The Sustainabilist ISSUE 05
ISBN 978 - 1978357310
Manufacturing Sustainable Production
EGA CHAMPIONS SUSTAINABILITY
RELIABLE OPERATIONAL SAVINGS
EGA discusses its sustainability initiatives
Atlas Copco revolutionises the cement industry
SOLAR THERMAL POWER
MAP TO MANUFACTURING OECD outlines sustainability action plan
Miraah full scale mega project WWW.THESUSTAINABILIST.AE
Issue 05 | March 2018
Letter from the Editor in Chief
Eng. Waleed Salman
Chairman, Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence
The Sustainabilist
Dubai has set its reputation as a disruptor set in stone. At the World Government Summit in Dubai in February its leaders stated to governments and industry leaders the world over that it wants to be 10 years ahead of every other city, as a standard. To achieve this, the Dubai Government has launched its 10x 2.0 initiative, which features more resource efficiency than the original 10x. Phase two of the 10x initiative will see 26 creative initiatives across sectors including tourism, health, education, justice, sports, charity, culture, security and energy. These initiatives, proposed by local government entities will be implemented over the next 24 months. These projects include a paperless court system with faster case judgements, a virtual university focusing on blockchain, and a ‘school on-
the-go’ where parents can provide children with education wherever they are. The first phase of Dubai 10X saw the launch of 160 projects in 2017. 10X 2.0 was not the only out-ofthe-box announcement at the Summit by Dubai. In line with its drive to make Dubai one of the smartest and most sustainable cities in the world, the Dubai government also announced its plans to launch a new satellite to monitor, collect data, and evaluate diverse environmental conditions in our biosphere from the coastal environment, to air quality. With innovations such as this, Dubai is well on its way to becoming one of the world’s most prominent, and disruptive global thought leaders. Welcome to the future.
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The Sustainabilist is published by Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence PSC. Articles reprinted in this issue are copyrighted 2018 by Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence PSC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or in part, without prior written permission of Dubai Carbon is expressively prohibited. Printed by: TAWS FZ LLC P.O. Box - 333033, Dubai, UAE.
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With innovations such as this, Dubai
is well on its way to becoming one of the world’s most prominent, and
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Editorial: fomo@thesustainabilist.ae Commercial: getinvolved@thesustainabilist.ae
disruptive global thought leaders. Welcome to the future.
Nothing in this magazine shall be taken as technical or advice and DCCE waives any liability with respect to any representations made.
To read the latest digital copy go to: www.theSustainabilist.ae 1
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
Contents
ON THE COVER
Abdulla Jassem Kalban, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Global Aluminium
FEATURE Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, announces that its emissions of perfluorocarbons were a record low for the company in 2017.
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01 |
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S LETTER
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04 |
NEWS ANALYSIS Sustainability drives success
42 |
FEATURE Achieving targets, creating value
05 |
TOP TIPS Sustainable production
44 |
FEATURE Establishing product assessment
06 |
THOUGHT LEADER Cleaning up our plates
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CASE STUDY Concept future car
08 |
FEATURE Seven action steps to sustainable manufacturing
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RESEARCH
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THOUGHT LEADER Ireland’s commitment to sustainable food and drink production
54 |
DISRUPTOR Potato to packaging
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FEATURE The Sustainable City value chain reinvented
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PRODUCTS Closing the loop on a product lifecycle
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YOUTH Harbouring sustainability
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PROJECT GlassPoint builds 36 block solar plant in Oman
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THE GREEN ECONOMIST Private sector must lead the way
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PERSON Janet Harzenberg
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COVER STORY EGA champions the environment
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INDEX
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I AM THE SUSTAINABILIST Sass Brown
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CASE STUDY Leveraging best-in-class technology
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CASE STUDY Manufacturing excellence
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CASE STUDY Can cement be green?
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FEATURE Saving the future
36 |
FEATURE The credibility of fashion industry
FEATURE EGA reaches record low level of perfluorocarbon emissions
#THEGREENECONOMIST The private sector is fast and efficient. The UN should facilitate disruptive forces in the private sector, and involve the private sector more actively in the realms of sustainability and development.
Reputational and competitive advantage
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Helps reduce carbon emissions
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Easier carbon measurement and reporting
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Accredited by international standards like JAS-ANZ and CDP
Aligned with international best practice and Science Based Targets
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Identifies efficiencies and cost savings
yuttana Contributor Studio/shutterstock.com
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
NEWS ANALYSIS
Sustainability drives success By implementing sustainable production processes and technology, business can save on their expenses, and turn a bigger profit
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mplementing sustainable production practices will bring increased efficiencies and save money for companies, enabling them to grow and employ more workers. It will also reduce their environmental footprint. “Sustainability and efficiency go handin-hand. We are at that point now where we are a company that is small enough today, but large enough to have a 4
sustainability impact that I can easily execute throughout the network. Companies that are larger and have legacy assets find it much more expensive to change. Sustainability may be expensive to implement, but in the long run there will be much more value,” Abhishek Ajay Shah, Co-Founder and Group CEO of logistics company RSA Global told The Sustainabilist (see pg 22).
UK-based department store Marks & Spencer launched its sustainability plan in 2007, at the time the company said it would cost $56 million to implement. In 2012 the department store chain published a report that showed that instead of suffering financial losses from the implementation, its changes such as reducing food waste, and cutting down on packaging materials resulted in a $148m net business benefit in 2012, which had almost doubled by 2015. By implementing water and energy saving measures across its stores, the company also saved 36% off its utility costs. Union Cement Company, based in Ras Al Khaimah saw 25% energy savings just by replacing its legacy air compressors with a modern equivalent (see pg 30). A particular example of sustainable production practices is the circular economy, whereby a company’s used products, or wastes are brought back into the production chain as inputs by reusing or recycling activities. A good example of this is US-based furnishings giant Herman Miller, which stated that 50% of its revenue now comes from products that are recycled, and it is aiming for 100%. Shaw Contract, a global flooring specialist has collected 136 million kilogrammes of used carpet in the last three years and reused 85% of it. While sustainability is still in its infancy in the UAE, examples such as these should boost the business sector’s confidence in the sustainability movement and take it from being a nice-to-have to a must-have. With the Governments drive to implement sustainability across the UAE, companies of all sizes must look at sustainability as a driver of success.
Issue 05 | March 2018
TOP TIPS
Top 5 tips for sustainable production Power Try supplementing your power from renewable energy sources instead of using power only from the grid. Solar photovoltaic panels can be fitted to the rooftop of your production plant and generate a portion of your electricity – saving you money and saving the planet!
Water Treating and re-using your ‘grey water’ is a great way to save water and save money in your production process. Simple self-contained water treatment and recycling units are available on the market and can be installed directly in your plant.
Waste Re-using food-scraps from your on-site cafeteria can help you reduce your waste output while benefiting both your landscaping and the environment. Composting is a simple, affordable way to turn your food-scraps into food for plants. Plants absorb CO2 so the more plants you grow, the more benefit to the environment there is.
Transport Car-pooling for production plant staff or company provided group transportation is a simple way to reduce your negative impact on the environment. When sourcing raw materials for your production plant, go local! The closer the source, the shorter the journey the materials have to take, resulting in a reduced negative environmental impact.
Land Building upwards is a great landsaving technique. Instead of building extensions to your plant horizontally, go vertical! A second floor is a great way to conserve land space, lower construction costs, and lessen your impact on natural land demolition.
Source: Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence
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The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
THOUGHT LEADER
Cleaning up our plates
Expo 2020 Dubai is seeking a more sustainable way to serve food and drinks to its guest list of millions. By Darren Tse, Head of Catering, Cleaning & Waste – Event Operations at Expo 2020 Dubai
T clicksahead/shutterstock.com
he food and drinks we consume profoundly affect not only the health of our bodies, but also the planet. From the effects of pesticides absorbed into the soil and local waterways, to the methane gas produced by farm animals, to the carbon emissions emitted through the transport and storage of food (not to mention the waste), the food and beverage (F&B) industry contributes as much as one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) states that agriculture contributes 14% of greenhouse gas emissions, while the UN Food and Agriculture organisation says livestock creates more Co2 than transportation, at a huge 18% of total greenhouse gases. Mega events, particularly, pose unique challenges in the ecosystem they operate within. With 25 million visits, plus thousands of employees and participants, expected during the six months of Expo 2020 Dubai, F&B is a vital component of the event. We cannot avoid the effects of having 50 million meal occasions that we
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Issue 05 | March 2018
project will be consumed at Expo 2020 – but we can connect minds with experts and the industry to find further innovative solutions that will minimise our impact on the environment. We are already working on this, drafting a pioneering document that will set both baseline and aspirational requirements for all of our F&B stakeholders. We would hope that perhaps these standards could give others in the industry pause for thought, too. Expo 2020 expects to work with a wide array of F&B suppliers and caterers, including SMEs, who will make up at least 20% of our outlets, and corporations, both local and international. The baseline sustainability standards that we set are not intended to be a utopian way of doing business purely for the six-month event; perhaps they could lead to a permanent shift across the industry in a more sustainable direction. Examples include setting minimum levels for locally produced and organic food; enforcing an ethically-sourced animal products policy; reducing waste through smart packaging and various portion options; setting standards for utility consumption and efficient equipment, as well as guidelines for reusing the equipment post-Expo; and facilitating the reuse or recycling of waste. We will push to go even further, by also encouraging our partners to sign up to ‘aspirational’ goals. They would choose certain areas of their business where they want to focus their sustainability efforts, or which may have the greatest impact. For example, an SME selling burgers could aspire to use 50% local UAE produce, going above and beyond the baseline standard that Expo will set. Every time ingredients are imported, the carbon footprint is obviously increased.This cycle impacts not only the importing country but also the source location. For example, the dairy industry
alone contributes three to four percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while also adding more pressure on land and water supply. The transportation of food and animals also contributes significantly to the global carbon emissions. Producing food locally not only creates responsibility for the environmental damage but also reduces carbon emissions from the shipping, as well as storage facilities. We are fortunate to be hosting this Expo in a nation known for its forward-thinking approach; with recent developments in agriculture technology we have the opportunity to bring
Agriculture contributes
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%
to global greenhouse gas emissions local sourcing and circular economy conversations to life. In another example, a largescale caterer for Expo may choose to concentrate on improving the efficiency of their equipment, adopting our aspirational levels rather than the baseline. Using appliances that require less electricity or water, or can be automatically turned off or put into low-power mode when not in use, can sometimes cost more up front but lead to dramatically lower utility consumption and bills. When a large food supplier invests in efficient equipment, it can impact the entire supply chain, bringing down the costs for other, smaller food companies to follow suit. These aspirations would set the bar even higher, not only for the relevant company but also across the Expo ecosystem and the wider F&B industry. If an SME can lead the way with local
products, why can’t other restaurants? When businesses learn about the savings from using more sustainable equipment, they too would want to improve their environmental credentials. In the case of the large-scale caterer, the cost savings of scale would ideally mean that their increasingly sustainable methods used for Expo would be filtered through to the rest of their business, which then affects the supply chain and the rest of the industry. We expect the changes will also positively disrupt supply chains by increasing demand for sustainably sourced food and beverages and more environmentally-friendly packaging and equipment, thus reducing prices and increasing demand even further. We believe this sustainable approach to Expo 2020’s F&B programme will also provide our partners and suppliers with inspiration and motivation to make meaningful and long-lasting efforts to rebalance their impact on the environment. Healthy competition could lead to even greater results. Changing how we do business and fit into the $6 trillion global F&B industry so that we operate in harmony with the environment is an immediate priority for Expo. By setting baseline standards of sustainability, Expo 2020 can influence our F&B vendors and caterers to think creatively about how they can solve this global challenge. While we cannot elevate expectations so high that the industry is unable to work with us, there are a number of areas that we can address and that our partners will enthusiastically welcome. Expo 2020 will support efforts made by our partners and suppliers by educating visitors and participants about the benefits of living more sustainable lifestyles, through interactive and engaging content throughout the Expo site. We aim to be a catalyst for real, long-term impact. 7
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
FEATURE
T
he seven steps are not necessarily a one-way journey. We recommend that you apply them for a cyclical management process. Doing so will help you measure and understand your environmental impact, as well as improve your performance on an on-going basis. It is important to appreciate that sustainable manufacturing is not about a final destination or result, but about continuous learning, innovation and improvement. Therefore, after completing all seven steps, you may want to revisit the process regularly for example yearly or every few years, to continually improve your activities.
