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The Circular Economy
as it is meant to be
Despite rising food insecurity and pollution, it is shocking that we are still sending food to landfills.
Millions of tons of food waste that end up in landfill could be returned to the soil as nutrient rich
compost and enable regeneration of soil, thus achieving a circular economy. Soil regeneration is
important, especially in a region, such as the Middle East. Increasing circularity in the UAE is absolutely
a possibility. The region aims to be the best in everything it does. With the framework and legislation in
place, we have all the requirements there is to achieve this.
From waste food to compost in 24 hours scale ReProCo products in November during the 2022 Gulfood
Most of the waste in the GCC region is, indeed, organic waste. The Manufacturing event in Dubai. They also displayed compost made
Food and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods industry in particular, creates entirely from packaged foods that can be found in any household
massive amounts of waste. What we don’t realize is that more than refrigerator, car wash made from consumer shampoos and conditioners
30% percent comes from unsold, expired, damaged or mis-produced and surface disinfectant made from common body splash and perfumes,
products. 50-70% percent of that ends up in landfills without ever being which can kill 99% of germs. It aims to continuously provide top quality
used. No company wants to be associated with landfills and waste. recycled materials to consumers while promoting a positive feeling of
using recycled materials.
This is where Ehfaaz comes in. As a circular economy start-up
committed to closed-loop recycling, Ehfaaz re-purposes consumer
goods waste by converting it into useful materials for other industries.
For example, food waste is transformed to organic compost and
leftover shampoo and bodywash into car cleaning products. This way
Ehfaaz diverts waste from landfills, reduces pollution and creates new
business opportunities. Since 2018, over 9 million kilograms of waste
has been successfully diverted away from Dubai landfills, reducing 29
million kilograms of CO2e.
Industrial cleaning products made entirely from recycled waste
To accelerate the transition towards a more circular economy, Ehfaaz
consolidated its multiple solutions into the Recycled Products Company
(ReProCo). Ehfaaz believes that ReProCo will not only be a breakthrough
in the recycling industry but will also encourage companies to recycle
more responsibly. ReProCo initially supplies the market with car wash,
surface disinfectants and compost made entirely from waste that would
otherwise have gone to landfills. Ehfaaz showcased its first commercial
Sustainovation shows the path to sustainability
Up to 80% of the emissions associated with end-of-life products
comes from the FMCG sector. However, there is a lack of clear
reporting standards for end-of-life emissions, making it difficult for
FMCG companies to track their progress and identify opportunities
for improvement. In response, Ehfaaz developed an End-of-Life
Emissions Impact Report that fills this reporting gap. The report
provides a comprehensive assessment of the environmental impact of
end-of-life products across 23 waste streams in the FMCG industry.
The report also identifies emission hotspots and opportunities for
emissions reduction. To drive the reporting, Ehfaaz launched the
Sustainovation Platform in June 2023. It is a private sector platform
for FMCG companies to collaborate and share ideas on sustainability.
The platform provides a forum for companies to learn from each other,
share best practices and develop joint initiatives.
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