DKSH Hong Kong once again partnered with Food Angel to support their mission to provide people in need with healthy and nutritious meals consisting of quality food, which would otherwise be wasted. The Food Angel organization provided volunteers from DKSH with the surplus food, which they collected from different sectors of the food industry. This food would usually be disposed of as waste, even if it was still good to eat. The DKSH Hong Kong team then prepared nutritious meals in the Food Angel kitchen, before distributing it to the underprivileged. This volunteering initiative was an efficient way of not only reducing food waste, but also giving back to people in need in the local community.

DKSH Thailand, together with Thai Holistic Health Foundation and Thai Health Promotion Foundation, are supporting an initiative to encourage the employment of blind masseuses in Thailand. The aim is to encourage and enhance training for blind masseuses and support their careers in the long-term.

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DKSH has received the internationally recognized silver rating from the French agency EcoVadis for its commitment to sustainable business practices. The independent assessment rates companies according to 21 sustainability criteria in the four areas: environment, labor and human rights, ethics as well as sustainable procurement. Reaching an overall score of 50 points, DKSH ranks among the top 14 percent of companies in the industry. Stefan P. Butz, CEO of DKSH Group, said: “The silver rating from Ecovadis is a significant recognition, both for us as well as for our clients and customers around the world. Subjecting ourselves to Ecovadis’ independent assessment clearly demonstrates how committed we are to make continuous progress in the area of Sustainability.”

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In January, seven DKSH volunteers in Penang gave an interior makeover to the premises of the Children Protection Society which provides shelter to underprivileged children in need of housing and care. To date, there are 31 children ranging from 5 to 15 years old in its care. We refurbished some of the common rooms with new coats of paint, cleaned the premises and prepared lunch for the children. DKSH Malaysia also donated furniture and electrical items as well as personal items that colleagues had generously donated.

In a new long-term initiative run by DKSH Thailand, and benefitting the Prostheses Foundation of Thailand, a collection of a different kind is underway. Donations by employees, in the form of cans and other one-time-use products made out of recyclable aluminum, provide a core material in the creation more affordable prosthetics. Within the first month, nearly 40 kilograms had been received, a strong start for a campaign in its infancy.

DKSH Myanmar organized their first-ever charity run in support of a local cancer foundation. The “Run and Contribute” marathon took place in March, in Kyike Ka San stadium and was attended by nearly 300 participants of all ages. All proceeds were donated to the Ministry of Health and Sports to provide resources, promote healthy lifestyles and create awareness for cancer. Rajinder Grover, Vice President, Consumer Goods & Head Country Management, DKSH Myanmar, said: “We are really delighted to contribute to the local community and support those fighting cancer. We also have plans to do these kinds of social activities more often in the future. We thank all participants for running for a good cause.”

What would our city look like it we all started growing food right on our doorsteps? In January 2018, Eats, Shoots & Roots launched a "Sayur in the City" project and established an urban farm to serve as an educational space for YWCA's Vocational Training Opportunity Center as well as to educate urbanites and visitors about local agriculture. In March, 15 DKSH volunteers completed the last link to this green ecosystem with the construction of a composting area to convert organic waste on-site to be used for the urban farm. We were also given a crash course on the various composting theories. YWCA's urban edible garden can now sustain itself financially through its produce.

DKSH is partnering with Rotary Club of Bombay Juhu Beach, a public charitable trust, to offer pediatric orthopedic surgeries for community children in Mumbai at Brahmakumari’s BSES Municipal General Hospital. The medical aid includes screenings and assessment camps for children with cerebral palsy and childhood deformities. Following the camp, all the patients’ data will be collated and the cause of treatment for each patient will be worked out. Ketan Ajmera, President, Rotary Club of Bombay Juhu Beach commented: “We are extremely excited about this project that we are able to realize thanks to our partnership with DKSH, the support of Dr. Atul Bhaskar as well as the management of BSES Municipal Hospital.”

DKSH Cambodia took the opportunity of St. Valentine’s Day to give a very special gift to the Cambodian people by donating blood for those who are in need of it. Under the motto “give blood, give love, save lives”, the event was held at DKSH’s office in Phnom Penh in the presence of the DKSH Cambodia management team, many employees and Vong Yokly, Deputy of the National Blood Transfusion Center, who commented: “We truly appreciate DKSH for their support in our blood donation campaign, to show love and save lives.”

