KHALEEJ TIMES, Wednesday, Sep 1, 2021 | Muharram 24, 1443
UAE Circular Economy Council reviews progress on policy implementation, scales up transition to circularity
Emirates:
The UAE Circular Economy Council held its second meeting of 2021on
Tuesday. The members of the council reviewed the progress made thus far in the
implementation of the UAE Circular Economy Policy 2021-2031, and highlighted
initiatives from the public and private sector to drive the UAE’s circularity.
Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment and
Chair of the UAE Circular Economy Council, said: “Circular Economy is an
integral part of the global shift to a green economy that supports sustainable
growth. The UAE has initiated a transition to green economy and incorporated its
principals in current and future strategies. To drive efforts in this area, the
UAE Circular Economy Policy 2021-2031 was approved earlier this year as a
framework that identifies the optimal approach to support the transition to a
circular economy, and the UAE Circular Economy Council was formed to oversee the
integration of circularity across sectors.”
He added: “Following the outcomes of our first meeting, the team remarkably
developed multiple programmes and initiatives that support the implementation of
the UAE Circular Economy Policy.
The council chose Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, to chair the
Expert Committee that is set out to develop the implementation plan of the UAE
Circular Economy Policy and related programmes and initiatives. To inform and
guide our next steps and with the continuous support of my colleagues in the
council and the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, we are currently
designing a set of circular economy KPIs that will measure progress towards
achieving the UAE’s priorities outlined in the policy.”
Moreover, the members explored a proposal to launch a Circular Economy
Innovation Incubator in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Centre
from Italy. The incubator will help create an ecosystem to harness the full
potential of technological innovation in circular economy by serving as a
dedicated hub for stakeholders from the government, private sector, academia,
and innovation networks, as well as startups to develop innovative circular
economy solutions and promote entrepreneurship in the field.
Al Marri said: “For over a decade, the private sector has invested well in
circular economy. As a government, it is our role to work together with our
private-sector partners to amplify the momentum. To adopt sustainable production
and consumption, we need to move closer to circular and regenerative economy and
operate sustainably to secure the wellbeing of current and future generations.
Transitioning to circular economy will enable the UAE to unlock new sustainable
economic opportunities and ensure our nation is stronger, more resilient, and
more prosperous well into the future.”
Al Marri will head the Expert Committee of the UAE Circular Economy Council that
is tasked with developing the implementation mechanism for the UAE Circular
Economy Policy, align nationwide efforts with the policy requirements, promote
public-private partnerships in related projects and initiatives, and drive the
development of relevant scientific studies and research. In addition, the
committee will submit a quarterly progress report to the council.
For his part, Dr Abdullah Al Mahri, Director of Investment and Stakeholder
Management, at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, briefed the
council on Operation 300bn that aims to develop the UAE’s industrial sector and
enhance its role in stimulating the national economy through raising the
industrial sector’s contribution to the GDP from AED 133 billion to AED 300
billion by 2031.
Moreover, Saif Ghubash Al Marri, Director of Land Transport Affairs Department
at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, presented an overview of the
National Smart Mobility Strategy that will help the UAE expand its smart
mobility solutions and services and make them more climate friendly.
Mohammed Al Jawi, Senior Manager of Environment and Waste Management at Emirates
Global Aluminium, outlined the company’s best circular economy practices in line
with its commitment to sending zero processed waste to landfills.
He highlighted EGA’s approach to reducing its generated spent pot lining (SPL) –
the largest by-product streams in aluminium smelting, by working closely with
the UAE cement companies to use the potential of SPL to replace some fuel and
refractory materials required in cement manufacturing.
The meeting agenda also featured a global update on the Scale360 initiative by
Antonia Gawel, Head of Circular Economy and Innovation at the World Economic
Forum. She also highlighted the importance of social media in raising public
awareness of sustainable production and consumption to increase the contribution
of communities to the shift towards a circular economy.