Seven action steps to sustainable manufacturing
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zlikovec/shutterstock.com
OECD outlines the seven steps corporations must take to reach a sustainable state
How long will it take to go through the seven steps? It is difficult to say exactly how long any step – or the whole process – will take in any given situation, as this will vary widely from one facility to the next. You may already be taking steps in some areas, or you may be totally new to the terrain. Your operations may be straightforward or more complex. Step 1 of the process explains how to set your own reasonable goals. However, you should expect to see progress in a matter of months. It should be possible, in most cases, for a facility to go from having no information at all to being able to measure at least some indicators within a year. Your timeline may also change as you progress, so be sure to communicate regularly with your colleagues along the way. This will ensure consistent expectations across your team. Remember, the most important thing is engaging in this process and the rest is what you make of it. No matter how much or how long you engage, the same basic seven steps will apply throughout.
Issue 05 | March 2018
Vacancylizm/shutterstock.com
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Map your impact and set priorities For any journey you need a good map to help you get to your destination. In Step 1, we focus on where you are starting and where you want to end up, which is essential to ensure that you have all you need to get there. The aim of this first step is to establish a general understanding of your positive and negative environmental impacts by mapping your activities and determining which ones affect your performance the most. There will be many ways to reduce the environmental impact of your facility and improve its performance, and no single person will have all the answers. Choose indicators and understand data needs In this step, you will need to confirm the indicators that you are using. Let’s take a look at how to select indicators for your facility. While the 18 OECD indicators are a great starting point, they are by no means exhaustive. Some companies will benefit from adding more indicators over time, while other companies may only want to use a handful of the indicators provided. Measure inputs used in production The first set of indicators relates to the raw materials and intermediate products used in your production processes to make your products. Let’s take a closer look at the impact that material inputs can have on your environmental performance. Assess the operations of your facility Let’s take a look now at what happens within your facility and the activities you undertake to transform a variety of inputs (Step 3) into end products for delivery and sale (Step 4). Here, we focus on the key processing and manufacturing functions and design of your facility and the related back-office functions as well as the emissions that arise from these operations. Evaluate your products We will turn our attention to the environmental impact of the products produced by your facility. These are the items or goods that you deliver to market and that – in their own right – will have a range of environmental qualities and impacts arising from their composition and use. Understand measured results You are now well on your way to understanding and realising the benefits of a better environmental performance. The work involved in identifying and tracking indicators will yield significant information that can help to improve your knowledge, strategy and results. The next step is to understand the different ways to review and analyse the information generated by the indicators to identify options for improving the performance of your facility. Take action to improve your performance Your efforts should be starting to pay off now. In the previous step, you have established your baseline performance on selected indicators. You have reviewed the data and taken decisions on options for improving performance. Now, you need to make your decisions happen – by setting clear targets and creating a tangible action plan.
Source: OECD, (Action steps for sustainable manufacturing), OECD Publishing, Paris. https:// www.oecd.org/innovation/green/toolkit/ actionstepsforsustainablemanufacturing.html
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The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
THOUGHT LEADER
Ireland’s commitment to sustainable food & drink production Bord Bia and Origin Green are bringing fresh, sustainable produce to the Middle East, writes Michael Hussey, Bord Bia Regional Director, Middle East Markets
B
ord Bia (the Irish Food Board) is the Irish Government agency with the specific goal of promoting Irish food around the world, and linking Irish suppliers with potential export partners. Last year we exported nearly EUR 300 million worth of food into the GCC and we are aiming to grow that to over EUR 500 million by 2020 with the goal of 100% of these food exports being sustainably produced in accordance with the principles of Origin Green. Origin Green is the only sustainability programme in the world operating on a national scale, uniting government, the private sector and food producers through Bord Bia, (The Irish Food Board). Independently verified, this voluntary programme enables Ireland’s farmers, food producers and retail and food service operators to set and achieve measurable sustainability targets that reduce environmental impact, serve local communities more effectively and protect the rich natural resources that Ireland enjoys. In 2015, the United Nations (UN) introduced the Global Sustainable Development Goals; a set of 17 ambitious goals that cover a wide range of issues including responsible consumption and production, climate action, sustainable communities, as well as targeting poverty and hunger, and health and well-being. These goals, agreed to by 193 world leaders, including Ireland, set out a roadmap for governments and industry to move towards a fairer and more sustainable future. The UN Sustainable
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Michael Hussey, Bord Bia Regional Director, Middle East Markets
Development Goals and their associated targets are used to provide guidance in the ongoing development of Ireland’s Origin Green programme. As a programme, Origin Green aligns itself with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and over time, has an ambition to drive members of Origin Green to align their own sustainability plans with this global agenda. Origin Green alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals Under the Origin Green Sustainability Charter, food and drink producers make commitments under three key areas: raw material sourcing, manufacturing processes and social sustainability. The charter enables food manufacturers to set and achieve measurable sustainability targets that help them reduce environmental impact, achieve efficiencies in the daily running of their businesses and improve their impact on society. As the programme has evolved, additional target areas have been
Issue 05 | March 2018
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To date,
Bord Bia has undertaken over 195,000 carbon footprint assessments on a
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national scale, a world first.
Michael Hussey, Bord Bia Regional Director, Middle East Markets included. Health and nutrition is now a key focus area within the Origin Green Sustainability Charter and is a mandatory target area within all Origin Green plans. Bord Bia’s Quality Assurance auditors inspect farms every 18 months and compile data on the sustainability performance of each farm. Continuous assessment enables farmers and producers to make informed decisions on improving their sustainability practices. To date, Bord Bia has undertaken over 195,000 carbon footprint assessments on a national scale, a world first. Independently accredited by the Carbon Trust to its PAS 2050 standard, Ireland already has the joint lowest carbon footprint level for dairy production in the whole of Europe. The entire database of over 500 Origin Green participating companies’ currently accounts for 95% of total food and drink exports, highlighting the ongoing and sustained commitment of Irish food and drink manufacturers towards sustainability and Origin Green. The future of the Irish food and drink industry is reliant on driving exports
world-wide, while developing a thorough and robust strategy to address the challenges presented by climate change. To deliver on this ambition, a team of ten Origin Green Ambassadors, specially selected by Bord Bia, help to clearly communicate Ireland’s sustainability credentials to international markets and act as a knowledge sharing conduit between the Irish food and drink industry and global organisations achieving best practice in sustainability. These Origin Green Ambassadors work with companies such as Starbucks, Alibaba, Subway, CocaCola, Five Guys, Mars and Nestlé. Ireland enjoys a strong reputation as a source of natural, high quality food, drink and ingredients. With a temperate climate and green countryside, it boasts an ideal starting position to become a world leader in sustainable food and drink production. With a population of almost five million people, the country produces enough food to feed 36 million people and has been ranked the most food secure nation in a survey by The Global Food Security Index, which was developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by DuPont. The survey considers three core pillars of food security - affordability, availability, and quality and safety — across 113 countries from which Ireland came out on top overall. Ireland has a long history of supplying produce to the Middle East region, historically beef and dairy product. Current products coming into the GCC range from ice cream, poultry products, beef, seafood, yogurts, chocolate, bakery items to gluten free and health food products. In a region where sustainability and food security is of growing importance and focus, Irish food producers are well suited to build long-lasting mutually beneficial business relationships with Middle Eastern countries centred around protecting our natural environment for future generations.
We have 14 offices globally and the office for the Middle East region is based in Dubai headed up by myself. A central part of what we do is to tell the story of how Irish food is produced in a sustainable way for future generations.
Bord Bia’s UN SDGs GOOD HEALTH & WELL BEING
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CLEAN WATER & SANITATION
6
AFFORDABLE & CLEAN ENERGY
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SUSTAINABLE CITIES & COMMUNITIES
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RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION & PRODUCTION
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CLIMATE ACTION
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LIFE BELOW WATER
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LIFE ON LAND
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PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS
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The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
FEATURE
The Sustainable City value chain reinvented Urban farming decreases dependency on imported food and promotes sustainability
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rban farming is an important component of The Sustainable City as it encourages healthier and sustainable lifestyles, and promotes wellbeing! It also complements the UAE strategy to decrease dependency on imported food by promoting sustainability of natural resources and enhancing food diversity. The Sustainable City master plan includes a green spine which extends 850 metres and comprises 11 temperaturecontrolled bio domes for the production of leafy greens, herbs, and a selection of vegetables, about 35 varieties in total. Using a conventional fan-and-pad system, the temperature inside the bio-domes
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is maintained at or below 28°C. The commercial operation is managed by Leaves & More, which in 2017 produced 400,000 potted plants including basil, chives, and wasabi. Through a voucher system, residents of The Sustainable City collect 8 plants every month for free. The balance is sold in more than 100 commercial outlets in the UAE including Union Coop, Aswaaq, Maya, and Zoom. Leaves & More has employed 10 full-time workers to operate the farm and distribute the produce. In addition to producing food inside the bio-domes, the development is also built around a ‘productive landscape’. This means that the plants in The
Sustainable City were not chosen solely on their aesthetic value, but also on their ability to create shade, fix nitrogen in the soil and clean the air, create habitats and a cooler microclimate, and also to produce food. In addition to date palms, pomegranate, and mulberry, the landscape also boasts the moringa tree (Moringa oleifera) a fast-growing and drought-tolerant tree; its young seed pods and leaves are used as vegetables, and it can also be used for water purification, and hand washing. To enhance the landscape, Dubai Beekeepers Association recently deployed eight bee hives (in The Sustainable City), which will help pollinate the trees and produce honey.
Issue 05 | March 2018
Raised beds for community gardening program.
Residents collect 8 potted herbs per month from the bio domes.
Residents of The Sustainable City are provided with urban farm allotments, access to compost and potable water, and a social club that helps guide them through the growing process. This is supported with a social networking group, and a bespoke and blended (online and face-to-face) course developed in conjunction with the
University of California, Davis that teaches the basics of urban farming specific to the setting in The Sustainable City. The first cohort of 25 ‘urban farmers’ completed the course in January 2018 and are now regular practitioners. The farming infrastructure is built with reclaimed wood and building materials from the construction of the city.
Through a series of raised bed gardens and localised composting facilities, the urban farm creates a platform that not only allows the community to grow food, but also to grow socially with neighbours meeting in the farm plots and sharing their harvests together. Healthy eating, and more generally sustainable diets, supports well-being and happiness.
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I was a beginner and after two months I am a successful urban farmer!
Novice training in The Sustainable City by Beekeepers Association.
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Course Participant 13
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
YOUTH
Harbouring sustainability Dubai’s new Arbor School is teaching sustainable values at its very core, according to Dr. Sa’ad Al-Omari, CEO of Praxis Education, which builds and operates educational settings in the Gulf (GCC) region
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ustainability is very much on the agenda of individuals, organisations and governments around the world, particularly in the form of initiatives aiming at renewable energy, the preservation of biodiversity and the reduction of pollution and carbon emissions. Environmentalism, however, has always meant much more than that. At its heart, environmentalism is about replacing an essentially anthropocentric world-view (in which humanity of central importance) with an ecocentric one (in which humans are recognised as being part of a complex network of natural systems). This shift in thinking has radical implications to all aspects of knowledge. It represents a fundamental epistemological revolution that has changed almost every aspect of human cultural activity. When we stop thinking of ourselves as the main purpose of existence and begin to place ourselves within the broader perspective of a greater network of systems, we find that all our traditional fields of knowledge are affected. Science, philosophy, art, engineering, economics, ethics and
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especially education are transformed to incorporate new values of compassion and holistic thinking and a whole new way of conceiving the relative importance of the human and non-human world. The move towards ecocentrism is, above all, about the recognition of the inter-connectedness and fragility of the global network of systems that make life on earth possible. It reflects a philosophy of inclusion, not only of non-human systems, but also of human systems and individuals in all their staggering diversity. David Orr, the well-known environmentalist, and educational thinker, said that “It is not education that will save us, but education of a certain kind.” It is to provide this new kind of education that we have established the Arbor School, which comprises a curriculum focused on environmental mindfulness and inclusion, a truly ecological school, which we believe is unique in the world and not only Dubai. Dubai is a city of global recognition. People come here from many different national and cultural backgrounds to contribute to the creation of a vibrant and
Dr. Sa’ad Al-Omari, CEO, Praxis
modern society with a high standard of living and services on offer. Education is one of the mainstays of this growth, and the Government has dedicated considerable resources to ensuring that education in Dubai competes favourably with the best in the world. Dubai’s children, whatever their national and cultural backgrounds, are truly global citizens who will carry the attitudes, knowledge and experience they acquire here to almost every corner of the globe. We are confident that the knowledge and values they acquire during their time at Arbor will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives, wherever they may be. Dubai is striving to leave an indelible mark on the future and we are honoured to be a part of its mission.
