EPAM Joins Drink Without Waste Initiative to Help Combat Hong Kong’s Plastic Pollution Crisis

As a technical advisor, the company helped quantify the volume of waste generated from beverage containers by creating a data room to consolidate data

NEWTOWN, PA, USA, March 16, 2023 – Hong Kong disposes of more than 2,300 tons of plastic waste a day, and with a low recycling rate of 11%, most of it goes into landfills, according to government figures.^[1] EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE: EPAM), a leading digital transformation services and product engineering company, today announced its technical advisory role with Drink Without Waste, an initiative led by the Single-Use Beverage Packaging Working Group, to develop and facilitate strategies and actions that significantly reduce waste from beverage consumption arriving in landfills and polluting the environment. The first initiative was creating a Data Room to consolidate recycling data and provide visibility around the volume of waste collected.

“Protecting the environment and creating innovative conservation solutions is at the core of our ESG mission, which is why it was a natural fit for us to partner with Drink Without Waste and help them reduce litter from single-use plastic bottles in the APAC region,” said Darren Lee Starsmore, SVP, Head of EPAM APAC. “The Data Room we created is a foundational and fully scalable component in supporting a much larger recycling theme in Hong Kong. We’re looking forward to seeing great things happen as a result.”

A significant pain point for the non-profit organization was monitoring the recovery of used beverage packaging through the program using Excel spreadsheets. The new Data Room—hosted on AWS cloud—consolidates the data, reduces manual effort, and provides a scalable solution for future projects. Designed to provide transparency and improve the collection and auditing process that comes from collectors, recyclers, logistic providers and supportive campaign partners, the data room is equipped with automated reminder emails, a dashboard for the public and Power BI reporting for internal stakeholders. In addition, it also calculates the subsidy amount that needs to be given to collectors and recyclers.

“We are pleased to be working with EPAM to combat the plastic crisis in Hong Kong,” said Paul Zimmerman, General Manager, Drink Without Waste. “Visibility of data streams is key to expeditious implementation of a Producer Responsibility Scheme for beverage containers in Hong Kong. The Data Room is the core module that will support future developments in recording and reporting requirements and is key to building much-needed trust in recycling systems in Hong Kong.”

Named a 2022 Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Company, EPAM’s detailed planning represents an interconnected effort to lead its employees and industry partners to a new standard of environmental responsibility. Examples of its innovative conservation solutions include Image n Pay digital payments, the Footprint plastic bag problem and Trashly, named a Best Environmental Mobile App by Google.

Learn more about the Drink Without Waste project in an interview with Paul Zimmerman

To learn more about EPAM’s approach to corporate responsibility, visit epam.com/about/who-we-are/corporate-responsibility.

[1] Solum, A. (2022, April 18). Hong Kong zero-COVID policies create mountains of plastic waste. Reuters. Retrieved January 25, 2023, from https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hong-kong-zero-covid-policies-create-mountains-plastic-waste-2022-04-19/

About EPAM Systems

Since 1993, EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE: EPAM) has leveraged its advanced software engineering heritage to become the foremost global digital transformation services provider – leading the industry in digital and physical product development and digital platform engineering services. Through its innovative strategy; integrated advisory, consulting, and design capabilities; and unique 'Engineering DNA,' EPAM's globally deployed hybrid teams help make the future real for clients and communities around the world by powering better enterprise, education and health platforms that connect people, optimize experiences, and improve people's lives. In 2021, EPAM was added to the S&P 500 and included among the list of Forbes Global 2000 companies.  

Selected by Newsweek as a 2021 and 2022 Most Loved Workplace, EPAM's global multi-disciplinary teams serve customers in more than 50 countries across six continents. As a recognized leader, EPAM is listed among the top 15 companies in Information Technology Services on the Fortune 1000 and ranked four times as the top IT services company on Fortune's 100 Fastest Growing Companies list. EPAM is also listed among Ad Age's top 25 World's Largest Agency Companies for three consecutive years, and Consulting Magazine named EPAM Continuum a top 20 Fastest Growing Firm.

Learn more at www.epam.com and follow EPAM on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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