DBS Bank Taiwan (星展台灣) yesterday announced a three-year adoption plan for Dagangqian Park in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖).
The bank plans to invest NT$20 million (US$618,410) and collaborate with ecosystem partners to promote diverse sustainable practices, it said.
DBS Taiwan is also partnering with the Taipei City Government and the Singapore Trade Office to host the five-day DBS Singapore Festival in Dagangqian Park, from yesterday to Sunday.
Photo courtesy of DBS Bank Taiwan
The event aims to showcase Singapore’s charm and diverse culture, and features a variety of landmark attractions and experiential activities, it said.
In hopes of introducing Taiwanese to Singapore’s unique multiculturalism, the DBS Singapore Festival has recreated famous Singaporean landmarks such as the Merlion, Peranakan rainbow houses, the Supertree Grove and Marina Bay.
Visitors would also have a chance to participate in unique experiences such as wearing traditional Singaporean attire and getting henna prints. The festival would also showcase well-known Singaporean brands such as the Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Airlines, Song Fa Bak Kut Teh, Toast Box, Satay TW, Ah Bee Cakery Green Cake, Jumbo Seafood Restaurant and the natural wine bar RVLT.
“This year marks not only DBS’ 40th anniversary in the Taiwanese market, but also a year of becoming the largest foreign bank in Taiwan,” DBS Taiwan CEO Ng Sier Han (黃思翰) said. “As we celebrate this meaningful milestone, we also want to ramp up our efforts to cultivate the local market and give back to society. Neihu Dagangqian Park is surrounded by three DBS main office buildings and a branch, with over 2,600 colleagues serving here. Through our three-year park adoption plan, we will join hands with employee volunteers, social enterprises and our sustainability ecosystem partners to actively create a park that embodies sustainability, provides engaging environmental education experiences and meets the citizens’ recreational needs.”
These latest initiatives build on DBS Taiwan’s other efforts to give back to society. For example, DBS Taiwan will be intensifying its longstanding support for social enterprises, nonprofit organizations, and small and medium-sized enterprise partners (including Hidekara Soybean Factory, Taiwan Blue Magpie Tea, Pure Coffee, UKL, 1982 De Glacee Ice Cream and Pley School) by also sharing their high-quality products and their business philosophies with the community. This will enable people to gain a deeper understanding of them, and drive support for these local enterprises with sustainable visions.
DBS Taiwan is also committed to supporting the “Zero Food Waste” initiative and continues to invite the public to participate in this journey by designing interactive activities such as cycling. For every accumulated kilometer cycled, DBS Taiwan will donate 1kg of imperfect fruits and vegetables, along with other supplies, to the Taiwan Food Bank Association.
The festival would also feature an exhibition for people to learn about sustainable actions they can easily incorporate into their daily lives. Participants of the “Zero Food Waste” challenge gives attendees the chance to receive an e-book reader made from recycled ocean waste as a prize.
Through these enjoyable activities, people can further enhance their understanding and implementation of sustainability, the bank said.
“As a leading bank deeply rooted in the Asian market, DBS is committed to pursuing business growth while continuously allocating corporate resources to address the sustainability challenges faced by society,” DBS Taiwan chairman Andrew Ng (伍維洪) said. “To bolster our existing community support initiatives and make a more profound impact, DBS commits to investing S$1 billion [US$730.2 million] over the next 10 years to foster a more inclusive society, with the aim of becoming the ‘Best Bank for a Better World.’”
Headquartered in Singapore, DBS has a longstanding commitment to advancing the sustainability agenda. Beyond embedding responsible business practices in its operations and promoting responsible banking, the bank is also dedicated to creating impact beyond banking by empowering businesses for impact and preparing communities for the future.
For example, with social issues increasingly coming to the forefront, DBS recently announced that it is intensifying its community efforts by committing up to S$1 billion over the next 10 years to improve lives and livelihoods of low-income and underprivileged people, and foster a more inclusive society.
In addition, the bank’s 36,000-strong workforce will commit more than 1.5 million volunteer hours over the next decade to give back to society.
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