Issue 05 | March 2018
#THEGREENECONOMIST
Private sector must lead the way By Ivano Iannelli CEO, Dubai Carbon
O
n the sidelines of the World Government Summit (WGS) here in Dubai, I had the opportunity to catch up with the recently appointed Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Achim Steiner. Steiner succeeded Helen Clark, former UNDP Administrator, but also the former New Zealand Prime Minister. UNDP released amazing initiatives under her administration but as new leadership settles in, a new set of ambitious targets must be conceptualised. What better scenario than seeking Dubai-borne World Green Economy Organization (WGEO) to partner with, under the backdrop of the World Government Summit (WGS) The former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and I had a quick brainstorming session about programmes and sustainability ideas before Steiner met a high-level delegation from WGEO, and the surprise was his opening statement, in which he advocated public-private partnerships. The world of United Nations (UN) has always kept the private sector at arm’s length. Personally, I could never understand the reasons for such a taboo. If it wasn’t for the private sector, there would be little work done if everything had to be done internally. The private sector is fast and efficient. The UN should facilitate disruptive forces in the private sector, and
my discussion with the UNDP was along the lines of involving the private sector more actively in the realms of sustainability and development. The public sector, just like many large private sector companies tends to become cumbersome in its decision-making process, and effectively loses the ability to increase efficiency through innovation. The concept of ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it’ prevails more frequently than it should, based on the complexities of the UN’s own operating theatres. However, the UN, and UNDP, do not wish to make themselves obsolete and both need to identify fresh streams of relevance. A partnership with the private sector is thematically relevant
and acceptable. However, how to actually implement it may very well be the make or break. When solar opportunities were contemplated a few years back, Dubai could have commissioned and purchased the solar plants by itself. However, it decided to invest its time and efforts towards the development of an Independent Power Producer (IPP) policy. Dubai’s IPP policy was, from my point of view, one of its greatest successes and something the UNDP should benchmark as an example of partnerships with private sectors. Under the IPP, the private sector had a chance to shine, and having distributed the risks and rewards across the programme value chain, strong results quickly followed. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Solar Park currently boasts the leading solar energy tariff at a global level. Bill Gates often looked at the innovation from a couple of programmers working out of a garage rather than the big conglomerates. Why can’t we create the enabling environment for sustainability to benefit from a similar innovation scheme?
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA with UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.
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The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
COVER STORY
EGA champions the environment Aluminium giant EGA has embedded sustainability practices into everything it does, The Sustainabilist interviewed Abdulla Jassem Kalban, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium to find out more
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Issue 05 | March 2018
You have reduced the amount of energy taken to produce a tonne of aluminium by 37.5% since 1980, how have you achieved this and what is your target going forward? Aluminium smelting is energy intensive – it requires large amounts of electricity. Reducing the amount of energy we need to make each tonne of aluminium lowers both our costs and our environmental emissions. We have our own natural gasfired power plants at our smelters in Jebel
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Ultimately, we want to see responsibility becoming a clearer commercial advantage, but for that to happen consumers need to care more about where the aluminium in their products comes from than perhaps some do today.
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H
ow does Emirates Global Aluminium define sustainable development? The principles of sustainability are embedded in everything we do at EGA. We are a strong supporter of the UAE Vision to ‘ensure sustainable development while preserving the environment, and to achieve a perfect balance between economic and social development’. Sustainable development has been defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. Aluminium has an important role in meeting the needs of today. It makes modern life possible, from high rise buildings to fuel efficient cars, from planes to electronics. As living standards rise, more and more people want these things so analysts who study our industry believe that demand for aluminium is set to rise over the long term. We know that the challenge for us at EGA is to manage our economic, social and environmental impacts both in the UAE and the rest of the world, whilst also meeting the global demand for high quality aluminium. There is clearly more to do, but we have made great progress as an industry and as a company.
Abdulla Jassem Kalban, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium
Ali and Al Taweelah to provide electricity for our operations. EGA is the third largest power producer in the UAE after DEWA and ADWEA. We focus both on producing electricity as efficiently as possible, and reducing the amount of electricity we use in our smelting operations. On the generation side, it helps that our need for electricity is relatively constant as it is used to run a continuous industrial process. This is unlike generating electricity for a city, where demand varies during the course of each day and by season – just think about how much more electricity is needed for air conditioning
in the summer compared to the winter and the challenges that creates for power providers. Our power plant at Al Taweelah is amongst the most efficient in the region. On the other side of the equation, we have tackled the challenge of producing more aluminium with less electricity through research and development. We have developed our own technology in the UAE for over 25 years. We are currently on the 10th generation EGA smelting technology and it is amongst the most efficient in the global aluminium industry. We have used our own technology in every smelter expansion since the 1990s. 17
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
EGA has recently completed a retrofit project to update all of its older production lines with its own technology.
We also recently completed a project to retrofit all our older production lines with our own technology. EGA’s technology development has been a foundation of our global success. We also think of it as a contribution to the development of a knowledge-based economy in the UAE. In 2016 we became the first UAE industrial company to license our technology in a commercial deal with another aluminium company in the region. Please can you outline your biodiversity support? What projects are you supporting locally? We have programmes at all our sites to protect biodiversity and local habitats. EGA is an Emirati company - I believe our heritage as a nation of living and thriving in a challenging environment 18
where we had to carefully husband our resources has an impact on how we think about this issue. Of course, we have inspiring guidance from the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who taught us the importance of conserving our environment. Our plant at Al Taweelah is in an area designated for industry, but it retains considerable ecological value. There are coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses nearby. Quite close to us, Ras Ghanada was designated as a protected area under Abu Dhabi Plan 2030 and is known for its dense coral and seagrass habitats. The area also retains considerable ecological value for marine fauna, including dugongs, green turtles, hawksbill turtles, orange-spotted groupers, blotched fantail rays, and IndoPacific humpbacked dolphins.
We use seawater in our process for cooling then return it to the sea. Marine life can be sensitive to changes in temperature, so we invested in cooling towers at Al Taweelah to reduce the temperature of water that goes back to the sea. These cooling towers are the largest in the UAE and their installation goes above and beyond what was required under the relevant local regulations. Both Al Taweelah and Jebel Ali are on the coast, and we get turtles nesting on the beaches next to both sites. We preserve the natural nesting areas that they use. On land there are diverse groups of mammals, reptiles, birds, invertebrates and plants, particularly at Al Taweelah. Before proceeding with any new development, we conduct surveys of resident species and relocate animals outside our area or to other suitable
Issue 05 | March 2018
habitats further afield. We are developing a bauxite mine in the Republic of Guinea in West Africa, where biodiversity is also clearly important. We have developed a biodiversity management plan, which aims to achieve at least no net loss to biodiversity. An important species that lives in the vicinity of our operations in Guinea is the West African chimpanzee. We have commissioned studies of these chimpanzees and are identifying sites for a suitable offset project How does EGA support minimising waste going to landfills? EGA has adopted the recycle-reusereduce philosophy to minimise waste generation and we have an on-going aim of zero process waste to landfill. We believe that there is no waste that is not recyclable over the long-term. We just need to find the right economicallyviable recycling solution. Often this involves other industries, as the byproducts of one industrial process can be the feedstock for another. Over 80% of the waste we generate at Jebel Ali is recycled, as is over half of the waste at Al Taweelah. A good example of this is spent pot lining, which is a by-product of aluminium smelting – it’s the worn out inner lining of aluminium smelting pots. The lining is typically replaced every four to five years. The global aluminium industry is thought to produce over one million tonnes of spent pot lining each year according to industry experts. In many places it is considered economically useless, so it is stored indefinitely or even sent to landfill. However, spent pot lining contains both carbon, which is a fuel, and refractory materials which can survive very high temperatures. That makes it potentially useful. We have been working with cement companies for some years now, here in the UAE, to supply them our spent pot
lining for use in cement manufacturing. Doing that improves the environmental performance of both industries, so we think it is a tremendously positive thing to do. Last year we supplied more spent pot lining to the UAE cement industry than we typically produce in a year. It’s a real success story. How have you reduced your greenhouse gas emissions? We have already discussed our technology development, and how it reduces both our costs and emissions. So, I would like to answer your question by talking about perflourocarbons, which are a group of greenhouse gases which have many times the global warming potential per tonne than carbon dioxide. In the aluminium industry, reported PFC emissions are known to be associated with momentary process imbalances known as Anode Effects. These occur when the alumina concentration falls in the reduction cells in which aluminium is smelted. It’s an important environmental goal of our industry to reduce these emissions. Through technology development and operational improvements, we have reduced the frequency of Anode Effects in our operations from an average of once every three days in each reduction cell in 2009 to less than once every 12 days in each reduction cell in 2017. We have also reduced the average duration of each Anode Effect, from 44 seconds in 2009 to below 21 seconds in 2017. We have amongst the lowest PFC emissions in our global industry, but clearly as always there is more to be done. How does EGA measure itself in terms of sustainability by international standards? EGA aspires to be measured amongst the world’s leading metals and mining companies in meeting our environmental and social responsibilities. It’s important
to be humble about this – we have made some great progress, but every company has more to do and we can learn from each other. We are members of various industry bodies to benchmark our progress and share knowledge. Last year, we became the first Middle East headquartered company to join the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative, which is a global programme to foster greater sustainability and transparency in the aluminium industry. It brings together organisations from miners to end-users such as technology and automotive companies. The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative is working to set standards for what can be considered good performance in all areas of corporate responsibility and we are part of that process. It is also developing a system of performance certification based on those standards. This is a step forward for our industry as a whole, and as a responsible company we have a clear interest in supporting these developments. Heavy industry has a bad name when it comes to environmental sustainability. How are heavy industries, such as yourselves, tackling public opinion? We are in a heavy industry and, like almost everything human beings do, our work does have environmental impacts. Meeting the needs of today is part of that definition of sustainable development, and the world does need aluminium to make modern life possible. It’s our job to do that as efficiently as possible. We talk frequently about environmental responsibility, and advocate for progress like re-using waste in a circular economy. Ultimately, we want to see responsibility becoming a clearer commercial advantage, but for that to happen consumers need to care more about where the aluminium in their products comes from than perhaps some do today. 19
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
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In the developing world, people recycle and reuse much more than in the west because there isn’t a place to throw it away, there is not a garbage collection system that takes it away and you never have to look at it again.
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Issue 05 | March 2018
THE SUSTAINABILIST I AM THE SUSTAINABILIST
Sass Brown Dean, Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI)
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have been in the sustainable fashion space for 15 years. I was an independent designer in an incubator for several years, so being with so many other designers sharing a single communal space, you see how much you can save and reuse. I worked towards reducing waste and using others’ waste. I geared every project in my Masters around sustainable fashion. My website ecofashiontalk.com was built out of my Master’s thesis, which no one was very happy about at the time. The idea of doing a blog for your Master’s thesis was not seen as a terribly academic means of publishing. The website led to my first book on ethical fashion and the different areas of ethical fashion: upcycling, recycling, zero-waste, fair trade, all of these different arenas, new business models, all sorts of different things. My first book was called Ecofashion, the reason the first book came out is because there were people making conscious choices and doing great collections around the world. Every time you saw books on ecological design, ethical design, conscious design - it was in a book where it was lumped together, with no differentiation between disciplines. You would have recycled tables made from broken furniture and you would have someone with boring beige t-shirts with political slogans on them. I thought it was really important to raise the level of the conversation away from organic beige t-shirts and say there is great stuff out there, no one is talking about it and it really needs a platform. That was the website, and the book, and then the second book. In the developing world, people recycle and reuse much more than in the West because there isn’t a place to throw it away, there isn’t a recycling plant, trash collection, and you don’t have the luxury
of just throwing something away because it doesn’t function anymore. That doesn’t mean it can’t be upcycled and used for something else. We cannot continue to consume natural resources or unnatural manufactured resources at the rate that we produce them. We don’t have enough space to continue throwing things away, it is a finite planet. Global warming, climate change, all of these things are massive issues and they impact every area of our lives from our personal lifestyles, our consumption, how we work, where we work, what we do, but as a designer we are absolutely responsible for our choices because we are bringing something into the world. Every brand must look at this, some have done it better than others, some have a long way to go, some are ignoring it and hoping it will go away, which it will not. There is a lot of concern that ethical fashion is elitist, for those that can afford it, those that have the time to care. If you are too busy trying to feed your family then what place does global warming play in your world? Ethical fashion even less so. How can you justify doubling or quadrupling what you pay for a basic item because of a conscience? As someone who cares about what they look like, whether you are shopping vintage, or are working with local emerging designers, or you are taking clothing you have grown out of or, grown tired of back to the tailor – these are all options that are not more expensive than purchasing something. When you break a piece of clothing down to its cost-per-wear format, if you are buying fast fashion for $5, you may never wear it because it didn’t cost that much, you might wear it once and throw it away. If you actually purchase something you love and wear all the time you divide the cost into the wear, it is much more
sustainable cost-wise than you realise. The natural assumption is fast fashion is horrible and bad, and we must stop it, and we must give sustainable, ethical alternatives, and encourage people to spend more, buy less, and buy well. Yes, that’s an obvious response, but there are some really interesting things happening with the circular economy, where waste becomes a resource, and its constantly in a cycle, so why not throw it away? There is no such thing as a nirvana or perfect garment, that is completely sustainable, that is 100% compostable or recyclable, that has a negative energy impact, that doesn’t use water, or pollute in any way, shape, or form, which doesn’t utilise more energy than it gives back. We are an awfully long way away from that. You must make choices. Is employing and supporting craftsmanship in the developing world more important to you than the carbon footprint? If you are talking about the developing world and not living in it, chances are there is an energy impact in the transport, sale and distribution of that, or is local economy where you are living important? These are all valid responses to the ethics of consumption. You must make choices based on your personal value system. You can only make the best choices for you and strive to improve. At DIDI, our degree programme is firmly embedded in design thinking and creative problem solving. Design as a tool to make a better world, with sustainability and ethics interwoven in everything we do. Sustainable thinking will be embedded in every class, and each of the programmes, a constant thread that equips students with the knowledge and tools to make their own design decisions based on their own set of values and ethics, and the knowledge of the ramifications of their design choices. 21
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
CASE STUDY
Leveraging best-in-class technology Making sustainability the core of everything it does has made RSA’s portfolio of companies more efficient, and has saved money, according to Abhishek Ajay Shah, CoFounder and Group CEO, RSA Global
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SA Cold Chain is a new business arm for Dubai-based logistics company RSA Global, started in April 2017 to provide dedicated cold chain solutions to meet the growing demand for reliable logistic services for the food industry, particularly in the run up to Expo 2020, which will see a surge in population and food consumption. The corner stone of RSA Cold Chain’s services is its technology, infrastructure, specialist team, and product visibility for clients at every step of the logistics chain. One of the largest cold chain issues facing the UAE food logistics market is food waste throughout the supply chain, largely due to inefficiencies in the transport and hand-over of goods.
