Farm to Table’ aims to educate one million individuals by 2023 to eat well and live well, for a healthier and more sustainable future
Dubai, UAE – Locally-owned supermarket Spinneys has partnered with Emirates School Establishment (ESE) to roll out its ‘Farm to Table’ educational programme in public schools across the UAE. As part of the brand’s ‘Eat Well, Live Well’ ethos, the initiative aims to encourage children, families, and the wider community to make healthier, more sustainable food choices in their daily lives.
ESE is the federal entity responsible for enhancing the efficiency of the UAE’s public education sector within the framework of the Ministry of Education’s policies. In alignment with the UAE’s National Strategy for Wellbeing 2031, its partnership with Spinneys demonstrates the government’s commitment to improving its citizens’ wellbeing. To date, a total of 20 government schools are taking part in the Spinneys ‘Farm to Table’ programme this academic term, before it is made available to all UAE Cycle 2 schools after the Spring break.
Her Excellency Hind Al Ameri, Executive Director of Corporate Services at Emirates Schools Establishment, said: “ESE’s top priority is to support the health and wellbeing of our students both physically and mentally as part of our mission to care and improve all aspects of their lives. Our partnership with Spinneys reflects the UAE Government’s commitment to improving the welfare of its citizens – encouraging students and their families to adopt healthy eating habits that will have a positive impact on their wellbeing and academic performance.”
Developed for children aged seven to 10 years old, the initiative aims to educate youngsters about how food is produced both locally and internationally, its journey from ‘farm to table’, and how to eat more healthily. Practical modules include visits to local farms, learning how to make and cook nutritious food with some of the region’s best-known chefs and visits to Spinneys supermarkets, including its first sustainable store in Layan Community.
Sunil Kumar, CEO of Spinneys UAE, said: “We are honoured to be working alongside ESE on such an important initiative, as together we contribute to creating positive lifestyle changes for future generations. As part of our 2030 sustainability programme ‘Let’s Do Better Together’, ‘Farm to Table’ aims to reach as many individuals as possible, and to continue to support the UAE leadership in paving the way for a healthier, happier future for all.”
The ‘Farm to Table’ programme is also contributing to the UAE’s Food Security Strategy 2051 by raising awareness of the impact that food consumption behaviour has on others and the environment. In doing so it hopes to encourage students to make informed lifestyle improvements that will see them enjoy a better quality of life into adulthood. Research shows that individuals are more likely to embrace healthy and sustainable lifestyles if they embed these habits from a young age. Responsible food consumption is also an issue among both children and adults in the region. According to the United Nations Environmental Programme Food Waste Index Report 2021, the average person in the UAE is estimated to throw away 95kg of food a year. In line with the UN’s Global Sustainable Development Goals, the UAE is working to reduce total food waste by 50 percent by 2030.
Sophie Corcut, Sustainability Manager at Spinneys added, “Helping children understand what’s behind and beyond the food on their table by encouraging them to be inquisitive about their diet and sustainable practises is essential to forming positive eating habits. We are grateful to all the partners who have helped develop this initiative so far, as together we support even more households across the UAE and afar to identify and adopt positive food consumption behaviours.”
As part of its mission to educate one million individuals by 2023, ‘Farm to table’ is now available online for anyone to access in both English and Arabic. Since launching in 2021, Spinneys’ Farm to Table’ programme already operates in 50 public and private schools across the UAE.
For more information about the brand and upcoming news visit www.spinneys.com and @spinneysdubai / @spinneyskitchen on Instagram.
Source: Zawya
Eric Schaffner and the UAE-born ZeLoop app shows how crowd-sourced recycling can prevent plastic waste from polluting the environment.
Neuroscience has long understood that the human brain is hardwired to seek out rewarding stimuli. We do so both for evolutionary benefit and for extrinsic gain, such as financial remuneration. From fashion to social media, the science has been applied to a number of fields.
