty

Award Winners (of 2 or more consecutive years)

1

95 International Co Ltd – La Raine

16

Kopen Electrical Co., Ltd. – Ommi Care

2

Baa Baa Sheep Laundry

17

Kwok Kam Kee (HK) Ltd

3

Casa Republic (International) Limited – ITALO MODA

18

Lee Kum Kee

4

Chaisentomg Pharmaceutical Factory Ltd

19

Man Shun Cheong Enterprises Ltd

5

Come In Enterprises Co Ltd – HOMEI

20

MaxiPro (Asia) Ltd – Kakato Premium Pet Food

6

Crown Gas Stoves (Holdings) Co Ltd

21

Pricerite Home Ltd

7

CSL Mobile Limited

22

Purepro Water Hong Kong Limited

8

Deco Classic Ltd

23

Reckitt Benckiser Hong Kong Limited

9

DSG Energy Ltd

24

Tai Wo Tung Medicine Co Ltd

10

farmfresh330

25

Vitamin Boost Global Ltd

11

Imperial Enterprises Holdings Limited

26

Zhong An Ya (HK) Trading Ltd – U100

12

Kai Tak Cruise Terminal (managed and operated by Worldwide Cruise Terminals)

27

Zihua Embrocation

13

Kiwi House

New Awardees

1

Anderson Food Supply (Hong Kong) Co., Limited

10

Hong Yip Service Company Limited – Harbour North

2

Aqua Plus Company Limited – AQUA PRO+TECH

11

One Health International Limited – One Health

3

CGA (H.K.) Limited – DIREACH

12

Premier Living (Enterprises) Co., Ltd. – Beauty Online™

4

Classic Motor Service Ltd

13

Simply Satisfied International Limited – Souper

5

Cornerstone Renewable Energy Limited – SmartClassify

14

SYT Wellness

6

Everything Organic Ltd

15

Tenson Medicare Company Limited

7

Green World Pharmaceutical Limited

16

YHK Design Limited

8

Health Elite Club Ltd – Puerfons

17

Yick Fung Hong Cosmetic & Detergent Co., Ltd. – WayWay HK

9

International Warwick Limited – DoDoME

About GS1 Hong Kong

Founded by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce in 1989, GS1 Hong Kong (GS1 HK) is the local chapter of GS1®, which supports companies’ digitalisation to enhance supply chain transparency and efficiency, ensure product authenticity, and facilitate online and offline commerce with global supply chain standards (product identification key and barcode) and a full spectrum of standard-based platforms, solutions and services.

Currently, GS1 HK has around 8,000 corporate members covering close to 20 industries including retail consumer goods, food and food services, healthcare, apparel, logistics as well as information and technology. By engaging with communities of trading partners, industry organisations, government, and technology providers, GS1 HK is fostering a collaborative ecosystem with the vision of “Smarter Business, Better Life”.

Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, GS1® is a not-for-profit, standards organisation that has 115 national chapters serving 150 economies globally.

For more information, please visit www.gs1hk.org.

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