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The purpose of RSA Cold Chain is to solve these cold chain challenges for a better tomorrow. To address these issues, the company developed intelligent technology that gives its clients full visibility into the entire logistics chain from end-to-end. This technology can identify breaks in the cold chain, which can lead to waste production, and the end consumer getting poor quality goods. “About six to seven per cent of fresh food is wasted globally a year because of breaks in the cold chain. For frozen food the figure is about two per cent, because frozen goods have longer before they start deteriorating,” said Abhishek Ajay Shah, Co-Founder and Group CEO of RSA Global.
RSA Cold Chain embraced technology to ensure its cold chain division is encased in a framework of sustainability. This technology is not only designed to reduce waste, reduce drop-off times for products, track vehicle usage, and develop visibility to the client from goods pick-up to dropoff, but also to build a data bank to identify ongoing issues. “The technology implemented by RSA Cold Chain allows any entity that is connected to the system to have complete access and visibility to what is happening in that truck right from pick up to facility storage, while it is in storage/value addition, and then into our smart vehicles for final distribution,” noted Shah. The technology itself is an aggregation of several different
Issue 05 | March 2018
T O P T With I P Sits new
boxes,” stated Shah.
technology RSA Cold Chain has managed to become more efficient.
Transport With the implementation of its technology, the company has access to its real time delivery schedules, which are done based on delivery window
programmes, which are presented to the user as a single panel of information. However, the back-end of the technology features a warehouse management system, a transport management system, and data from intelligent devices, which are all connected together that allow the customers to have complete visibility. This visibility allows RSA Cold Chain’s customers to understand where the problem may lie in the supply chain. “For example, we go and deliver to a big retail chain, they may leave fresh goods outside much longer than should be allowed. We have a two to three-minute window that the goods should be outside for, but maybe it is outside for 20 mins. It is not something that you as a customer or us, as a supply chain provider can influence, but it is affecting the quality of produce that the consumer is getting. We are able to provide that information because we put disposable beacons on the
developed intelligent technology that gives its clients full visibility into the entire logistics chain from end-toend.
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Fotosenmeer/shutterstock.com
The “company
Abhishek Ajay Shah, Co-Founder and Group CEO, RSA Global
timing, traffic updates and real time data gathering. This allows RSA Cold Chain to alert the customer at its drop-off point that the truck is on its way. The customer is then able to mobilise staff and wait for the truck to come in. This allows handover of goods to be completed in a more efficient manner; the transition period is much shorter and there are fewer delays. RSA
Cold Chain’s trucks also have a speed limiter to 80km/h, a more fuel-efficient speed to run at. RSA Cold Chain does not own its fleet vehicles and rents them, meaning that the vehicles can be upgraded every three years to more efficient and innovative fleet vehicles. The company has also developed driver training, teaching their drivers how to drive more fuel efficiently. “We also have sensors, which, if you leave the door open for more than 10 seconds the head office gets a dashboard alert saying that the vehicle’s door has been open for too long. The other innovative thing we did to make sure there is good utilisation of our trucks, is that we designed a hybrid temperature vehicle. What you would usually see in the market is a two-chamber vehicle, one frozen and one ambient. We designed a threechamber vehicle which is able to have one chamber ambient, one chamber for cold, and one chamber frozen. It is flexible as well, to ensure that when food service agents who need packed, fresh food, and frozen - it can all go together so we are not doing multiple trips to deliver,” stated Shah. Facility construction and design As a group of companies RSA Global has embraced solar technology, and went live with its first solar facilities last November. According to Shah, RSA Global is one of the first logistics companies in the UAE to use solar power for its facilities. The live project produces 1.1 megawatts, and by the end of 2018, the company will have a fivemegawatt plant. The main facility in the project is a non-air-conditioned facility, which is producing 90% of the sites electricity needs. The RSA Cold Chain solar panel rooftop project, currently underway, will produce 65% of the site’s needs because the roof size and the needs inside don’t match up. 23
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
Abhishekh Ajay Shah, Co-Founder and Group CEO, RSA Global
“The average cost reduction for solar is going to be between 15% and 25% savings on our electricity bill just with solar. From the way we have structured our bill. We did not buy our own solar, but lease it because it is not our core business. We have a partner who does that. It is for the next 20 years,” noted Shah. In the individual business units of RSA Global, and in RSA Cold Chain, the company has limited plastic usage policies driven by its petrochemical logistics company RSA TALKE. “Obviously the plastic manufacturers are a big customer for us at RSA TALKE, so it is a contradiction, but we try and do as much as we can to reduce plastic waste in the company. We are heavy on recycling,”said Shah. RSA Global also puts a strong focus on how its facilities are designed. For the RSA Cold Chain site, the facilities are 24
designed from a food-safety point of view; there is no way outside organisms can enter the warehouse. “We have three different checkpoints and doors from where the cargo is dropped off, so maintaining temperature - as well as not allowing foreign organisms to come in,” noted RSA’s Shah. RSA Global also has water savers in the company buildings, the owners drive electric vehicles, and the future plan is to get into electric and autonomous vehicles for logistics, which will also drive logistics cost down for the supply chain. “Just look at what is happening with car manufacturers producing cars that are electric and hybrid, it is staggering and will be the future. They are definitely cleaner and we see that change to electric happening very easily for the transportation of goods by road,” said Shah.
What is next? Because RSA Cold Chain just started operations in April 2017, there has not been enough time to gather enough data from its touch points to really analyse areas of improvement, and areas that can be looked at to improve the company’s sustainability practices. Shah believes that the implementation of blockchain will completely transform this, and it is the next big initiative that RSA Cold Chain is working on. “Right now, I own my data, the retailer owns his data, the shipper owns his data, how do we get everyone on one line to make sure all the data is utilised? The adoption of this is unknown. Will everyone want to share their data? But that is the future. Until it takes place we cannot fully provide an end-to-end analytics service. Today we can provide 60% of the lifetime that we control very accurately,” said Shah. “When you start building a company such as this, logistics is a dirty industry, we do have a high carbon footprint, so how do we try and make this better? We are making sure sustainability is in the DNA of the organisation, when anyone takes a decision we know it follows our purpose and our sustainability values,” stated Shah.
Problem Globally six to seven per cent of transported food is wasted annually because of breaks in the cold chain. Solution RSA Cold Chain has developed end-to-end technology that allows the customer to see exactly where any break in the cold chain happens. Result RSA Cold Chain is starting to see a smaller amount of wasted food.
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
CASE STUDY
Manufacturing excellence Global dairy giant Arla Foods has taken sustainability to heart, implementing initiatives throughout its value-chain, The Sustainabilist spoke to Ann-Camilla Kjaempe, Category Director at Arla Foods
Yakov Oskanov/shutterstock.com
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lobal dairy product behemoth, Arla Foods is a Europe-wide co-operative owned and directed by around 11,000 farmers from countries that include the UK, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Luxemburg and the Netherlands. As one of the strongest players in the international dairy arena, Arla Foods has taken sustainability and made it one of its key initiatives throughout its value chain – from cow to cup. The co-operative, originally started in 1880, produces a wide range of dairy products including well-known brands such as Arla, Puck, Lurpak and Castello. Arla Foods is also the world’s largest
Issue 05 | March 2018
Ann-Camilla Kjaempe, Category Director at Arla Foods
we are working on sustainability throughout the value chain,” said Arla’s Kjaempe. In 2016, 17 new biofuel vehicles were introduced in Sweden leading to an annual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 90% for each of the vehicle. Arla also introduced driving goals for its truckers. “In Denmark I saw the Arla trucks driving very slowly on the roads. When I came to work here I realised that Arla had put a speed limit on all of our trucks, because the most fuel-efficient way of driving was at 80km/h,” noted Kjaempe. Last year Arla introduced a new green milk carton made of renewable raw materials, such as forest fibre and plastic from renewable sources, which has 20% lower greenhouse gas emissions than traditional cartons, leading to savings of 336 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. “Packaging is one area where we really work on sustainability, and with our
suppliers we try and improve on how we are delivering our products. We have also launched biodegradable packaging in some of our core ranges in Europe, and it is something we constantly strive to improve in our business,” stated Kjaempe. In 2013, Arla opened the world’s largest fresh milk dairy plant in Aylesbury in the UK. The dairy plant is carbon neutral, and is the world’s largest, most technically advanced and environmentfriendly dairy for the processing of fresh milk. In another initiative, in 2016, Arla Denmark launched a campaign to collect lost milk crates. Arla milk crates are designed to last for 20 years, but get lost within three years on average. Working to collect the lost milk crates could reduce Arla’s CO2 emissions by as much as 825 tonnes.
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From 2005 to today, we have grown the business 50% but we have managed to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 16%.
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manufacturer of organic dairy products. In 2016 Arla produced 13.9 billion kilogrammes of milk. “Sustainability is truly an integral part of Arla, since we control the entire value chain from the farms, to the packs that consumers pick up in the store. We have the ability to work on sustainability in many, many different aspects of the company,” Ann-Camilla Kjaempe, Category Director at Arla Foods said. The co-operative is currently working with its dairy farmers to improve and enhance its sustainability goals through its Arlagården programme. The four cornerstones of the Arlagården policy are firstly, milk composition. Arla Foods strives to achieve a milk composition, which ensures that the end products meet consumers’ needs and wishes. It also ensures that the composition of fat, protein, minerals and other important constituents in the milk are normal and that the milk is fresh. The third cornerstone is animal welfare, where the cows’ basic physiological and behavioural needs must be met, which will improve their health and welfare. The final cornerstone is environmental considerations. Arla Foods encourages environmentally sound production on the farm that is respectful of nature. The farm must protect the surrounding environment and the cultural landscape, as well as optimising the utilisation of nutrients and use only a minimum amount of hazardous chemicals based on risk assessment principles. Arla also focuses on transportation, the way the dairies operate, and packaging. “From 2005 to today, we have grown the business 50% but, we have managed to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 16%. We are absolutely on target on our goals and our 2020 goal is to decrease our footprint by 25% even though we are still growing globally. It has really proven that
Ann-Camilla Kjaempe, Category Director at Arla Foods 27
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
In Sweden, the co-operative has initiated a project with Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) to establish a scientific basis of defining and recording the value Arla farms create in terms of contributing to important ecosystems that we all benefit from, such as pollination, beautiful landscapes and fertile agricultural soil. It also has had its midterm review of its Sustainable Dairy Farming Strategy 2020, which concluded that Arla farms are on track to achieve its sustainability targets. The co-operative is now looking into extending its environmental strategy beyond 2020. Arla also continuously supports and promotes biodiversity including the responsible sourcing of feed and ingredients. “For Arla Foods, sustainability is extremely important. In 2050, there will be nine billion people in the world, and it is going to put enormous pressure on the resources that are available, and food.