Now one Dubai resident has shown how we can use the system for environmental benefit. Eric Schaffner is the man behind ZeLoop, a UAE-based mobile application that rewards people for recycling plastic bottles.
Schaffner, CEO and founder of blockchain technology company SmartBlock Beverages, says the app’s reward system directly helps fight littering and promotes the creation of a circular economy.
“By creating value for waste that is disconnected from the material residual value of the material collected, we incentivise users for embodying pro-environmental behaviours that avoid leakage to nature,” says Schaffner, who has had a long career in the packaging industry and wanted to do something about human-generated plastic pollution.
Worldwide, we discard 1.3 billion plastic bottles every day, and less than 10 per cent of all the plastic ever made has been recycled.
Since its launch in 2020, ZeLoop users have already diverted close to one million bottles from leaking to nature, he says.
Consumers bring plastic bottles of any size or shape to a collection point and upload a photo of their deposit. The platform then geo-locates the user, validates the number of bottles deposited and credits users’ blockchain wallets with Eco-Rewards, a digital currency token created by Schaffner and his team. These tokens can later be exchanged for discounts at partner retailers, or even cash and Bitcoin (via the Binance exchange).
The gamified approach to waste collection has drawn 11,000 app users in nearly 150 countries. Further, collection points have been mapped in around 50 countries.
Planet-friendly and profitable
ZeLoop is the first company in the GCC to be recognised with the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution label, the only evaluation that guarantees the economic profitability of products and processes that protect the environment. The company is also a Living Business success partner and offers technical expertise to the programme’s participants.
ZeLoop rewards users with additional reinforcement techniques. Further tokens are awarded to those who bring in new users through social media referrals. Similarly, the crowdsourcing of collection points, for example, works as an emotional reward for users who want to do their bit.
In addition, users can also participate in ZeLoop-linked Eco-Missions, where companies can use special events to engage with customers as part of their corporate social responsibility strategy. Such limited-time actions can harness human effort to achieve large goals over a short period, while simultaneously onboarding new users.
Similarly, ZeLoop works with corporate partners to establish recycling projects. As a Living Business success partner, Schaffner and his team set up a recycling programme for Kingdom Pride Center, a retailer in Bahrain. ZeLoop users receive a discount voucher of up to BD5 (US$13) that can be redeems against purchases at Kingdom Pride.
To close the circle, ZeLoop’s partners audit the waste management process – although at every collection point, treatment depends on the corresponding waste management company. “Our partner BlackForest Solutions audits post-bin treatment and provides a circularity certificate. In such cases, ZeLoop can drive feedstock to these quality points by providing extra tokens for bottles deposited to the most efficient points,” Schaffner says.
Besides the environmental gains of circularity, value benefits flow around the circle, rewarding the different parties involved.
But the rewards don’t need to stop with plastic bottles. ZeLoop can be extended to other environmental solutions, he says. “The application is built on a blockchain reward engine that serves as a platform to which other sustainability and environment-protection applications can be connected, to create an ecosystem with a suite of eco-friendly solutions.”
By doing so, ZeLoop can help scale the circular economy.
For now, Schaffner is focused on consolidating ZeLoop’s early gains. The company has signed on representatives in the USA, France, Morocco and Zambia, with more deals in the pipeline, he says.
Plastic waste particles have already permeated every region of the planet. As more people sign up to earn rewards with apps such as ZeLoop, there’s no reason why it should continue to pollute the environment.
Phoenix Contact has been active in the market for almost 100 years. The framework for sustainable management and corporate responsibility is formed by the harmonization of economic, ecological, and social issues. The Corporate Principles are the guidelines for the daily business dealings of all Phoenix Contact employees around the world. Our customers and partners can trust in our commitment to the Global Compact of the United Nations (since 2005), the Code of Conduct of the ZVEI (since 2009), and the “Verband der Klimaschutz-Unternehmen” association of companies that play a pioneering role in climate protection (since 2011).
