Prosper More, Waste Less this Chinese New Year

Good luck, good health and good cheer to a sustainable 2021!

This Chinese New Year, our DBS Giving Tree has been transformed into an Ox!

Food waste is one of the biggest waste streams in Singapore - even more so during the holiday festivities. Did you know that food waste increase by up to 20% during the Chinese New Year festive period?

This year, in collaboration with WhatIF Foods—a social enterprise supported by DBS Foundation—we hope to raise awareness on food waste and spark joy in you and our community by giving the gift of food in a responsible and meaningful way.

We love good food, and we especially love food that’s good for the environment.

Giving back to the environment

Made from used wine crates and recycled wooden pallets, decorations on this 100% circular tree comprise food products made from future-fit crops* and produce that are slightly blemished, but are otherwise safe for consumption.

Let’s play our part to reduce food waste and make this Chinese New Year a prosperous and conscious one! Check out these hacks on how we can all play our part to reduce food waste: learn more.



Giving back to the community

As part of our commitment to give back to the community during these unprecedented times, the decorations will also be converted into sweet treats and meals for over 2,500 beneficiaries. This includes:

  • Sweet treats for Christmas made by GLAZE using WhatIF Food’s BamNut, Ube and Apple Cinnamon Shake mixes for over 1,100 beneficiaries from AMKFSC, Marymount Centre and MINDS
  • Over 1,300 more products to gift Singapore Food Bank’s beneficiaries
  • Nutritious New Year’s bento meals for over 100 DBS frontline workers
 

About the DBS Giving Tree

Our holiday festivities often produce considerable waste – from food, to plastics and décor. To play our part in curbing festive waste, we started the DBS Giving Tree in 2019 when we asked the question – how can we make the earth better with our festive decorations? This seeded the idea of a 100% circular tree where the structure and décor of the tree are made entirely from sustainable materials.

We call it the DBS Giving Tree because on top of representing our efforts to give back to the planet, we repurpose the décor from the trees to pay it forward for our colleagues and the society.

Click on the video below to see how we worked with Edible Garden City (another social enterprise supported by DBS Foundation) and Ground-Up Initiative to close the loop for a circular economy with the DBS Giving Tree in 2019. 


Watch this 'In The Moment' episode to find out more about this year's concept, presented in collaboration with WhatIF Foods, another social enterprise supported by DBS Foundation:

 

Locate the DBS Giving Tree

For the first time, in addition to our DBS offices, the DBS Giving Tree will also be on display at four DBS retail branches island-wide.

Available from now to 28 February to the general public, come discover the DBS Giving Tree at the nearest DBS or POSB retail branch (listed below) – take home our plantable seed paper and grow your very own basil!


DBS MBFC Branch
12 Marina Boulevard Level 3 MBFC Tower 3
Singapore 018982

DBS Takashimaya S.C. Branch
391 Orchard Rd
Singapore 238872

DBS Westgate Branch
3 Gateway Dr, #04-36 Westgate
Singapore 608532

POSB Waterway Point Branch
83 Punggol Central, #B2 - 09 Waterway Point
Singapore 828761

Other participating markets: Hong Kong and China

 

Social enterprises we support

Learn more about the social enterprises we've worked with for this year's DBS Giving Tree.

ClearPlate
Edible food products for the Giving Trees decorations
WhatIF Foods creates tasty convenience foods that nourish us, our farmers, and our planet. They envision a future where the food system is not only nourishing, diverse and resilient, but also uplifts farming communities.

Finding its roots in nature, WhatIF Foods harnesses the power of future-it crops, which are nutritionally dense, climate-resilient, resource-efficient, and can be grown on degraded lands, to innovate food we all know and love.

You can have great tasting and healthier noodles, shakes and soups, safe in the knowledge that you are doing your part for the planet and its people.

Learn more about them here.
ClearPlate
ClearPlate
Edible food products for the Giving Trees decorations

UglyFood offers a wide range of fresh produce bundles and nutritious food products, up to 40% off supermarket prices, via its online store.

UglyFood procures fresh produce wastage arising from either “ugly” or surplus produce from suppliers. It advocates “Ugly” through their offerings, as it helps people discover and appreciate the beauty within cosmetically-damaged fruits and vegetables.

At the same time, UglyFood curates experiences such as talks, workshops and learning journeys to inspire more to embark on the path in reducing wastage.

Learn more about them here.
ClearPlate
ClearPlate
Plantable seed paper and compostable paper labels for glass jars on the Giving Tree
Planting the seeds of change, ONE PAGE AT A TIME!

Chin Long Printing began in Singapore in 1976 as a modest printer with only a small, single-colour printing press. They offered simple printing services for stationery, such as cards and forms.

More than 40 years later, Chin Long Printing has realised its ideas in green living, evolving into a full-facility, eco-conscious print communications group.

Learn more about them here.
ClearPlate GLAZE offers a range of wholesome pastries and snacks. It enjoys a solid base of loyal customers, with plans to open its first physical shop in the near future.

