The attempt to reduce single-use water bottle waste has been exponential lately in Indonesia.
One person contributing to this cause is Floris Graziosi, the CEO of AYR-Water. He recalled with Indonesia Expat his initial involvement back in 2013.
“I worked at the Indonesian Netherlands Business Chamber and co-organised an EU-funded conference about the waste issue in Indonesia, bringing together trade delegations of European waste-to-energy solution companies and Indonesian governmental representatives from all provinces and financial institutions addressing the need for investments in smart-city solutions in waste management.
“We visited Bantar Gebang to have a harrowing look at Indonesia’s ‘trash mountains’, where thousands of poor families make a living by picking through heaps of rotting garbage. The landfill is one of the world’s largest, with trash mountains until the horizon. It is when you see plastic-eating cows and smell them that you realise the seriousness of the environmental and social impact and that we can’t ‘recycle’ our way out of this national and global waste crisis,” he recalled.
Who is Floris Graziosi?
I’m a Dutch-Italian expat residing in Jakarta because of my choice (not for some multinational employer). My previous partner is an Indonesian lady who was born in Jakarta but raised in the Netherlands. We lived together in The Netherlands until shortly after we decided to relocate to Indonesia. She couldn’t enjoy living here and decided to return within a few months and we broke up. It was the moment when I “stayed” in Indonesia, where I’ve managed, faced challenges, and built operations from the ground up.
After living for over a decade in Indonesia, what would you say is the spark of life here?
We live in what is referred to as the “Asian hemisphere” of emerging economies and I decided that I want to be part of a “challenging” society that Indonesia still is where much is uncertain. It has a growing economy, and many Indonesians exhibit a strong entrepreneurial spirit. From bustling markets to modern start-ups, there’s a palpable sense of dynamism and innovation in various sectors. I feel blessed to be part of this development and be able to contribute in a meaningful way.
You’re deeply passionate about sustainable business practices, thus reflecting towards your company to offer sustainable “preserved mineral” water that’s bottled, capped, and served at its source to minimize carbon footprint and food miles. Tell us more about Celli Asia.
Celli is a leading Italian company founded in 1974 in the sector of drink refrigeration and tap drinks. Whether it is the beer towers or soda drink and water dispensers, Celli is a global partner that provides sustainable drinking experience. Celli has a long-standing presence in Asia, and we noticed that in this part of the world, people need to start drinking tap water.
Now, water scarcity is a growing problem that may lead to significant disruptions in communities in Indonesia and throughout Asia. We saw this as an opportunity to partner with the best in the field of water-treatment and filtration and together we aim to tackle this issue by combining both expertise in a concept of purified drinking water for HORECA and starting our global “Don’t Recycle, Refill” campaign combining innovation and guiding the public and markets towards a new way of life.
And this product extends availability to airliners, hotels, restaurants, gyms, and cruise ships across the country? So, this eliminates unnecessary transportation of water across the planet?
That’s correct our water expertise covers all sorts solutions in water treatment tailored for every location need.
“Still or sparkling water?” is what most customers hear when they first sit down at a restaurant. When you order a bottle of water in an Indonesian restaurant, you don’t realise that the water you drink is likely distributed and brought here from the French Alps or Italian Dolomites mountains, or even the Norwegian highlands. Or even if it is local water, we can all see the trucks bringing single-use packaged water everywhere in the traffic.
Therefore, contributing greatly to a restaurant’s operations and environmental footprint, water is a fundamental yet often overlooked offering, a challenge which AYR-Water aims to address. According to our customer survey, the average size hotel operation of say, 300 rooms and restaurants, banquet services, etc. produces around 50,000 single-use bottles per month.
Care to describe the system to us?
Okay, that works best by a good practice example. Let me share our latest client, Syrco BASÈ by two-Michelin-starred Chef Syrco Bakker, who opened his restaurant in Ubud, Bali just before last Christmas.
We were selected to be their water partner because it fits in his zero-waste vision of sourcing products and ingredients locally so we demonstrated our AYR-water treatment system. After the water lab-testing analysis was approved, our NSF-certified water filters were installed by our qualified engineers at the point of use. AYR-Water system produces “mineral preserved” drinking water in eight steps capable of removing molecules, odour, and dissolved substances – only pure water passes and that is pushed into the energy-smart carbonator from where it flows through to the dispenser. Three options therefore emerge: Still, Sparkling, and Chilled.
Our luxury bottles are not just made of recycled glass (40 percent) but are designed to be dishwasher resistant and to be refilled and reused over and over. The closures are instead reusable (not recyclable!), which makes it truly a “circular” solution. Every sip here is responsible.
Our AYR-Systems are ideal for hotel’s, bars, restaurants, gyms and spas that wish to enhance their sustainability branding and nett profit on water sales. And, what many people do not know is that a large part of our clients includes corporate offices in need of healthy drinking water for their teams.
This way of water consumption depicts sustainable chain operation. Getting everyone in Indonesia on board is a meticulous process. How does AYR-Water intend to provide education?
We cannot do it alone of course. The amazing visionary, Jane Fischer of Bali Waste Platform and Alam Sustainability, reached out to us to partner on a national program for school water refill stations to address plastic pollution and access to safe drinking water.
With AYR-Water, we plan to provide water refill stations to at least 100 participating schools in Indonesia in combination with a “hydration” learning program about the importance of healthy quality drinking water and staying hydrated. This way, we aim to bring back the awareness of water as a natural resource instead of something that comes out of a bottle.
How can our readers get in touch?
For those eager to learn more or get involved in AYR-Water’s mission, I encourage you to reach out through LinkedIn or send an email to [email protected]. The transformative journey towards a plastic-free, sustainable future for Indonesia’s hospitality industry is just a message away.