DKSH has a strong commitment to the local communities we operate in. This is an integral part of our business and a key component of our approach to sustainability. We are delighted to share some of the Christmas related sustainability activities our colleagues across the Group have organized to support our local communities and spread some festive cheer.

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For the eighth consecutive year, DKSH Taiwan collaborated with the Chinese Christian Relief Association on the “Christmas shoebox initiative”. Employees collected Christmas gift donations for children from economically disadvantaged families in Taiwan and organized a volunteer session to wrap the gifts. The 500 joyful volunteers made sure to spread the Christmas spirit.

DKSH Indonesia has gathered donations from employees and affiliated companies around the country to support the victims of the massive earthquake and tsunami in Donggala and Palu, Central Celebes which took place in September. Stefan P. Butz, CEO, commented, “Our thoughts and feelings are with all the people in Indonesia who lost their lives or were injured, and their families. It is a shock for us to see the severe damages that this incident caused. We hope that our contributions can help to reduce the burden of suffering for the victims in the affected areas.”

Over 60 DKSH Singapore employees volunteered in an initiative run by Beyond Social Services, a charity dedicated to helping children and youth from less privileged backgrounds. The volunteers spent an afternoon packing and distributing food to disadvantaged, low-income families. As a company deeply rooted in the communities where we work, we strive to contribute to supporting economic and social progress where we are active.

DKSH employees volunteered in WWF Malaysia’s marine turtle nesting monitoring program in Melaka in support of hawksbill turtles, a critically endangered marine turtle species in Malaysia. “Out of the seven marine turtle species in the world, only four species come to our shores to nest, and they are critically endangered because of human activities, predators and global warming. We are happy to support WWF Malaysia in its environment-conscious initiatives with the hopes to raise awareness of the magnificent marine turtles in Malaysia,” McLaren commented.

DKSH strives to reduce the impact of our operations on the environment and to do so regularly conducts events to raise our colleagues’ awareness for wildlife conservation. In Malaysia, we partnered with WWF and some team members spent a few days in the wilderness of the Ulu Muda forest in Northwestern Malaysia. They left Ulu Muda with a fresh respect for this beautiful rainforest and its native inhabitants as well as a new vigor to spread awareness of the importance of wildlife and forest conservation.

DKSH has presented its first report based on the internationally recognized Global Reporting Initiative guidelines (GRI). The report was presented by DKSH CEO Stefan P. Butz to the public in Bangkok on October 18, 2018.

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DKSH donated a new school bus to the pre-primary children with special needs from the Swami Brahmanand Pratisththan center in India. “We are immensely thankful to DKSH for donating the school bus which has brought cheer and joy in the lives of the children with special needs and their families. This support means a lot to our institute”, stated Shirish Poojaari, Founder of Seabird Centre, Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan.

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In Myanmar, DKSH employees demonstrated their engagement to their local community by taking part in a day trip to the Witharkhar orphanage. This nunnery school looks after orphans and provides them, as well as other children in the local area, with a monastic education. 40 employees volunteered to organize this special day for nearly 100 children. The activities emphasized the importance of education and environmental topics. It was a special day for all involved.

DKSH Vietnam uses co-processing, one of the most socially and environmentally responsible methods for disposing of healthcare-related waste. This process substantially reduces CO2 emissions and results in zero ash disposal. We are proud to have won an award from INSEE Ecocycle, a leading waste management company in Vietnam, recognizing our achievement in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 82 tCO2e in 2016.

Together with our long-term partner, Right To Play, DKSH Thailand organized a series of “Play Days” in local schools, as well as a Charity Day in Bangkok in 2017. Over 50 DKSH specialists participated in various locations and through playing games, helped more than 300 disadvantaged children learn about the importance of collaboration, managing emotions, setting goals and other life skills. They were special days for all involved.

Gold Ecovadis rating in France DKSH France participated in a CSR rating process by Ecovadis. We were awarded with a gold rating and scored above industry-average in all four main categories: environment, labor practices, fair business practices and sustainable procurement. We are especially proud of achieving a strong rating for our labor and fair business practices, confirming our systematically compliant behavior across our business.