As part of maintaining a sustainable business, we meet the relevant environmental protection standards and regulations. Environmental compatibility, the efficient use of resources, and climate protection are given high priority in our considerations and activities. We aim to make our entire value-added chain climate-neutral before 2030. As we support the global UN commitment to sustainability, 5 SDGs (7, 8, 9, 11, and 12) are directly supported by the Phoenix Contact product and innovation portfolio.
Social responsibility is indicated in our Group Code of Conduct – which the entire management team at Phoenix Contact Middle East has committed to. The management team collectively influenced major decisions related to the development of the sustainability framework and lead CSR achievements in their individual areas of responsibility that are tracked against the company’s vision and long-term strategy.
Economic issues
A new futuristic vision 'Empowering the All Electric Society’ has been adopted by Phoenix Contact and is a model which describes a world in which renewable energies are available worldwide as the primary type of energy in sufficient quantities and in an entirely economical way. For us, a pathway to this world is through empowering and preparing the way to the All Electric Society, which represents a sustainable world.
Ecological Issues
Energy efficiency
Efficient use of resources has always been central to corporate responsibility at Phoenix Contact. Below are some projects we implemented in our locations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates to become more energy efficient.
• Cooling of all our premises is carried out using chilled water from district cooling plants
• Energy-efficient LED lighting is installed in our office and the warehouses
• Insulating material is used in the main office fit-out
In 2020, we have joined a sustainable program in partnership with HSBC called 'Living Business Middle East' which calls on all businesses especially manufacturers to reduce their environmental impact as part of their sustainability commitments and supports them in transitioning towards a more sustainable way of operation. We have been committed with them and their partners ever since and have initiated multiple sustainable projects. We got selected among 70 candidate companies from across the GCC as a runner-up in the mid-size category at the Living Business Program 2021 Finals.
Waste Management
Environmentally friendly production also means ensuring that resources are not wasted, in terms of both management and operating technology. We implement waste management practices in the office and at the warehouse. Carboard management is one practice that we regularly do to reduce the number of cartons we hand over for recycling. All material scrapping, and the recycling of paper, plastic and e-waste is carried out through licensed recycling companies.
Automation of paper-based processes is also vital, not only for environmental benefits but also to streamline business processes and enhance productivity and accuracy. We automated many of the routine HR processes in the organization by installing an HRMS.
Carbon Footprint
In 2021, with the help of Emirates nature-WWF’s 'Target Climate Initiative', we carried out a Greenhouse Gas inventory for the years 2018-2020 to understand the sources of CO2 emissions in our local operations and identified key actions necessary to reduce them. At the end of 2021, we have reduced our GHG footprint by 50% mostly because of converting our shipments from air freight to sea freight mode.
Social issues
Employee Welfare
Protecting the environment and looking after employees’ health and wellness are not mutually exclusive objectives for Phoenix Contact, they represent a double incentive. At Phoenix Contact, employees can expect fair working conditions, a strong focus on occupational safety and data protection, and respect from those around them. The basis for this is our Corporate Principles and is ensured through convenient working conditions and environment at the workplace, flexible working hours, and remote working wherever possible.
In 2020, the company did the 'Great Place to Work' employee survey which records the workplace culture in five different categories on an aggregated level. In contrast to 360° feedback, conclusions can be drawn about the culture but not about the leadership behavior of individual people. In the Middle East, we have managed to achieve 100% participation rate which is an important element of trust.
Employee Wellbeing
Since the beginning of 2020, we have been consistently implementing health management and corporate wellness practices. We included psychiatric treatment and psychotherapy as part of our Group Medical Insurance Policy that is fully covered, and we joined a Corporate Wellness Program called 'Steppi' to encourage employees to increase their levels of activity to stay fit and healthy.
In 2021, we partnered with 'Safe Space' – a company that provides employers and employees with the tools they need to manage their mental health. We started with a survey to assess the state of mental health of our employees and eventually joined their program which provides access to unlimited virtual sessions delivered by professional coaches and counselors.