Arla Foods: Farmer owned Arla is a dairy cooperative, owned by 11,000 farmers. This structure means that farmers sit on the boards of Arla and have a direct say on how the company is run. Plus, all the benefits from the sale of Arla’s products go back to those owners. The owners live in seven countries in Northern Europe and they share the earnings equally on each litre of milk they deliver to Arla. Arla’s cooperative roots go all the way back to the 1880s and its structure means that they work collaboratively to create a sustainable long-term future for the dairy industry. The fact that Arla are farmer owned often gives consumers a sense of quality throughout the value chain.
Source: Arla Foods
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Food is a staple, everyone needs food and nine billion people are not going to survive without it. We need to deliver food in a much more sustainable way, if we as a food company do not work with sustainability, it will be a mess. If we are to look to the future, if we don’t do anything there will be severe consequences,” noted Kjaempe. Arla, which has been operating in the UAE for 60 years, started importing its range of organic milks into the UAE in September 2017, and into Saudi Arabia at the beginning of 2018. The co-operative has seen a massive demand for its products, which retail at around AED 9 per litre. Happy cows are sustainable cows Arla Foods is a strong believer in the link between sustainability and animal welfare, ensuring that their cows are treated humanely and looked after properly. An unhappy cow produces less milk, and is bad for business. “Being a responsible food company that delivers natural food products, I think it is important how we treat our animals. In Europe we can allows our cows to be grass-fed, we can allow them to roam and have fresh water and live in a sustainable way. When you start producing organic products; not spraying the grass with artificial pesticides, fertilizers, use artificial growth hormones in the cows, it is key to sustainable food production in the future and this is so important for us. Our cows must be happy cows,” said Kjaempe. Arla cows produce between 25 to 30 litres of milk per day, more than cows that are being given growth hormones and things that are not natural. Kjaempe noted that this is why organic is part of a sustainable future and why the cooperative wants to be a leader within the global organic dairy industry.
Arla’s organic cows Arla give their cows the best food– fresh, pure and in just the amounts needed to give them the best possible nutrition every day. Arla’s cows are reared outside, when the weather permits, on a 100% organic diet of grass, corn and clover. • Arla cows, which produce our Arla Organic milk, are free range, meaning they graze outside whenever possible. The farmer will only choose to bring them indoors when it would be detrimental to their welfare to be outside, for instance,
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during winter weather conditions where it can be below zero degrees. During the winter months, the farmer will always put their cows’ welfare first and choose whether it’s best for them to stay indoors or outside. In line with European standards, Arla farmers do not give hormones to their cows to increase the amount of milk they produce. The cows do fine on their own, and when they’re well fed and looked after, they will produce 25 to 30 litres of high quality, nutritious milk every day. Arla Organic Milk is free from antibiotics. If a cow gets sick, sometimes it has to be treated with antibiotics. When this happens, the cow’s milk is separated and is not included in the milk that goes to the dairy. The vet will decide when the treatment is complete. Arla always document how many antibiotics are given and to which cow.
The problem: The dairy industry is notoriously unsustainable and responsible for a large percentage of greenhouse gas emissions every year.
The solution: Build sustainability practices throughout the dairy value chain.
The result: Reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved cow health, better quality milk.
bogdanhoda/shutterstock.com
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
CASE STUDY
Can cement be green? Union Cement Company (UCC, Ras Al Khaimah), founded in 1972, is one of the biggest cement manufacturers in the UAE - it updated its air compressors to improve its sustainability
U
nion Cement Company’s vision is to reduce the company’s CO2 footprint and make the plant more environmentally friendly, according to Hamad Khalfan Al Marri (Acting General Manager at UCC). Compressed air is one of the largest energy consumers in UCC’s operations and has been ear-marked for an area of overhaul and innovation to help reduce energy consumption.
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UCC’s Ras Al Khaimah facility contained 22 legacy medium pressure air compressors, some installed over 20 years ago. The facility also contained conventional lobe blowers for material transfer and combustion air applications, for the low-pressure air demand (below 1bar). UCC chose Atlas Copco, the suppliers of the original air compressor units to conduct an analysis of the legacy compressor efficiency. Atlas Copco
concluded that its new screw blower technology would dramatically improve energy savings in the facility. After comparing the potential energy saving data associated with the screw technology, UCC decided to replace one of their 200kW lobe blowers at the coal mill with a 160kW Atlas Copco ZS screw blower machinery. Maximise energy savings Energy costs can amount to 80% of the life cycle costs of a blower. The ZS screw blower range is designed to reduce energy costs by average 30% compared to a conventional lobe blower. Driven directly through a gearbox, the ZS screw blower’s internal compression is optimised to reach
Issue 05 | March 2018
maximum savings by reducing pressure drops and air turbulence. UCC measured the new ZS blower performance and the 25% energy savings confirmed resulted in UCC adopting screw technology for their low-pressure air requirements at the RAK facility. UCC have also purchased another two ZS screw units including a 37kW and a 132kW for the kiln feed, to replace the other two lobe blowers in the area. “Atlas Copco compressors have been running in our plant for 20 years steadily and reliably. Now with the ZS screw blowers, we are starting a new chapter of energy savings in a very tough environment that has heavy contamination and high ambient temperatures. By using the ZS blowers for over two years and experiencing the same quality and reliability, I am quite pleased to state that these blowers have helped UCC improve the production and bring down our operation costs and CO2 foot print by average 25%. We intend to replace the rest of lobe blowers with the ZS screw blowers,” said Mohamed Abu Al Khair, Maintenance Manager at UCC. Reliability matters Production sustainability is critical for the cement industry. The ZS blower with forced lubrication and a complete onboard oil system, which includes oil cooling and filtration, creates a more reliable package. In high ambient temperature conditions, such as the Middle East, a lobe blower service interval is approximately every 1,000 to 1,500 hours (two to three months), while the typical service interval of ZS screw blower is 4,000 hours and oil change once every 16,000 hours. The ZS screw blowers also have a full blower monitoring package onboard via the Mark V Elektronikon control system. This system provides round the clock monitoring through the optional patented SMARTlink remote monitoring system,
giving UCC maintenance engineers complete insight in the compressed air network and is able to anticipate any potential problems. “Atlas Copco ZS screw blowers are fast gaining acceptance within the cement industry in the region and for customers
who have invested in the screw blowers in the last few years are now reaping the benefits in terms of energy savings and operational reliability and efficiency such as the case with Union Cement,” Khalid Shaikh, the Regional Business Line Manager said.
Atlas Copco Atlas Copco is a leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions. The Group serves customers with innovative compressors, vacuum solutions and air treatment systems, construction and mining equipment, power tools and assembly systems. Atlas Copco develops products and services focused on productivity, energy efficiency, safety and ergonomics. The company was founded in 1873, is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has a global reach spanning more than 180 countries. In 2016, Atlas Copco had revenues of BSEK 101 (BEUR 11) and about 45,000 employees. Atlas Copco’s Compressor Technique business area provides compressed air solutions; industrial compressors, gas and process compressors and expanders, air and gas treatment equipment and air management systems. The business area has a global service network and innovates for sustainable productivity in the manufacturing, oil and gas, and process industries. Principal product development and manufacturing units are located in Belgium, the United States, China, India, Germany and Italy. Learn more at www.atlascopcogroup.com.
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The Sustainabilist ||SUSTAINABLE. SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS. PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT
FEATURE
A billion more people by 2030 will put huge pressure on our environment, we look at the UN Sustainable Development Goal number 12 and how it plans to support sustainable production and consumption
FEATURE
Saving the future
martinho Smart/Shutterstock.com
By 2030, there will be one billion more people on the planet.
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B
y 2030 there will be another one billion people on this planet. One billion people that need to be fed, clothed, watered, live in shelter, and be provided for. To be able to do this, those companies in the production sector globally need to do more with less, and need to curb their wastefulness, whether it is not throwing away food oversupply, to recycling packaging, or changing their supply chain to focus on sustainable sourcing. Manufacturers and producers across all sectors whether it is agriculture, light, or heavy manufacturing must begin to look at sourcing and usage practices. According to the UN, each year, an estimated one third of all food produced – equivalent to 1.3 billion tonnes worth around $1 trillion – ends up rotting in the bins of consumers and retailers, or spoiling due to poor transportation and harvesting practices. This level of waste cannot continue. In 2015, the UN set 17 Sustainable Development Goals, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
rd 23March October 2018 2017 Issue Issue 0105 | |
These goals are designed to change our world. Governments, businesses and civil society together with the United Nations are mobilising efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Agenda by 2030. Goal Number 12 is focused on ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns globally. According to Goal 12, sustainable consumption and production focuses on promoting resource and energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and providing access to basic services, green and decent jobs and a better quality of life for all. The implementation of this goal will help to create a safe environment for populations to come, and reduce future economic, environmental and social costs, strengthen economic competitiveness and reduce poverty. However, it requires cooperation between all stakeholders, from the producer to the consumer, building awareness amongst consumers to make the right choices regarding sustainability, and reducing the cost of those choices. The UN states that should the global population reach 9.6 billion by 2050, the equivalent of almost three planets could be required to provide the natural resources needed to sustain current lifestyles. Water Less than three per cent of the world’s water is potable, or drinkable, of which 2.5% is frozen in the Antarctica, Arctic and glaciers, according to the UN Goal 12 research. Humanity must rely on 0.5% of the world’s total water for all ecosystem’s and fresh water needs. However, man is polluting water faster than nature can recycle and purify water in rivers and lakes, meaning that we are destroying our only sources of water, and using it up faster than it can be replenished. More than one billion people globally still do not have access to fresh water either through drought, or lack of the expensive
infrastructure to treat, pipe and maintain a water flow. January and February 2018 saw one of the world’s most recognisable tourist destinations, running rapidly out of water. Day Zero, the day when Cape Town completely runs out of water is fast approaching, and is expected to fall on 11 May, 2018—having already moved up (and then pushed back again) from the originally-estimated April 21 date. The current water crisis has to do in part with a boom in population and also partly poor drought planning in a country undergoing
3 planets will be needed to
support the global population by 2050 political discord. There are many people wondering, which city is next? Energy Ever since China entered the renewable energy space, and began producing cheaper solar cells, the cost of implementing solar energy has dropped to be equivalent to, or less than producing power from hydrocarbons in some markets. However, despite technological advances that have promoted energy efficiency gains, and made renewable energy more accessible, energy use in OECD countries will grow another 35% by 2020, according to the UN’s Goal 12. Commercial and residential energy use is the second most rapidly growing area of global energy use after transport. In 2002 the motor vehicle stock in OECD
countries was 550 million vehicles (75% of which were personal cars). A 32% increase in vehicle ownership is expected by 2020. At the same time, motor vehicle kilometres are projected to increase by 40% and global air travel is projected to triple in the same period. Households consume 29% of global energy and consequently contribute to 21% of resultant CO2 emissions. The world added enough renewable energy capacity to power every house in the UK, Germany, France and Italy combined in 2016, according to a new report The Renewables 2017 Global Status Report by Ren21, and was produced 23% cheaper than in 2015. According to the report, Denmark, Egypt, India, Mexico, Peru and the United Arab Emirates are all now receiving renewable energy at less than five US cents per kilowatt-hour, below the cost of fossil fuels and nuclear. This however, is still not enough to reach the targets on climate change set by the Paris Agreement, although it is a step in the right direction to a more sustainable energy mix. Food While substantial environmental impacts from food occur in the production phase of both agriculture and food processing, households influence these impacts through their dietary choices and habits, according to the UN. These dietary choices affect the environment through waste food generation, and the costs of production. For example, researchers at Oxfam conducted a study, the results of which were releases in January 2018, on the carbon cost of a sandwich, a lunch staple the world over. The researchers estimate that a ready-made (and highly calorific) all-day breakfast sandwich generates 1441g of carbon dioxide equivalent – equal to the emissions created by driving a car for 19 kilometres. The study also found that making your own sandwiches could reduce carbon emissions 33
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
Fixing the problem The plan to address sustainable production by the UN is to implement the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, with all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries. By 2030 the UN Goal 12 wants to have achieved the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources, halved the per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels, and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. Goal 12 also states that waste generation must be substantially reduced through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse by 2030. By 2020, it wants to achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their 34
life-cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimise their adverse impacts on human health and the environment. The UN is encouraging companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle, and promoting public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities. By 2030, the UN Goal 12 aims to ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature. It will also support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to
move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production. The Goal is also going to develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products, rationalise inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimising the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities.
