Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Sunday, February 3rd 2013 [ME NewsWire]
Over a million kilogrammes (1,000 metric tonnes) of recyclable waste has been collected by TECOM Investments in a campaign to create cleaner and safer environments for the business communities operating within Dubai Media City, Dubai Internet City and Dubai Knowledge Village.
Since September 2011, TECOM Investments has driven the waste collection and recycling initiative, dubbed ‘Operation R’ (Reduce, Reuse & Recycle), and to date it has amassed an impressive 1,102,176 kilogrammes of recyclable materials. The breakdown of the waste includes:
· 740,748kgs of paper
· 323,945kgs of cardboard
· 17,373kgs of plastic bottles
· 11,144kgs of aluminium cans
· 8,966kgs of glass bottles
‘Operation R’ is one of a number of proactive initiatives TECOM’s 10 interconnected business parks have introduced to help raise awareness and reduce waste for the benefit of the 4,500 companies operating within them.
Last December, ENPARK, Dubai’s only free zone dedicated to the energy and sustainability industries, worked in collaboration with Averda and Air Miles to roll out 15 new ReVa reverse vending machines across TECOM’s business parks, making them the first free zones in the UAE to provide the innovative recycling machines.
TECOM’s achievements in reducing its water and energy waste have also been recognised by the Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) through their Heroes of the UAE programme. In an awards ceremony held on January 28th and attended by H.E. Dr. Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment & Water, TECOM Investment’s was officially announced as a ‘Verified Corporate Hero’ after delivering on its three environmental pledges, including to develop and implement a measurable strategy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions associated with energy and water consumption by 10% each over 12 continuous months.
TECOM has a consistent track record in reducing waste, and since 2007 has achieved reductions in its electricity-related CO2 emissions of 16 percent and in its water-related CO2 emissions of 39 percent.
Commenting on the success of TECOM’s waste recycling project, and on being recognised as a ‘Verified Corporate Hero’, Badr Al Gergawi, CEO Engineering Management at TECOM Investments, said:
"We are delighted to have reached such a major milestone in our drive to raise awareness, reduce waste, and increase recycling within TECOM’s business parks. This has proven to be a highly effective campaign and the next phase will be keeping up the momentum as well as successfully rolling it out across our other business parks. TECOM’s aim is to help create and maintain the best possible business environments and communities so that our many business partners can continue to grow and thrive.
"We are thrilled to have been recognised as a ‘Verified Corporate Hero’ through the EWS-WWF Heroes of the UAE programme. It’s an important initiative and we would encourage other businesses to take part.
"At TECOM Investments, energy and water conservation is ingrained in our corporate culture. We recognise that reducing waste and emissions is a key component for successful businesses in the future and a fundamental part of both financial and social responsibility. A key success factor in TECOM’s achievements has been the commitment of our entire team; from the vision and support shown by our senior management, right down to the dedication of the technicians on the ground.”
ENDS
About TECOM Investments
TECOM Investments, headquartered in Dubai and a member of Dubai Holding, is a global company dedicated to knowledge industries. Home to over 4,500 businesses, including major multinationals and many of the Fortune 500 companies, TECOM Investments’ interests also include exclusive investments in high-growth sectors.
One of TECOM Investments’ largest portfolio companies is TECOM Business Parks. It comprises of 10 interconnected business parks arranged under five industry clusters across the ICT, Media, Education, Sciences, and Manufacturing and Logistics sectors.
Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone form the ICT Cluster, while Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City and the International Media Production Zone make up the Media Cluster. Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai International Academic City are part of the Education Cluster. Dubai Biotechnology and Research Park (DuBiotech) and Energy and Environment Park (ENPARK) compose the Science Cluster. Dubai Industrial City comes under the Manufacturing and Logistics Cluster.
Building on its domestic success and vision for global expansion, TECOM Investments has conceptualised SmartCity, a venture that aims to develop knowledge industry townships worldwide. The foundation has already been laid with the development of SmartCity Malta and SmartCity Kochi.
Apart from spurring cluster development by creating purpose-built facilities and working with the Dubai and Federal Governments to develop business-friendly policies and industry regulations, TECOM Investments also focuses on ‘pure play’ businesses. eHosting DataFort is a managed IT and advisory services provider. Arab Media Group (AMG) is a leading media and entertainment organization in the UAE, with subsidiaries covering radio broadcasting, event management and outdoor advertising.
TECOM Investments also owns share capital in Empower, a district cooling service provider; Nexgen Advisory Group, a MENA-based specialized advisory and consulting services organisation; and Energy Management Services (EMS), a leading energy savings company in the Middle East.
About Heroes of the UAE
Heroes of the UAE is a national campaign focusing on energy and water conservation across all sectors of society. The campaign was launched in 2009 by EWS-WWF, in partnership with the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD), to help address the country’s high per capita Ecological Footprint and tackle climate change through its four programmes: Energy, Water, School, and Private Sector.
For more information about the Heroes of the UAE programme, please visit: www.heroesoftheuae.ae/en
Contacts
TECOM Investments
Sam Turvey
+971 5 5559 7383
sturvey@bell-pottinger.co.uk.
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