Diversity and Inclusion
We have participated at the Dubai Chamber Sustainability Week 2021 campaign ‘Let's Create an Inclusive Workplace' and became more aware of the essential role of inclusiveness and sustainable development at the workplace.
Training and Development
Learning and growth is a journey and a life-long process. Phoenix Contact is committed to its professional and personal development and has offered all its employees, access to LinkedIn Learning since 2021. Employees are also provided with access to a cloud Software from SAP for training administration purposes to plan and track their own qualifications.
Charity and Volunteering
Just before in-person events came to a standstill due to the global pandemic; we had an ongoing partnership with a local charity organization 'Action Care' who held a variety of charitable events and programs for children from low-income families. Over the past years, we sponsored many of their initiatives and had volunteers from the team assist the children to explore and experience a series of fun-filled interactive sessions and educational programs. We also had volunteers at Career Days at the National Charity School in Dubai to help prepare young adults for working life by introducing them to the Electrical Engineering field and by giving tips on how to build and improve their CVs.
Certifications
For the second year in a row at the end of 2021, Phoenix Contact Middle East has been able to meet the requirements of the new SMART individual Dubai Chamber CSR Labels 2021 and has been awarded the Dubai Chamber CSR Label - Workplace and Dubai Chamber CSR Label – Environment.
Phoenix Contact Middle East · Marketing Communications · Dania Liswi email:dliswi@phoenixcontact.com · Tel. (04) 437 0324 · Fax (04) 437 0323
The 1st Panel Discussion of the Emirates Environmental Group for 2022, was held virtually on the historic day 22.2.22, under the title “Greening the Concrete Jungles - Towards Urban Afforestation and Vertical Farming”. It highlighted the importance of building hybrid cities, amalgamating natural environment into sustainable architecture and design with the incorporation of modern retrofit technologies.
The speakers in the panel discussion emphasised that urban afforestation and vertical farms can be considered as a link between existing green urban areas, counter-fragmentation, enhancing environmental cohesion, to cope with the changing climate, gradual environmental degradation and the associated loss of agricultural land. The speakers stressed that urban afforestation and vertical farms not only constitute a base for food production, they can also create a valuable new ecological, social and economic hub in contemporary cities that have been transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the panel discussion, Ms. Habiba Al Mar’ashi, Co-founder and Chairperson of the Emirates Environmental Group, started her speech by thanking supporting entities of the Panel Discussion, the Arabia CSR Network, Emirates Green Building Council, the Clean Energy Business Council, and the Swiss Business Council.
In 2015, more than half of the world’s population and nearly three quarters of Europe’s population lived in cities or large agglomerations, and in 2050, the proportion of the population living in urban areas around the world, according to UN projections shall be more than 66%, and 82% in Europe. This new reality will cause more urban areas being occupied, increase in pollution, shrinking of forests, more erosion and further habitat fragmentation that will result in the overall decrease of biodiversity.
Ecological function of greenery largely depends on the size of nature hubs, resilience, ecological linkages, and on the resistance of plant habitats to changes in the natural environment. The human population, who are struggling with climate change, must create a new quality of space, which will not only maintain the environment’s sustainability, but will also improve its quality. In urban areas, where structures and spatial planning are dynamically transformed, there is a need to explore the possibility of introducing greenery in new spatial systems.
Accessible green space creates a spectrum of possibilities to do sport, increases children’s creative play, and improve social relationships between people of different religions and genders. Green space can encourage social interaction and can contribute to making higher density housing more attractive and safe. Widely accessible green spaces favour human interactions and, in this way, help in decreasing social exclusion and strengthening the link between urban and rural communities.
The urban vertical greenery provides new opportunities for educational use of the area, and ensures that the mosaic of habitats in the forest can be used for the full range of environmental educational needs of the surrounding schools. Building the urban vertical system will allow reparation of the ecosystem’s integrity and enhance sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity in the urban environment, which results in better provision of food, goods, and services to support human well-being.
