CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Working alongside the local population of Lombok to provide support and opportunities that improve the environment, as well as access to education, medical care and basic amenities.
BACKGROUND
OUR STORY
As well as identifying and developing prime plots of land and luxury properties, Invest Islands also has at its heart a desire to improve the communities in which it operates. With pillars related to improving access to education and sustaining the local environment in Lombok, it has created its own charitable arm, the Invest Islands Foundation. One of its first initiatives was to provide a group of women from the local community a regular source of income in exchange for collecting and sorting plastic waste from the island’s various beaches. This plastic waste is, among other things, used to create eco-bricks, which are an innovative alternative to concrete and an easy way to repurpose otherwise valueless trash.
Our eco-bricks were used in the construction of an exterior wall at our Tapaz Bar on the popular nearby island of Gili Trawangan. Water-resistant, lightweight, and solid, the eco-wall was applauded by the local community and countless tourists because of not only the innovation, but also because it helps give value to the island’s waste.
Following the positive reception of the eco-brick wall and other initiatives, the Foundation’s plans and projects have only grown. It now has established important community partnerships with the likes of Bank Sampah, Organiika, and Saudari Lombok .
ZERO PLASTIC POLICY
As well as the eco-wall, we also decided to make it our mission to reduce the use of single-use plastic in all our operations, including our headquarters in Kuta, South Lombok, and our seafront Tapaz Bar restaurant located on Gili Trawangan.
Passionate about the planet, we decided to set a goal to go completely plastic-free by 2020 and achieved this through creative use of coconuts, bamboo and various other natural materials.
Seeing first-hand the issues arising from a lack of facilities related to waste management and recycling, we took direct action. We built a series of large, fish-shaped eco-bins on the beaches of Gili to raise awareness and show tourists and locals just how much litter was laying around.
Even using reusable bags, we felt we were only skimming the surface, so we extended our activities to merge with regional partnerships so together, we could find methods to tackle the plastic problem in innovative and meaningful ways.
EDUCATIONAL PROJECT
Prospective Beneficiaries
This Invest Island Foundation project was primarily introduced to support education empowerment in the community. By providing increased access to education and higher-quality equipment, the hope is students, parents and even teaching staff will benefit from education and employment. The aim is to provide a future to children that perhaps don’t even realise a future exists.
Due to the general standards of education and accessibility in remote parts of Indonesia, parents and grandparents of many children were never enrolled in an effective educational curriculum and this trickles through to the children of today. Our initiative, however, aims to stop that. With our school project in Batu Bangke promising to create a better educational environment, there is hope now that local children will have more employment opportunities in the future.
The lack of educational access restricts the future potential of thousands of children each year. It was our primary motivation to renovate Batu Bangke School. A substantial educational programme should be at the forefront of any community and by pulling together all our resources, the Invest Islands Foundation focused its efforts on rebuilding the school to a far higher standard.
One of the main focus points for the rebuild was to create an infrastructure that supported the use of technology, which included the most basic act of installing electricity at the facility. More importantly, the project involved seeking partnerships with other organisations in order to ensure necessary educational supplies were available. BloomBooks was a key partner in this project and ensured that the school was provided with a variety of educational books, computers and essential supplies for the students.
BEACH CLEANING PROJECT
Prospective Beneficiaries
A large portion of the female population in Torok Raya are underprivileged widows, homeless and/or living in poverty. The Bank Sampah Torok Raya supports these local women, employing them for our various initiative and providing regular income in the form of both sustenance and money.
There are a range of factors to consider when employing the local women of Torok Raya and they all must align with the Foundation’s vision and strategy. One of the reasons we look to hire women is to promote an inclusive environment that coincides with the ethics and gender equality factors of the Foundation. A unique reward system is implemented for the workers that focuses on essentials rather than monetary value. These rewards can include but are not limited to rice, vegetables, eggs, electricity bills and a small monetary offering. The centre point of this strategy is to avoid misspending and instead provide value and sustainability to whole families.
OPERATIONS
Focusing on the area of Torok Bay, Invest Islands has seen this as not only an opportunity to create eco-luxury resorts, but also to preserve the natural land, repurpose waste into revenue that can be reinvested in the local community, and accelerate eco-sustainability in the area..
The support of the community and its local people is imperative to the Foundation’s vision of sustainability. The main tasks for the local women are to work in teams of five and comb the beaches of South Lombok, particularly at Torok Bay, and hand-pick any litter they find. The litter is often washed in from the ocean so our teams ensure the beach remains clean and pristine. This waste is then transported to our recycling centre where it undergoes a separation process before being categorised. The end product of raw material is then re-invested by SAUDARI LOMBOK to create new products, promoting eco-sustainability.
WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECT
Prospective Beneficiaries
The Saudari Lombok initiative is the first female-led social enterprise in South Lombok. With the intention to expand the enterprise across the island, we aim is to promote female empowerment and gender equality.
Our operational HQ is located at Torok Bay, near to the site of the Invest Islands Beach Resort, which is currently being built. The business model of the enterprise is to receive collected plastic from BANK SAMPAH TOROK RAYA and sort the different types and colours of plastic. The plastic is then shredded and melted before being transformed into new products, such as surfing fins, pots, and other furniture. The repurposed new products will then be sold in both B2C and B2B markets with the profit going towards financing expansion and other future projects.
OPERATIONS
Sorting: The plastics are sorted into their seven different types: (1) PET or PETE, (2) HDPE, (3) PVC, (4) LDPE, (5) PP, (6) PS and (7) Other. The first five types move to the next process of shredding. Types 6 and 7 are used to make eco-bricks.
Shredding: Plastics are shredded into flakes that can be used to make new products. Our shredding machine can shred up to 30kg of plastic per hour, depending on the type of plastic.
Compressing: At this stage, the plastic flakes are turned into other products. The flakes are placed into moulds of the desired shape. The filled mould is put inside the compression machine. The machine heats the plastic so it melts and moulds to the desired shape. The compression process takes about an hour to produce one new product.
Products: The products produced at Bank Sampah Torok Raya have two main forms. First, plastic flakes, usually of types 1 and 2, are sold directly to buyers. Second, plastic products like garbage bins, plant pots, bowls, clipboards and keyrings, made with types 3, 4 or 5, are sold to hotels and retail outlets.
ORGANIC PLANTATION PROJECT
Prospective Beneficiaries
Organiika, located in Aiq Dareq, Central Lombok is an organic farm that focuses on a community infrastructure. The farm was established in early 2019 and has been thriving ever since.
The purpose of Organiika is to incorporate and encourage sustainable farming, which in turn can produce fresh, organic and natural products. Included in the harvest can be fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. Each of the products that are organically grown here are primarily used to supply the surrounding restaurants and resorts. This project has a focus on promoting organic farming and sustainability within the local community through education and distribution of permaculture knowledge, as well as sharing the most effective methods in organic agriculture.
OPERATIONS
When developing Organiika there were many important factors to take into consideration. In order to achieve the main target of sustainability for the farm, it was vital that absolutely no chemical fertilisers or pesticides were used. This doesn’t mean that the produce is riddled with pests. Instead, the farm uses environmentally safe methods of pest control. This is done through natural methods that repel bugs and pests without leaving harmful chemicals behind. Producing a natural fertiliser is achieved through worm composting and completes the environmentally sustainable maintenance of the farm. Throughout this process the principles and methodology of permaculture are implemented to avoid producing any waste from the farm. The target is to create a permanent food supply through continuation and expansion of these farming methods.