Every year one third of all food produced goes to waste.
Georgina Ford Photography
by half compared to shop-bought versions. It is simple food choices such as making your own sandwich, that can help to reduce the 1.3 billion tonnes of food that is wasted every year, and incrementally reduce carbon emissions. Overconsumption of food is detrimental to our health and the environment, with two billion people globally overweight, or obese, and that number is growing. Overconsumption leads to land degradation, declining soil fertility, unsustainable water use, overfishing and marine environment degradation, and lessens the ability of natural resources to supply food. According to UN statistics, the food sector accounts for around 30% of the world’s total energy consumption, and accounts for around 22% of total Greenhouse Gas emissions. While 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted every year, there are also almost one billion people living undernourished, and another one billion hungry.
The Sustainabilist The UAE has a nationwide strategy of reaching 50% clean energy by 2050, solar power features heavily in its plans and is expected to account for 25% of the generation mix once a 5GW solar park is fully commissioned in 2030.
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The UAE has a nationwide strategy of reaching 50% clean energy by 2050, solar power features heavily in its plans and is expected to account for 25% of the generation mix once a 5GW solar park is fully commissioned in 2030.
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The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
FEATURE
The credibility of fashion industry UAE-based sustainable fashion brand builders Femke Speelman from Phemke, and Ayesha Siddequa of Future Fashion talk about the growth of sustainable fashion in the region, and what sustainable fashion really means
I
ndustrial pollution accounts for 60% of pollution in the Dhaka watershed area in Bangladesh, and the textile industry is the second largest contributor of pollution in Bangladesh after tanneries, states a World Bank Report. The apparel industry accounts for
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10% of global carbon emissions and remains the second largest industrial polluter, second only to oil. That same industry is valued at $3 trillion, and accounts for two per cent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to world fashion industry
statistics. “It’s crucial to change our mindset and it starts with the consumer. We need to conclude that we really don’t need to buy new clothes every week. At Phemke we encourage the slow fashion trend which means that you buy fewer items, but better made items. Better in
Issue 05 | March 2018
employed in the textile, clothing, and footwear sector worldwide. Over 80% of the employees within the fast fashion industry do not even earn a living wage. “The growing volumes of clothes produced in fashion mean that the already significant environmental impact from the fashion industry will only keep increasing as the population increases. Innovative and transformative solutions are urgently needed to solve or reduce the industry’s significant impacts such as water and energy use, emissions, and toxic chemicals,” she said.
“
We need to educate our customers about what is sustainable and how to make the right decision when buying clothes.
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terms of quality, and definitely better in terms of ethical and sustainable standards,” states Femke Speelman, Founder and Managing Director of sustainable fashion brand Phemke. Each year we consume and dispose of 1.1 million tonnes of clothes. Some 48% of this is re-used and 14% recycled, while the remainder winds up in landfill (31%) or incinerated (seven per cent), according to Ayesha Siddequa, Founder and Creative Director of Future Fashion, which sources sustainable and ethical brands. Approximately 60 to 75 million people are
What is sustainable fashion? Sustainable fashion is apparel and accessories that have been made, sourced, and manufactured in a sustainable way. Speelman said that there are quite a few definitions of sustainable fashion, for example using 100% GOTS (Global Organic Textiles Standard) cotton, when clothes are upcycled and made into new clothes, or other items such as bags, or when artisans are making accessories from natural, biodegradable materials such as straw, hemp or linen, or when a garment factory uses a closed loop system which means all waste is being used again in the production process. “There’s definitely a lot of education needed for our customers, an easy way to start is to learn more about the materials used. Often people think bamboo is sustainable but it’s not. Yes, it is a natural, fast growing material, but in fact a lot of toxins are used in the process of creating yarns from it, so in fact it’s not sustainable at all. We need to educate our customers about what is sustainable and how to make the right decision when buying clothes,” she noted. While the sustainable fashion movement is growing globally, it is still in its infancy in the Middle East region. Globally customers became more aware of
Femke Speelman, Founder & Managing Director, Phemke.com
Femke Speelman, Founder & Managing Director, Phemke.com where their fashion was sourced in the 1990s. In 1991 activist Jeff Ballinger published a report documenting low wages and poor working conditions in Indonesia at Nike factories, which rocked the fashion world. In 2013 a factory used 37
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
by many high-street brands in Bangladesh collapsed, killing over 1,000 people. These incidents served to bring fast fashion into the news and forced apparel brands to make changes to their production and hiring practices. Speelman said that she has seen an uptick in interest in sustainable fashion in the last 12 months here in the UAE. “Consumers are becoming more conscious of sustainable fashion but often brands are not transparent regarding their production locations and how their products are made. So, you will have a situation where consumers, or customers as I prefer to call our clients, want to buy sustainable fashion but do not know enough about it to make the right decisions. It’s the brand’s responsibility to educate their customers so that they can choose their clothes and accessories based on true facts,” she said. Researching the supply chain For a sustainable brand, it is essential that the products are correctly sourced, and the supply chain for that product, and the product itself is properly certified.
Speelman built her brand by talking to sustainable fashion experts, networking, visiting trade fairs such as Premiere Vision in Paris, and the manufacturers of sustainable yarns, fabrics, and products specifically, and travelling around the world to find the most authentic pieces handmade by artisans. “Focusing on sustainability within your supply chain is a great way to communicate corporate values and culture to your suppliers and customers. Many resources and tools are available to assist companies with the development of a supplier code of conduct. For example, the United Nations Global Compact publication, Supply Chain Sustainability — A Practical Guide for Continuous Improvement,” noted Siddequa. Many sustainable fabrics come at a premium, which the brand passes onto the customer, making sustainable fashion a more expensive alternative to fast fashion. However, Speelman said that in Europe there are many brands selling sustainable fashion for similar prices as fashion made from, for example, conventional cotton and polyester. She pointed out however,
60%
The average consumer bought more clothing in 2014 than in 2000, but kept each garment half as long
2000 Source: McKinsey & Company
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2014
Ayesha Siddequa, Founder and Creative Director of Future Fashion
that sustainable fashion products, while more expensive, are likely to last longer, and have a far better ethical source. “Ask yourself when you buy an AED 25 t-shirt from a big retail chain, how is it possible this item is so cheap? Who made it? What was the price she or he had to pay for making your shirt? How do I know that a child does not make it? I totally detest cheap clothing shops, because getting to know this business better and better, I know what the retailer must have paid for it and how the manufacturer, and therefore the people working in the factory are pressured to keep the prices low,” she stated. One of the reasons sustainable fashion does generally come at a premium is that some of the materials are grown without pesticides and synthetic fertilizers and can’t be genetically modified. “Sustainable fabrics are made to order, which reduces the amount of waste in terms of mass producing fabric. Look at organic food, in the beginning it was very expensive, but as the demand increased
Issue 05 | March 2018
the prices dropped. Same will happen with sustainable fashion,” said Siddequa. Certification One of the most important things to get right when building a sustainable brand, is making sure your suppliers are certified as sustainable, for example, Femke’s suppliers use natural materials, which they source locally and they also use eco-dye. Its factories are always SA8000 certified, and they use GOTS certified organic cotton. To get GOTS certified not only means they are using GOTS certified organic cotton yarns but also that they maintain good and safe working conditions for their labourers and pay fair wages. “Being sustainable also means you are looking at your full business spectrum, from sourcing yarns to making fabrics to shipping the finished goods to your customers. Not to mention the labels, tags and packaging you’re using for your products. We are working towards a more sustainable way of packing our items, customers receive an organic cotton reusable bag instead of a paper shopping bag which most likely ends up in the trash bin. We are also working towards a more sustainable approach in terms of displaying our products by using FSC certified paper and wood. Step by step we’re improving on all parts of the business,” noted Speelman. Consumers also need to know what to look for when selecting a sustainable brand, Speelman advises that the customer should always check the label to see what material is used. Sustainable fabrics include organic cotton (not the conventional cottons since tons of water is being used and discarded as waste), linen, hemp, modal, tencel. She also advises consumers not to buy anything made from polyester because every time you wash a garment made from polyester, millions of
plastic microthreads end up in the water and eventually in the ocean. “This microwaste is swallowed by fish and eventually they die from it. This is a huge problem which people are not aware of. You can use a wash bag for the polyester clothes you already have in your wardrobe (e.g. Guppyfriend). Guppyfriend reduces the amount of microfibres that may enter rivers and oceans from washing,” she said. “You can also check the website of PlasticSoupFoundation which explains this huge problem in a clear way. There’s a special section for kids too. Teaching our kids is an important step in creating a more sustainable planet!” Customers can also check a brand’s website to see if they mention the production process and sourcing. Speelman said that the more the brand shares, the more you can trust it. However, she warns that some things are not so obvious, for example, a Fair Trade certificate doesn’t necessarily mean it’s sustainable too. The first step to fixing a problem is to admit there is one, and it is becoming obvious that the global fashion industry is very unsustainable. “Until the cost of sustainable fashion reduces, or the prices of fast fashion increase to cover its current environmental and social externalities, the proposition looks attractive on paper, but will remain a challenge with the majority of budget conscious consumers. Raising awareness as to why clothes are so cheap is key. Making sustainable garments a reality for high street fashion requires action from all key players. There can only be positive changes for businesses if sustainable business practices are implemented; reputational, meeting changing consumer expectations, saving costs, building brand loyalty and more,” noted Siddequa.
Choosing right If you even choose to take ONE of these steps you are on your way towards sustainable fashion and this will make a huge difference in your life and in return to the world you live in. • Educate yourself and know exactly what’s going into the clothes you decide to wear • Look for independent third-party certification - not all brands would have this as its expensive to get these certifications. • Check the materials used in the product - like linen, organic cotton, hemp, peace silk etc. • Look for where it is made - beware of something made far away. Try and buy more locally and support local businesses • Check the brands CSR policy before buying from them Source: Ayesha Siddequa, Founder and Creative Director of Future Fashion
Wellness “Once you have experienced the softness of organic cotton, you don’t want anything else. Organic cotton is not only kinder to the cotton farmer since no chemicals and pesticides are used, but it’s also kinder to the skin as it doesn’t contain any chemicals that go into the blood stream. Sustainable fashion fits very well in the total wellness picture and I strongly believe people are more and more conscious of what they wear - similar to what happened in the food industry. We want to know where our food is coming from, how it’s grown and where. A similar trend is starting now in the fashion industry. They often say, ‘you are what you wear’ and there’s nothing better than receiving a compliment on what you’re wearing and being able to explain the story behind the garment (where and how it’s made and by whom). Now we not only talk about from farm to plate, but also from farm to closet!” Femke Speelman, Founder & Managing Director, Phemke.com
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The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
FEATURE
EGA reaches record low level of perfluorocarbon emissions, signs agreement with Australian university for research on further reductions Controlling emissions of PFCs, a group of greenhouse gases, is a global aluminium industry goal. EGA’s PFC emissions in 2017 were 22kg CO2 equivalent /tonne of aluminium produced, compared to global average of 380kg CO2 equivalent /tonne in 2016
E
mirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced that its emissions of perfluorocarbons were a record low for the company in 2017, and that EGA has
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signed an agreement with the University of New South Wales to research further reductions. Perfluorocarbons, known as PFCs, are a group of greenhouse gases which have thousands of times more global warming potential of carbon dioxide.
Reducing PFC emissions is an important environmental goal of the global aluminium industry. EGA’s emissions of PFCs were 22 kilogrammes per tonne of aluminium produced in 2017 compared to a global average of 380 kilogrames per tonne in
Issue 05 | March 2018
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We believe our new research is the first of its kind as it aims to tackle emissions from minute changes rather than just reducing Anode Effects that we can all detect today.