Mrs. Habiba Al Mar’ashi in her opening speech said that “For far too long, we have followed the pattern of razing down habitats to construct our villages, cities, towns, farms, industries, mega structures and more. This singular thought of taking human comfort perspective only has led to reduction in habitats, extinction of countless species, loss of biodiversity, deterioration of human health and other species.” She further added that “It is high time to get onto the ground level, see other creatures as important part of biodiversity and essential to our survival. It is time to build hybrid communities where nature and humans can exist side by side with minimal conflict, make our agricultural practices more sustainable. To change the mind-set of the future generation to be holistic and inclusive with nature.”
The distinguished panellists who were invited to contribute to the discussions included:
- Olivia Nielsen - Associate Principal at Miyamoto International
- Henrique Pereira - Chief Executive Officer, Taka Solutions
- Moohammed Wasim Yahia - Assistant professor at Architecture Engineering Department - Faculty of Engineering, University of Sharjah.
The successful incorporation of urban afforestation and vertical farms into the cities will effectively contribute to achieving several Sustainable Development Goals: 3 – Good Health and Well Being, 6: Clean Water and Sanitation 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, 13 – Climate Action 14 – Life Below Water & 15 – Life on Land and 17 - Partnership for Goals. This panel is a prime example of the aims to achieve the goals by 2030.
Ms. Olivia Nielsen emphasised that the future of cities should look more alive with trees and vegetation. If green vegetation is not in our imagination, we cannot build it. Many scientific reports highlight the importance of urban afforestation. Studies show many affordable green construction solutions. In concluding her presentation, she urged the audience to give wings to their imagination so we can create a green urban future together!
Dr. Moohammed Wasim Yahia brought to the table the advantages of Urban Afforestation such as improve in air quality, mitigation of storm water, enhanced biodiversity. Permeable vegetated surfaces resulting in lower surface temperature and lower air temperatures. He explained the causes for urban heat island and concluded his discussion that the green cannot be implemented unless the blue infrastructure is executed. Green Blue infrastructure will maximise the benefits of Urban Afforestation.
Mr. Henrique Pereira addressed the audience with a detailed explanation of the correlation between urban afforestation and energy consumption. Structures such as buildings, roads, and other infrastructure absorb and re-emit the sun's heat more than natural landscapes. Natural landscapes besides purifying the air play an important role by acting as carbon sinks. He affirmed that policies and strategies are strongly taking shape and with collaborated efforts from all sectors, a world inclusive for not just humans but all inhabitants will be built.
The panel discussion concluded with interactive and detailed round of questions asked to the panellists by the moderator as well as with the questions from the attendees. Overall the session was very informative and the audience took away, in-depth valuable knowledge from the session with varying perspectives from different sectors of the society.
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About Emirates Environmental Group:
Emirates Environmental Group (EEG(, is a professional working group established in 1991. It is devoted to protecting the environment through the means of education, action programmes and community involvement. EEG is actively encouraged and supported by concerned local and federal government agencies. It is the first environmental NGO in the world to be ISO 14001 certified and the only organisation of its kind in the UAE with accredited status to the United Nations Convention to Combating Desertification (UNCCD) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). EEG is a member of the UN Global Compact, the Global Urban Development (GUD), and the One Planet Network under programme of Sustainable Food System (SFS) and its Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Committee (MAC) and Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML).
For more information, contact us: email: eeg@emirates.net.ae ; Fax: 04-3448677 and please visit our bi-lingual website: www.eeg-uae.org
Source: Zawya
Nestlé is contributing to the Food for Future Summit on February 23-24 at Expo 2020 Dubai, where it’s showcasing how it aims to support and advance regenerative food systems at scale to help protect, renew, and restore the environment; improve farmers’ livelihoods; and enhance the well-being of communities.
