UAE retail conglomerate Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) has launched new environment-friendly initiatives for a plastic-free future. The company announced this week that it intends to eliminate single-use plastic from its operations by 2025. In line with this sustainable strategy, the company has launched a special recycling initiative at Mall of the Emirates. Through this pilot project, MAF is encouraging Dubai residents to recycle plastic bottles via a recycling machine placed in the mall.
Nol Card
The company has partnered with Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) for this initiative and the first 500 residents to recycle 50 plastic be ottles will receive a free Nol card with AED 25 credit.
The recycling project was inaugurated on Tuesday, 5th November, by UAE Minister for Climate Change and Environment, Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi. Based on its success at Mall of the Emirates, the project will be expanded and eventually connected with MAF’s own loyalty programme, Share, which will enable customers to get points for their recycling efforts, which they will be able to redeem against other purchases.
Apart from this, MAF has also shared how it intends to eliminate single-use plastic from its operations by 2025 at all its units, which includes 26 malls, 13 hotels, 46 VOX cinema theatres, more than 285 Carrefour stores, 36 Magic Planet centres and other facilities (such as Ski Dubai, iFly Dubai and Ski Egypt), across the Middle East, Africa and Asia region. To achieve this goal, the retail giant has announced that its Carrefour stores will remove around 800 million plastic bags from circulation annually. This includes single-use-plastic bags used at checkout counters and in other sections (fruits and vegetables, fishery, bakery and butchery).
Carrefour will also stop using polystyrene foam trays for storing its ready meals, ready-to-go food and drink containers and cups, plastic cutlery, straws, cling film, fruit nets, etc. This decision does not however apply to on-the-shelf items such as garbage bags, detergent bottles and cleaning products.
VOX Cinemas
In Vox cinema theatres, MAF will stop using single-use plastic bags, plastic food containers, cutlery and straws. Single-use plastic bags for hands-free shopping and single-use plastic water bottles for VIP valet car lounge will also be eliminated from Mall of the Emirates and City Centre outlets run by MAF.
Majid Al Futtaim has already started promoting reusable grocery bags since 2017 and the company has revealed that the sale of eco-friendly bags has increased by 70 percent this year. The company has also announced that each reusable bag bought between 6-7 November will be credited back in Share points and that there are plans to issue more such rewards in the future.
In a press statement, Majid Al Futtaim also shared that it received 192 million visitors in 2018 which means more than two million kg of plastic waste. Chief sustainability officer, Majid Al Futtaim – Holding, Ibrahim Al Zu’bi has said that MAF’s sustainability journey begins with its mission to deliver ‘Great Moments for Everyone Everyday’. He said this cannot be done ‘at the sake of the environment’ and in order for a business to be sustainable, ‘it must be in harmony with the planet’.
He further said, “I believe we need to continue to push the sustainability agenda at a faster pace, and our customers are very much a part of that. We listen to them, and we want to make it easy for them to make smart choices to live a sustainable life – and hopefully to support brands that are making a real difference in the war on plastic.” The company will implement online and offline marketing campaigns in order to create awareness among its customers about limiting the use of plastic and minimising their footprint on the environment.
Source:https://www.masala.com/majid-al-futtaims-new-environment-friendly-initiatives-recycle-plastic-bottles-stop-using-plastic?utm_source=Jarvis&utm_medium=arabianbusiness.com&utm_campaign=you-may-also-like