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2016, the most recent year for which figures are available from the International Aluminium Institute. At EGA’s newer Al Taweelah smelter, PFC emissions in 2017 were seven kilogrammes per tonne of aluminium produced. In the aluminium industry reported PFC emissions are known to be associated with momentary process imbalances known as Anode Effects. These occur when the alumina concentration falls in the reduction cells in which aluminium is smelted. Through technology development and operational improvements, EGA has reduced the frequency of Anode Effects in its operations from an average of once every three days in each reduction cell in 2009 to less than once every 12 days in each reduction cell in 2017. The average duration of each Anode Effect has similarly decreased, from 44 seconds in 2009 to below 21 seconds in 2017. The new research that EGA will conduct with scientists from the University of New South Wales aims to reduce what the industry terms ‘background’ PFC emissions – those that are from variations in reduction cell conditions that are too small to be detected and remedied by the control technology available today. The research will focus on developing sophisticated technology to continuously monitor conditions inside reduction cells in great detail and semi-autonomously feed alumina in response to minute changes. More accurate feeding of alumina in response to changing conditions is also expected to lower energy consumption, reducing emissions of CO2 created through power generation. EGA’s work to reduce PFC emissions is led by Executive Vice President Dr Ali Al Zarouni, who is in charge of the company’s aluminium
Dr. Ali Al Zarouni, EGA’s Executive Vice President smelters in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and EGA’s technology development. Dr Al Zarouni said: “Reducing PFC emissions in the aluminium industry is a matter of fundamental environmental responsibility. Unfortunately no single factor provides the solution. Rather we have achieved our reductions through developing our own smelting and pot control technology, continuously improving our operational processes, and rigorously monitoring the quality of our raw materials. “We believe our new research is the first of its kind as it aims to tackle
emissions from minute changes rather than just reducing Anode Effects that we can all detect today. Working with the University of New South Wales enables us to combine our own technology expertise with the latest academic thinking to tackle this particularly difficult challenge.” Dr Al Zarouni holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of New South Wales and wrote his doctoral thesis on the subject of “PFC emissions in the aluminium industry”. The new project is the third research partnership between EGA and the University of New South Wales. Previous research with the university has focused on developing more sophisticated measurements within reduction cells and the findings will be used in the new research work. EGA is a member of the global International Aluminium Institute and supports the Institute’s voluntary target of a 93% reduction in perfluorocarbon emissions at older smelters by 2020 (using 1990 as the baseline). EGA Jebel Ali achieved this reduction by 2015 - five years early. EGA has developed its own technology in the UAE for over 25 years. The company’s latest technology is amongst the most efficient and competitive in the global aluminium industry. EGA has used its own technology for every smelter expansion since the 1990s, including the construction of Al Taweelah, which was the world’s largest single-site smelter when it was completed. EGA has also retrofitted all its older production lines with its UAE-developed technology. EGA’s technology development has focused both on the reduction cells themselves, and the software to manage their performance. EGA has reduced its total greenhouse gas emissions produced per tonne of aluminium by 10% since 2011. 41
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
FEATURE
Achieving targets, creating value Henkel’s 2016 Sustainability Report showcases its sustainability goals and targets for 2020 and how it plans to reach them
H
enkel operates 171 production sites worldwide. We work continuously at all of these sites to reduce our environmental footprint while maintaining high quality and safety standards.We have set concrete targets for our production sites to maximise impact and help steer progress toward our long-term goal to become three times more efficient by 2030 (“Factor 3�). We have achieved all previous interim targets by the end of 2015 and are now focusing our efforts on working toward our new interim targets up to 2020. Until then, we want to increase net sales by 22% per tonne of product and improve our worldwide occupational accident rate by 40% per million hours worked; while reducing the direct and indirect CO2 emissions from our production sites, our water use and our waste volume, in each case by 30% per tonne of product relative to the base year 2010. We have also defined additional priorities for our 42
programmes: increasing the amount of renewable energy we use, cutting the volume of waste for landfill, and a stronger focus on saving water in regions where water is in short supply. We want to become a climate positive company and reduce our carbon footprint by 75% until 2030. Therefore, we will focus on the continuous improvement of energy efficiency and increase the use of renewable energy. In particular, we want to get 100% of the electricity we consume from renewable sources by 2030, through on-site generation as well as external procurement. Another priority is the reduction of production waste for landfill: By 2020, we want the production sites of our consumer business to contribute zero waste to landfill. By 2030, we will expand this target to cover all production sites, including our industrial business. By the end of 2016, 39% of our sites already achieve this ambition. Sustainable right from the start When building new plants for our
production network, it is our ambition to integrate sustainability from the very beginning. In 2013, the Laundry & Home Care business unit decided to build a new plant close to Cairo,Egypt. We took this opportunity to design and construct a smart factory with minimal environmental impact in one of our important emerging market countries. We decided to build the liquid detergent plant in Polaris Industrial Parks, which is considered to be a pioneer in setting environmental and social standards for industrial parks in the Middle East. For example, Polaris Parks uses solar street lightning and offers a health centre as well as a daycare facility. In addition, the park operator looks at the environmental impact of businesses when choosing new users of the industrial park. In 2015-2016 more than 2,360 hours of safety training and strict safety procedures have resulted in zero lost time cases and zero restricted work cases for more than 200,000 working hours.
Issue 05 | March 2018
In addition, Henkel worked with a construction contractor who managed to reduce construction waste by more than half compared to the market average. All this has contributed to make the construction phase as sustainable as possible. The Cairo plant has been designed as a smart factory and will be equipped with the newest, real-time measurement systems to monitor energy and water consumption as well as waste generation. Given that Egypt is one of the sunniest countries, we will install skylights to save energy needed for lightning. Taking into account that the region is characterised by water scarcity, we placed a particular focus on integrating best practice measures to reduce water usage during operation of the plant. In addition, the plant is designed to produce zero waste to landfill enabled by a modern waste management and recycling system. Furthermore, we have enhanced health and safety at the plant, for example, by implementing innovative traffic solutions and by avoiding the use of combustible construction materials. Worldwide optimisation programs Aiming to continuously improve our entire production network, we have begun to introduce the Henkel Production System (HPS) in 2015. Through this Group-wide optimisation programme, we want to systematically identify and eliminate inefficiencies of all kinds along our value chain, such as waiting times and excess production or defects, in order to generate more value for our customers and our shareholders. To this end, we have set standards for all three business units on the harmonisation of production workflows. HPS is based on lean principles and on engaging all employees to ensure that they can implement the new standards effectively while saving on
resources. For example, at the Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care site in West Hazleton, USA, implementation of HPS and its lean tools has delivered strong results in the areas of resource efficiency, production improvements and safety. This includes a reduction of water usage for the filler cleaning process of almost 1.2 million litres annually in parallel with an increased production output. Redesigned forklift work flow patterns have created safety zones in the packaging area. Through HPS, we want to drive lean thinking and tools in all operations
Henkel wants to reduce its carbon footprint by
75
%
until 2030
throughout our production network by the end of 2017. Journey toward zero waste to landfill We target our ambition of zero waste to landfill by 2030 by systematically identifying waste streams and creating closed-loop systems where possible. Our focus lies on increased recycling within our plants and on collaboration with our packaging suppliers. In doing so, our Laundry & Home Care plant in Cork, Ireland, has managed to halve its waste volume already in 2014. One year later, the plant was equipped with an additional compactor, which supports the recycling process and further reduced waste going to landfill. In a last step, the remaining
hazardous waste is now sent for fuel recovery. As result, this plant is zero waste to landfill since August 2016. Another project was successfully implemented at our Beauty Care site in WassertrĂźdingen, Germany. Thanks to a unique partnership with UPM Raflatac and parent company UPM, the site was able to reduce siliconized paper liner waste to zero. This paper liner is used to transfer labels onto our cosmetics products and uses adhesives from Henkel, amongst others. The process generates more than 400 metric tons of siliconised paper liner waste per year, equivalent to around 20 truckloads. Participation in the new RafCycle programme from UPM Raflatac enables us to recycle all of this waste into new graphic printing paper for books and magazines. Henkel waste now accounts for 10% of all the waste recycled through RafCycle at UPM. This partnership demonstrates the importance of collaboration on our journey towards zero waste to landfill. Becoming a carbon positive company We want our operations to become carbon positive. Therefore, we are complementing further energy efficiency improvements with the procurement and on-site generation of renewable electricity. In doing so, we are aligning with national and regional energy markets as well as climate action plans. In 2016 we conducted a global assessment of the energy needs of our production sites worldwide and evaluated the local potential for renewable energy. Based on this, we are now preparing the implementation of our ambition to source all electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
Source: Henkel 2016 Sustainability Report
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The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
FEATURE
Establishing product assessment
Kzenon/Shutterstock.com
Understanding the impact of a product on the environment can create value for your business
T
he characteristics of a company’s products’ are critical to the environmental performance of the business, as well as the customers’ ability to manage their own environmental impact. The quality of the products, often more than anything else, helps to define the reputation of the business, inspire the employees in their daily activities and decisions and build and maintain loyal relationships throughout the supply chain as well as with the customers. While many factors affect the environmental performance of a product, it is the original product design that largely determines performance even before the product leaves the company. Paying attention to the environmental issues and 44
opportunities, throughout the design and improvement cycles, has many benefits, which include: Substitute recycled/renewable materials for non-renewables • Saves material cost • Creates a more attractive product for some buyers Reduce hazardous substances in products • Lowers cost of monitoring, treatment and disposal • Products seen as safer and more desirable Improve recyclability or biodegradability of products
• Enhances value of material inputs • Reduces cost associated with disposal Lower product energy requirements • Reduces cost of use • Can improve product desirability • Anticipated regulatory requirements and future standards Improve product durability • Lessens the need for non-renewable materials • Increases product value Manufacturers may make a single or several hundred products and each one will have its own unique environmental profile and impact, which can and will occur long
Leader in the Energy Transition We’ve been the GCC’s leading energy partner for 30 years, offering expert solutions in the field of low-carbon energy and transformational energy services. With our customers, we forge ahead together in building a sustainable future for the region.
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
after the product has left the facility where it was manufactured. In certain cases, how a customer uses a product, throughout its life cycle causes the greatest environmental impact and is also the manufacturer’s greatest opportunity for green innovation and improvement. The types of environmental issues and opportunities presented by products • Material composition and whether they comprise recycled, renewable or reused materials, or are non-renewable or hazardous • Need to be disposed of or recycled at the end of their useful life • Energy consumption and release of greenhouse gases during use • Ability to help customers and consumers to reduce their own environmental impact Indicators to measure performance Manufacturers can use several quantitative key indicators that relate to the environmental performance of their products: • Recycled/reused content of your products • Recyclability of your products • Renewable materials used in your products • Nonrenewable materials used in your products • Restricted substances contained in your products • Energy consumption in using your products • Greenhouse gas emissions from the use of your products In order to measure these indicators, the company will need to know the proportions of recycled or reused materials, renewable materials and restricted substances used in 46
the products. The company will also need to record the weight and volume of each product produced and also record how much energy each product requires in a typical year of use. Another key estimate required will be the duration of the viability of the product which can be found by either testing the product or via other means. A company’s journey towards sustainable manufacturing may only just be starting and the first set of chosen indicators may prove a real challenge to assemble and learn from but a company can benefit a lot as they progress. The rewards will certainly be worth the effort. As the company develops and expands further, it might find that it grows beyond the indicators decided upon earlier and will need to update and expand their list of performance indicators. Companies will also need to consider the whole lifecycle of the products. There are many methodologies available that take into account the total lifecycle impact of products’ from inception till termination, including raw materials sourcing, refining, manufacturing, distribution, use and reuse/recycling/disposal. Although highly technical in data analysis and calculation, they enable you to compare similar products on the basis of their full impact and can help you design products with consideration for environment, cost and value from a very early stage of development. Sustainable manufacturing is about more than improving environmental performance and while many companies begin with environmental aspects the social and economic dimensions are just as important. These might include: workplace quality issues; human rights; ethics; anticorruption; and customer satisfaction. The economic aspect may go beyond the familiar financial issues to encompass the wider effects on the economy, such as job creation, tax payment and local development. Source: OECD
Specific benefits for your business from environmentally sustainable operations Key benefits from greening operations.
Reduce energy consumption Reduces energy costs
Reduce waste generation and emissions: Reduce cost of monitoring, treatment and disposal
Reprocess/ remanufacture endof-lifr materials: Increases value of your material inputs
Replace or upgrade equipment and/or production line: Improves efficiency of operations
Improve on-site biodiversity and native habitat: Reduces the need for watering, air conditioning and other maintenance
YOUR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC ENABLER Get your green on.
Let your green credentials be the tool to your optimization.
SCAN HERE to check out our latest projects
P +971 4 307 2600 | F +971 4 3854295, PO Box 333992, Dubai | E yalla@dcce.ae
www.dcce.ae #decarbonize #greeneconomy
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
CASE STUDY
Concept future car
The Noah concept electric car from TU/ecomotive will be constructed in the upcoming months, ahead of a meet and greet tour of European cities due to kick off in June or July 2018.