The event is presenting Nespresso sustainability efforts, including the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Program, “which is a coffee sourcing program designed to ensure the continued supply of high-quality coffee while improving the livelihoods of farmers and their communities, and protecting the environment,” explained Francisco Nogueira, Business Executive Officer,Nespresso Middle East and Africa.
Nestlé is also promoting plant-based food by offering tastings of its Sweet Earth range which was recently launched in the region. “We want to encourage the inclusion of plant-based nutrition by launching training sessions for professional chefs at the Summit, highlighting its dietary value, and contribution to sustainability,” said, Joe Aouad, Business Executive Officer, Nestlé Professional Middle East and North Africa.
Also represented at the Summit is the Dubai-based Nestlé Quality Assurance Center, a hub for microbiological and nutritional analysis of food, water, and environment samples serving the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey.
Supporting coffee communities
Examples of how this is being applied in practice include Nestlé working closely with over 200,000 coffee farmers worldwide through global coffee sustainability programs such as the Nescafé Plan and Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality. The company enlists the expertise of over 600 agronomists around the world, to support coffee farmers for a more productive and sustainable harvest.
Nestlé this month announced the creation of the Nestlé Institute of Agricultural Sciences, which will assess and combine science-based solutions to improve the nutritional and sensorial qualities and the environmental impact of agricultural raw materials.
Transforming Products
Within its product portfolio, Nestlé is continuously expanding its offering of plant-based food and beverages and is reformulating products to lower environmental impact. It is increasing the number of 'carbon neutral' brands it offers to give consumers the opportunity to contribute to the fight against climate change.
Rethinking Manufacturing
Nestlé is also committed to achieving 100% renewable electricity at its 800 global sites by 2025. Actions towards that end include Nestlé’s Al Maha Factory in Dubai South housing 20,000 photovoltaic (PV) panels, generating 7.2GWh of electricity and eliminating 4.5 million kilograms of CO2 per year.
Nestlé is one of the first companies to share its detailed, time-bound plan (pdf, 10Mb), committing to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050. The world’s Good Food, Good Life company is striving to co-create a resilient future for the planet and its people, making a promise to advance regenerative food systems at scale – a term that encompasses every actor, activity, process, and product in growing, raising, making, delivering, and consuming food.
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For more information, please contact:
Layal Dalal, Nestlé Media Relations Manager, Middle East and North Africa
Email: layal.dalal@AE.nestle.com
About Nestlé in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Nestlé’s heritage in the Middle East and North Africa goes back over 100 years with the sale of the first Infant Cereals in Egypt. Today, Nestlé operates 25 Food & Beverage factories across the 19 countries of the MENA region; and provides direct employment to more than 15,000 people. Nestlé MENA also provides indirect employment to several thousand more across the region.
The Nestlé portfolio in the region currently exceeds 60 innovative product brands in a wide range of categories: Dairy, Infant Nutrition, Coffee and Creamers, Confectionery, Bottled Water, Breakfast Cereals, Culinary products, Health Science, and Pet Care, among others. Nestlé Nido, Nestlé Cerelac, Nestlé NAN, S-26, Progress, Nescafé, Nespresso, Bonjorno Café, Coffee-mate, KitKat, Maggi, Nestlé Fitness, Nestlé Pure Life, Optifast, and Purina Friskies are just some of the brands available in the Middle East and North Africa.
To know more, you can visit the following pages:
Website: www.nestle-mena.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NestleMiddleeastNorthafrica
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NestleMe
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nestlemena/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nestle-s-a-
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/people/nestlemena/
Source: Zawya
Energy efficiency as a contributor to success
Climate protection, efficient use of resources, rising energy costs, new supply models, and strict environmental regulations: For all these goals, energy is a decisive competitive factor, whatever the industry. There is therefore no alternative to increasing energy efficiency. A great challenge – but also a great opportunity. Because by making plants more energy-efficient, companies can also achieve considerable cost savings.
