Page 30 - respond-cop28
P. 30

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.


      28
   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35