ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 13 JANUARY 2020. The Zayed Sustainability Awards held at ADNEC as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Colour option of the opening of the ceremony where the UAE National Anthem was sung. (Photo: Antonie Robertson/The National) Journalist: Kelly Clarker. Section: National.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 13 JANUARY 2020. The Zayed Sustainability Awards held at ADNEC as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Colour option of the opening of the ceremony where the UAE NatShow more

The importance of a circular economy and why we must move towards it



The annual Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week is once again upon us and it has led me to revisit an idea I often discuss with others: that of a different way of living, one that helps society, the environment and our finite natural resources.

Instead of an endless, excessive cycle of consumerism, the world today needs an economic model that reflects our social values and benefits the planet. In other words, what we need is a circular economy, a system where we employ principles of reducing waste, of repairing things instead of throwing them away and buying new things, of restoring, regenerating and recycling. But what we have in place today is not a circular economy but a linear one.

The origins of our current model date back to the period after the second World War when the global economy was in disrepair and we needed a way to revive it. That necessity led to the creation of what is called a linear economy, that is, taking from our planet’s natural resources and making products, most of which end up in landfills.

This model was created to support growth through constant buying of products, a global habit that fuelled consumerism and kept the economy moving.

In the mid-1960s, the surge in growth and manufacturing, called the Great Acceleration, led to exponential consumption patterns across all sectors.

The inventions in that period it is safe to say revolutionised our everyday lives. During that time, a Swedish engineer, Sten Gustaf Thulin, created the modern plastic bag. That definitive invention was followed in the next decade by an American inventor, Nathaniel Wyeth, who patented the plastic container as a cheaper, lighter, and more energy-efficient alternative to glass bottles.

Plastic inventions have their place but today as we face concerns of rising population and finite, diminishing resources, we need to rethink inventions and the way we design our products. We need to create businesses that serve the economy and our environment, and crucially, we need to learn to manage products when we no longer use them.

Given the ecological concerns of the world today, I believe that a linear economy is a function of the past. Businesses, cities and countries should start making the shift towards a circular model. After all, by 2030, according to a report by the consulting company Accenture, the circular economy could unlock $4.5 trillion in new economic growth. To unlock value at the scale required to make sustainable change though, we need collective solutions. Those solutions can emerge by harnessing the expertise of people in the fields of technology, operational excellence, financial structuring and governance. We also need the involvement of public, private and third party sectors. Only by taking a holistic approach will we be able to generate sustainable economic, environmental and social value.

Take the example of mining, an industrial activity synonymous with coal or mineral extraction, but have you heard of urban mining; a new business sector aimed at solving the challenge of electrical and electronic waste in the urban environment? The UN says there is 100 times more gold in e-waste than in one tonne of gold ore. Precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, copper and palladium are routinely extracted from end-of-life mobile phones and computers. But while the world disposes of 50 million tonnes of electronic waste annually, less than a quarter of that is recycled.

To tackle this problem, it is key to design products that last longer and have minimal packaging. We deal with packaging on a daily basis – at grocery stores, for example. While fruit has a natural protective cover, for some reason it is marketed and sold in an extra layer of plastic. This layer, after only one use, gets thrown away, adding to the $80billion-120 bn worth of plastic packaging that is disposed of annually.

I have always been astonished to see how difficult it is to get children’s toys out of their original packaging, ploughing through metal wires, plastic rope, tape, all while the child you are opening it for is trying to help. So I was pleased to come across a great partnership between Amazon and Hasbro to design “Frustration-Free Packaging” that comes without excess packaging material, thereby being more environmentally friendly.

While all measures to reduce waste are commendable and necessary, we need a balance to ensure that environment-friendly solutions do not jeopardise commercial viability for industry.

In a previous article, I mentioned the importance of biodiversity to our existence. Our ways of managing waste, especially landfills, disrupt ecosystems. Products wash up on shores and are found in the ever-growing Great Pacific Garbage Patch. In the world today, most of our waste is neither composted nor recycled. There is immense opportunity to rectify this, especially as global municipal waste is set to nearly double by 2050. While governments usually think within their borders, ecosystems exist beyond borders, and waste travels.

But organisations are also working to reduce their carbon footprint, using new business models where they keep the product on their balance sheet and manage a reverse supply chain, thus gaining a competitive edge. I am sure many of you have been buying light bulbs that you eventually get rid of, but consider the merits of what Philips and Turntoo are doing: selling light as a service, factoring in daylight and allocating only what is required to keep a check on wasting resources.

Conscientious of its environmental impact, the French tyre manufacturer Michelin has made its tyres lighter and more durable by adopting a 4R strategy: reduce, reuse, recycle and renew. Even though 90 per cent of their environmental impact occurs when tyres are in use, the company decided to reuse old tyres to produce chemicals and to take back old tyres to recycle them into alternative products.

All the efforts of corporates and governments notwithstanding, nature has always been the ultimate resource-efficient ecosystem where one animal’s waste is another’s nourishment. Biomimicry should inspire and guide us to make better decisions using a closed-loop approach. Interestingly, two separate studies have found that mealworms and fifty types of mushrooms are capable of eating plastic and breaking down polyurethane. Perhaps these discoveries could hold solutions to contain and reverse the damage plastics do to the environment.

While all those innovative measures are something to ponder, the Circularity Gap Report 2019 has found that our global economy is only 9 per cent circular today. Improving this reality will require policymakers, businesses, and consumers to work together towards a common goal. When that happens and efforts are aligned, we will be able to make the necessary shift to a circular economy.

Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan is chief executive officer of Alliances forGlobal Sustainability

Business Insights
  • Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
  • The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
  • US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Three ways to limit your social media use

Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.

1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.

2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information. 

3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
yallacompare profile

Date of launch: 2014

Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer

Based: Media City, Dubai 

Sector: Financial services

Size: 120 employees

Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)

Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
  • SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income. 
  • Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Company%20Profile
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EXPATS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lulu%20Wang%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nicole%20Kidman%2C%20Sarayu%20Blue%2C%20Ji-young%20Yoo%2C%20Brian%20Tee%2C%20Jack%20Huston%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.

8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21

  1. Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
  2. Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
  3. Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
  4. Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
  5. Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
  6. Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
  7. Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
  8. Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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