Energy efficiency in production – in reality
Energy-efficient production means more than simply reducing energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, or costs – it also involves linking energy and production data in order to analyze and optimize not only energy consumption but also the energy productivity of machines, plants, and processes. These measures provide the opportunity to achieve all-round improvements in process productivity and efficiency.
Grundfos is a global water technology company committed to pioneering solutions to the world’s water and climate challenges and improving the quality of life for people. Our strategic journey represents our ambition to do whatever is in our power to help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular 6 and 13.
Grundfos water solutions today are among the most advanced on the market and we pride ourselves on the fact that every innovative solution is brought to life by thousands of dedicated employees. Grundfos pumps are manufactured in accordance with the ISO standards just as we are determined to exceed environmental standards. It is important to us that our innovative solutions do not only benefit the user but are also easy on the environment. And we achieve that by always thinking ahead before we develop and market a new product.
Virgin Mobile UAE, part of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), today announced that it is the first telecom brand in the UAE to introduce new biodegradable SIM cards. The move is in line with the UAE’s vision to create a vibrant new green economy that will offer the world a unique model for sustainable development.
The new Virgin Mobile biodegradable sim cards are the most sustainable option available in the UAE for customers whose devices cannot yet accept eSIMs, which require no plastic at all. Virgin Mobile UAE will progressively phase out single-use plastic SIM cards as part of the company’s commitment to being sustainable and towards its mission of being carbon negative.
The new biodegradable SIM is made from an oxo-biodegradable plastic that breaks down into tiny pieces and slowly degrades in the presence of oxygen and UV light. When placed in a landfill, the degradation process can take a little as just 4-6 months. This offers a significant improvement when compared to the estimated hundreds of years normal plastics can take to decompose.
Rob Beswick, Managing Director for Virgin Mobile UAE commented, “Our move to introducing the new sustainable biodegradable SIM cards is aligned with supporting the vision of UAE’s Green Agenda 2030 and UAE’s NetZero 2050 initiative. We can “do more and better with less”, breaking the traditional linkages between economic growth and environmental degradation. This is outlined in the UN’s 12th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG12) which calls for us “to ensure Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). We all need to work together to ensure a collective effort towards building a better future. Virgin Mobile UAE has achieved net-zero carbon emissions for its operations last year, and we are on a mission to become carbon negative.”
It is estimated that at least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year, impactingfragile ecosystems. Despite its tiny size, each SIM card needs to be punched out of a credit-card sized plastic sheet, which is then disposed of, contributing to plastic waste in the telecommunications industry. With consumers demand for SIM cards, this waste is increasing.
“While we are moving towards the use of biodegradable SIM cards that decompose without a trace and it is a key step in the right direction, the move to eSIMs, whereby there is no physical sim card, remains the most sustainable option,” added Beswick.
Tor Malmros, CEO for Workz added “We’re delighted to have achieved yet another market-first with Virgin Mobile UAE. We are currently seeing a sharp rise in interest from network operators worldwide for more sustainable alternatives such as biodegradable SIMs and eSIM – this can only be a good thing. What this project with Virgin Mobile demonstrates is, that with a dynamic, forward-thinking approach, just how quick and significant the impact can be.”
Currently, Virgin Mobile UAE allows its customers to change their physical SIM to an eSIM using their App right from the comfort of their home or office. eSIMs are also available via Virgin Mobile’s unique home delivery service whereby new customers who have an eSIM compatible device, can opt to have their Virgin Mobile eSIM activated by downloading the Virgin Mobile app via the Play store or App store, choosing their favourite number or transferring their current one from any network.
To find out more about Virgin Mobile’s biodegradable SIM and eSIM, visit www.virginmobile.ae
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About Virgin Mobile in the United Arab Emirates
Virgin Mobile believes in making mobile better across the industry with the best customer experience, innovative products and creating a great place to work. Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company has launched Virgin Mobile as the first fully digitalized mobile service in the UAE, providing an experience that has never been seen before in the region.