GLAZE strives to integrate strong social and environmental practices, through community work, sustainable packaging and sourcing.

Find GLAZE on Instagram @glaze_by_gunelleb.
ClearPlate
Compostable stickers for the Giving Tree decoration

noissue is an online design platform that offers branded packing accessories, including custom tissue paper, sticker printing, packing tape and more.

All materials used in the printing are completely eco-friendly, running the full gamut of sustainability. These include packaging products made from recycled products as well as reusable and compostable materials.

Learn more about them here.


In 2020, DBS Foundation introduced a special category of grants for innovative businesses working towards Zero Food Waste. Learn more about the Grant Awardees who are tackling the issue of food waste here!

 

Frequently Asked Questions

About The DBS Giving Tree 2020

Our holiday festivities often produce considerable waste – from food, to plastics and décor. To play our part in curbing festive waste, we started the DBS Giving Tree in 2019 – a 100% circular tree where the structure and décor of the trees are made entirely from sustainable materials.


The DBS Giving Tree is a 100% circular tree where the structure and décor of the trees are made entirely from sustainable materials. The tree is composed of used wine crates and recycled wooden pallets and the food products are made from future-fit crops that are underutilised, nutritionally dense and climate-resilient or ugly food that would otherwise have been thrown away.


The theme of the DBS Giving Tree this year is anchored towards Zero Food Waste.

Food waste is one of the biggest waste streams in Singapore and more efforts are going into reducing food waste every day. With this in mind, we want to use our DBS Giving Trees to raise awareness on food waste, while bringing joy to more people by giving the gift of food in a responsible and meaningful way.

Find out more about how else DBS is working towards Zero Food Waste here.


We want to use our DBS Giving Trees to raise awareness about food waste, while bringing joy to more people by giving the gift of food in a responsible and meaningful way. We will be turning the food products into meals and sweet treats to distribute to over 2,500 beneficiaries in the months ahead.


The food products on the trees are not meant as samples but for a charitable cause. They are placed within the crates to help raise awareness about food waste and will be repurposed into safe-for-consumption treats/meals for beneficiaries from various charities. The plantable seed papers can also be taken and brought home to plant.


Yes, they will be safe for consumption as all the food products displayed on the tree have a 3-month shelf life. The best before date is also printed on each of the products to ensure they are safe to eat.


Plantable seed paper is a biodegradable eco-paper that is made with eco-friendly recycled paper (no trees harmed for this paper!) and embedded with seeds. When the paper is planted in a pot of soil, the seeds will grow and the paper composts away. All that is left behind is the herb (in this case, basil) and no waste!


You may purchase the products directly from WhatIF Foods and UglyFood. Special privileges are available for DBS/POSB Cardholders, check out www.dbs.com.sg/personal/cards/offers/sustainability.

About WhatIF Foods

WhatIF Foods creates tasty convenience foods that nourish us, our farmers, and our planet. They envision a future where the food system is not only nourishing, diverse and resilient, but also uplifts farming communities.

Finding its roots in nature, WhatIF Foods harnesses the power of future-fit crops, which are nutritionally dense, climate-resilient, resource-efficient, and can be grown on degraded lands, to innovate food we all know and love. You can have great tasting and healthier noodles, shakes and soups, safe in the knowledge that you are doing your part for the planet and its people.

WhatIF Foods is a 2019 DBS Foundation Grant Awardee. Since being awarded the grant, DBS has nurtured WhatIF Foods through skills-based volunteering, mentoring and publicity opportunities.


Yes, they are. Our products are tested on willing humans and do not contain any animal-derived ingredients. For our friends that do not consume alliums, please note some of our products do contain alliums and please check the product page for details.


All WhatIF products are made in a facility that is Halal Certified by JAKIM and free of meat and alcohol. We are constantly adding new products to our Halal certificate. The products that have already been Halal Certified will have the Halal message displayed on their respective product pages.


Some of the products contain known allergens, such as gluten and nuts. We advise to review the allergen section of each product, online or in person, carefully before consumption.


The products contain 100% plant-based proteins sourced from a variety of crops including the Bambara groundnut, pea, lupins, rice, and wheat. Combining proteins from a variety of legumes and grains ensure that all essential amino acids are provided.

About UglyFood

UglyFood offers a wide range of fresh produce bundles and nutritious food products, up to 40% off supermarket prices, via its online store.

UglyFood procures fresh produce wastage arising from either “ugly” or surplus produce from suppliers. It advocates “Ugly” through their offerings, as it helps people discover and appreciate the beauty within cosmetically-damaged fruits and vegetables.

At the same time, UglyFood curates experiences such as talks, workshops and learning journeys to inspire more to embark on the path in reducing wastage.

DBS has supported UglyFood through skills-based volunteering, market access and publicity opportunities.


Yes, the granola is plant-based and contains no animal derivatives.


Unfortunately, the granola is not made in a halal certified facility.

It contains gluten and tree nuts.

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