Virgin Mobile is the second mobile brand to operate under the EITC umbrella, adhering to the rights and obligations of EITC’s telecommunication license while bringing a distinctly different offering and brand promise to the market.
About Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company PJSC (EITC)
The Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC) was founded in 2005 as the UAE’s second licensed telecommunications provider. EITC has two telecommunications brands under its umbrella; du was launched in 2007 and serves over 8 million customers throughout the UAE. EITC recently launched its second brand Virgin Mobile in the market.
EITC is 39.5 percent owned by Emirates Investment Authority, 19.75 percent by Mubadala Development Company PJSC, 19.5 percent by Emirates Communications and Technology LLC and the remaining by public shareholders. Listed on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), the company trades under the name ‘du’.
About Workz
Workz is recognised as one of the global leaders in mobile subscriber solutions – enabling the secure deployment of smart devices and their data faster and easier than ever before. Since 1997, it has securely managed over 14 billion connections in more than 70 countries all without a single data breach. It is a European-owned company with headquarters in Dubai and offices across the world. As well as being certified by the ISO 14001 for Environmental Management, it is one of only five providers in the world to be accredited by the GSMA to manage the complete eSIM lifecycle across both the consumer and M2M markets. Workz is also the world’s largest manufacturer of telecom (SIM and prepaid) cards.
Source: Zawya
The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, EAD, in collaboration with The Center of Waste Management, Abu Dhabi, TADWEER, has published a guide entitled, "Sustainable Construction and Demolition Waste Management in Abu Dhabi".
The guide provides guidance on steps that should be taken by companies in the construction sector to reduce the amount of waste they produce on site. It also addresses how they can take responsibility for the collection, segregation, transfer and disposal of their waste.
According to Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi, SCAD, the total amount of the waste generated in Abu Dhabi has been rapidly growing in recent years. The official figure for 2016 was about 9.69 million tonnes of solid waste produced, more than 26,000/day. The vast majority of waste, about 47 percent, came from construction and demolition, C&D, sites concentrated in and around the vibrant Abu Dhabi City area.
The guide is one of a series issued by EAD that explores the key environmental sustainability challenges facing the Emirate of Abu Dhabi including waste management. This guide provides detailed guidance to organisations operating in the construction sector, including mechanisms for reducing waste production, assessing the quantities of waste disposed for reuse and recycling which will help to protect the environment and reduce the costs of waste disposal and treatment. The guide is available in Arabic and English and can be downloaded from EAD's website.
In addition to the guide, EAD organised a panel discussion at it’s headquarters in Al Mamoura building led by a number of waste management experts. The experts discussed the rewards of an integrated professional and efficient waste management system by taking measures to reduce the production of construction and demolition waste.
Aligning with the environmental objective of the Abu Dhabi Plan, which has been developed to fulfil the emirate’s long-term vision, Abu Dhabi aims to be a leader in waste management with a specific programme designed to achieve integrated waste management," Shaikha Ahmed Al Hosani, Acting Executive Director, Environment Quality Sector at EAD.
The target for this programme is that 60 percent of waste generated in Abu Dhabi is managed and treated in environmentally and economically sound manner by 2020, she added.
Ahmed Baharoon, Executive Director Environmental Information, Science and Outreach Management, said, "We are seeking to transform our approach to C&D waste management by encouraging construction companies and individuals to take more responsibility for their waste and to be accountable for its safe and legal disposal." According to the 2016 statistics, the greater Abu Dhabi region generated 2,524,436 tonnes of C&D waste, compared to 1,116,692 tonnes in Al Ain region and 891,251 tonnes in the Al Dhafra region.
Source: WAM/Zawya
Improving business performance is a key concern in every market. Schneider Electric can help you reduce energy consumption, lower maintenance costs, and increase equipment lifespan. We can also support you in tracking and reporting on carbon emissions to let you meet regulatory compliance.