Work begins on sustainable and recyclable electric vehicle
T
he ecomotive team at Eidenhoven University of Technology in Netherlands has repeatedly, over the past few years, built an electric concept city cat of the future. Noah, the project future car of 2018, is being labelled as the world’s first circular car. It has been attributed as such due to its sustainable production and usage and its end of life recyclability, rather than in reference to its appearance. In 2017, August 2 was calculated to be the Earth Overshoot Day, which is the day when “humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year.” The solution to this excess use of resources, is believed by the ecomotive team, to be the adoption of circular economy; centered around smart design, using renewable resources and recycling. The fifth concept car from TU Eindhoven’s ecomotive team, the Noah (EM-05) will be constructed using 48
biocomposite and bio-based plastics. The biocomposite is composed of more than 90% renewable materials. In earlier ecomotive concepts, a matrix of polypropylene bridged the gap between two biocomposite panels. This honeycomb-like center is now made from sugarcane PLA, meaning that the PLA/ biocomposite sandwich is fully recyclable. Furthermore, to make the recycling or reuse easier, the chassis and interior panels are designed by the team to be detachable. According to the design team, the Noah’s drive terrain has been optimised for 97 per cent efficiency during acceleration, and 100 per cent efficiency at cruising speeds, (although data hasn’t been provided yet to support these figures). The setup is expected to get the vehicle up to speed of 100km/h (62mph) and offer a total range of speed of 240 km/h(150mph). Six modular batteries will power the motors which can be swapped for fresh ones whenever
there is a need for recharge. The EV has been designed to make use of improved battery designs, if and when they become available in the future. The concept car will also feature NFC sensors in the doors, allowing them to be unlocked using a smart device. The interior parameters can be customized to suit recognized occupants. The vehicle will also feature built-in Wi-Fi, which will provide the additional option for multiple users to share the car. The design for the Noah has been finalized, and the TU Eindhoven team will set about building the vehicles in the upcoming months. Following the manufacture, the EV will be put through various tests including roadworthiness and safety testing prior to license plate application. Upon passing inspection, the team will begin a meet and greet tour of select European cities from about June/July onwards.
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
RESEARCH RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION
OF NATURAL RESOURCES
USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES: BIOMASS, FOSSIL FUELS, ORES, MINERALS AND WATER
10%
WEALTHIEST
59%
1950
<10 BILLION TONNES USED
2010
>70 BILLION TONNES USED
2050
RESOURCES PREDICTED TO MEET NEEDS BY 2050
DO NOT CURRENTLY EXIST
Those who consume the least resources are often the most affected as resource security and accessibility decreases
10%
POOREST
The divide in consumption of resources from the poorest and wealthiest 10% of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population in 2008*
Source: UNEP 2015 Sustainable Consumption and Production Global Edition. A Handbook for Policymakers, *World Bank Development Indicators 2008
50
0.5%
Issue 05 | March 2018
Sustainable production, businesses leading the change
SDG 12.6 encourages companies to adopt sustainable practices and integrate sustainability information into reporting cycles
THE BUSINESS CASE BENEFITS OF A RESILIENT SUPPLY CHAIN Resource efficiency and sustainable production benefits include:
STRONGER FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
MEET INCREASED CONSUMER DEMAND AND SALES GROWTH
NEW & POSITIVE RETURNS ON INVESTMENTS
REDUCED USE, WASTE AND DEPENDENCY ON NATURAL RESOURCES 51
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
RESEARCH
GREEN MANUFACTURING OVER TIME
The value of being green
Reduced energy consumption and costs
From reduced costs through to improved brand perception; there are many benefits for companies who decide to become more environmentally friendly: Increase access to safe water and sanitation services; helping deprived areas
Increase donations to good causes Preserves and protects the environment
Improved sustainability
THE VALUE OF BEING GREEN
Increases the need for new technology such as 3D designs and prototypes
Spreads awareness of preserving the environment
Improves staff productivity
BASIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MANUFACTURING AND THE ENVIRONMENT Inputs Materials or intermediate products used to manufacture your products.
Operations
Processes to turn inputs into products and activities necessary to operate the production processes (e.g. facility operation, transport of inputs and products, business travel, staff commuting and other overheads)
Source: www.greenbiz.com ,OECD Sustainable Manufacturing Toolkit, Seven Steps to Environmental Excellence
52
Products
Products manufactured and their use and treatment at the end of their lifetime.
Y Combating bribery & corruption
Investing in infrastractures
Good community relations Contribution to local economy Paying tax responsibly
Good working conditions
Respecting human rights
Creating jobs
Sustainable manufacturing is the creation of manufactured products that use processes that minimize negative environmental impacts, conserve energy and natural resources, are safe for employees, communities, and consumers and are economically sound.
TY
tax
Complying with the law
CIE
E CO
M
SO
THREE-DIMENSIONAL ASPECTS OF SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING
NO
Issue 05 | March 2018
Treating suppliers fairly
Generating sales & profits
Ensuring product safety
Driving innovation
Using energy & resources efficiently
Protecting biodiversity
Minimising use of hazardous substance
EN
Minimising waste and emissions Using environmentally sound materials &energy
VI R
ONM
AL T EN
Source: UNEP 2015 Sustainable Consumption and Production Global Edition. A Handbook for Policymakers
KEY BUSINESS BENEFITS FROM SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING Financial performance Increase sales – by anticipating and meeting environmental and social expectations better than your competitors. • Improve efficiency and productivity – by reducing resource use and waste, and by cutting regulatory burdens. • Reduce dependence on expensive or hazardous materials – by exploring, innovating and introducing greener alternatives.
Business excellence Stay ahead of regulations – by being proactive and shaping best practice, rather than reacting after changes are implemented. • Win access to capital – by reducing risks in operations, strategy and the supply chain and by developing innovative solutions and new products for market. • Gain strategic foresight – by anticipating how your business can innovate solutions or adaptations to new added value.
Relationships with stakeholders Enhance reputation – by demonstrating green know-how and setting a positive example. • Improve employees’ morale and retention – by empowering them to contribute to a better environment and more productive business. • Build better community relations – by demonstrating a responsible and proactive approach to the local environment and people.
53
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
DISRUPTOR
Potato to packaging AVANI eco-packaging utilises natural, non-toxic and biodegradable ingredients to make its packaging solutions, according to Avani Middle East Director, Peter Avram
H
ow did Avani start and what is the idea behind it? Established in 2014, as a Bali-based social enterprise, AVANI first aimed to help rehabilitate the island of Bali by offering 100% sustainable disposable packaging solutions and compostable plastic alternatives to combat the concerning condition of Bali’s beaches and sea due to the impact of plastic waste. This inspiration led AVANI’s founders to produce bio plastic products that are practical, durable, fully decompose, non-toxic and therefore safe for living organisms to the countries hospitality and retail industries. AVANI’s most famous product the AVANI Bio-Cassava Bags are 100% natural, biodegradable, compostable, recyclable, certified non-toxic, dissolve in water and are proven to be harmless when consumed by animals. Developed through years of research, AVANI has evolved to become a one-stop-shop solution for eco-friendly packaging needs not only in Bali, but also internationally, with AVANI Middle East launched in the UAE in late 2017 to provide 54
this revolutionary product range to the region. AVANI’s brand name is derived from the definition of the word ‘Avani’ itself, which means ‘earth’. All of the innovations produced by AVANI come from the earth, are made for the earth, with the aim to protect and sustain the earth. It is AVANI’s aim to reduce the accumulated plastic waste resulting from human activities anywhere around the world, with the notion of REPLACE by providing products that use groundbreaking technology using renewable resources made from plants to produce alternatives to plastic products. Tell me about your plant-based packaging – what is it made of, how does it work? AVANI’s products use technology that only uses renewable resources made from plants to produce alternatives to plastic products. AVANI currently uses three main ingredients to produce its products: Cassava starch for bio-plastics, corn starch as biodegradable, and bioactive thermoplastic aliphatic polyester (PLA) and sugarcane residue as a replacement for Styrofoam - to produce boxes. Bio-plastic is not something that is entirely new. Since 1990, several European manufacturers have developed bio-plastics made of corn and sunflower fibre. However, if we were to follow their footsteps by using the same ingredients, it will be very costly. This led us to look
rd 23March October 2018 2017 Issue Issue 0105 | |
for a more economical alternative and we found that cassava is an excellent material. Indonesia produces 24 to 25 tons of cassava annually, higher than the demand. We use industrial-grade cassava flour, which is widely used in farming, instead of the unprocessed product. The flour itself can be categorised as a by-product due to the lack of nutrition content. How do you keep your packaging production sustainable from sourcing products, to transporting them to sale points? AVANI Middle East’s long-term plan is to open a factory here in the UAE to produce our AVANI Bio-Cassava Bags. Currently our products are shipped by sea which is the most economically viable way to reduce our carbon footprint, whilst still be able to supply these products to the UAE. What are your corporate sustainability goals for 2018 and beyond? We are also talking closely to a number of non-profit organisations, including WWF Middle East, to establish mutual beneficial projects on which to work together which we will be supporting throughout 2018. Ultimately our aim is to support the UAE in its goals for sustainability by providing a solution previously not available before. What are the costs of production comparing plant-based packaging to current plastic and Styrofoam packaging for example? Can you keep the costs down enough to make it a more attractive solution to plastics? The cost of biodegradable alternatives has been significantly reduced over the past few years, whilst the cost was 20 to 30% higher than regular petrol based plastic, this gap has decreased and production costs for biodegradable items are more economically viable. If you also count the environmental cost of how long it takes for plastic to disintegrate, and the
fact we already see a growing demand for biodegradable products, this can surely only lead to an increase in productivity and a decrease in cost to manufacture. Shopping bags are an awful pollutant, what has been the uptake of more eco-friendly solutions? Are you targeting local/regional supermarket/ hypermarket brands? The UAE has for many years shown a commitment towards reducing the use
Peter Avram, Avani Middle East Director
of plastic bags, while oxo-biodegradable bags are available in the UAE, they are increasingly being banned in countries around the world as they are not 100% biodegradable, unlike AVANI’s 100% biodegradable solution, oxobiodegradable bags fragment into small pieces and continue to be extremely harmful to the environment. Since our launch in the region we have secured a number of orders for AVANI’s Bio-Cassava Bags and we are in discussions with some of the leading supermarkets and retailers to switch to our products. AVANI Bio-Cassava bags come in multiple sizes from small retail bags
through to large waste disposable bags and can be branded with any company logo. How do you make consumers change their habits and drive the movement for sustainable packaging? It’s all about educating the consumer and driving the agenda for change through building awareness that there are alternatives to replacing bio-plastics and spreading the information to the wider public, whether it be government, media, or education institutions, is crucial. Government and legislation changes are also essential drivers to change. You are looking at working with hotels, what do you provide for this sector? AVANI Middle East’s Director, Peter Avram has been working in the hospitality industry in the UAE since 1998, and through his extensive experience in the hospitality industry, he became acutely aware of how much waste the industry produces, and went in search of a solution for the UAE and wider Middle East. The solution came through a meeting with Kevin Kumala, Co-Founder of AVANI based in Bali Indonesia, to supply AVANI products exclusively in the Middle East. Avram has been meeting with Hoteliers throughout the UAE, and a number of orders have been placed by hotels in the UAE so far. What are your goals for sustainable packaging in 2018 and beyond? Our goals are simply to offer the UAE and Middle East easy accessibility to a 100% sustainable alternative to plastic products not available in the UAE, or Middle East, previously. As we look towards Expo 2020, we believe the requirements for AVANI’s range of products which includes our BIOCassava Bags: Bio-Pla cups and straws; Biopaper cups, bowls, and straws; Bio-Bagasse take away boxes; and bio cutlery is only set to increase. 55
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
PRODUCTS
Closing the loop on a product lifecycle
Nike has been doing its Grind programme since 1993, and has recycled over 1.5 million pairs of shoes every year since then.
Nike turns old sports shoes from any brand into basketball courts, astro turf and more in its goal to eliminate waste
N
ike has taken recycling to a whole new level. Starting in 1993, Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe programme saw the company turn thousands of worn-out old shoes into synthetic turf, low impact flooring, tracks, fields and playgrounds. The Nike Grind programme is designed to eliminate waste and close the loop on Nike’s product lifecycle by collecting post-consumer, non-metalcontaining athletic shoes of any brand. This includes Nike shoes that are returned due to material or workmanship defects. Once the old shoes, or shoes with 56
defects are collected, the materials are separated and turned into different things; rubber from the outsole, foam from the midsole and fabric from the shoe’s upper. Nike and its partners (Atlas Track & Tennis, Playtop, Training Ground, Everlast and Rebound Ace) take the granulated rubber and create soccer, football, baseball fields, weight room flooring and running tracks. Nike collects more than 1.5 million pairs of shoes for recycling each year in addition to thousands of tons of manufacturing scrap material.The first synthetic turf soccer field installed with Nike Grind rubber was
Douglas Park in Chicago. That surface was donated by Nike and the US Soccer Foundation. Nike uses the granulated foam from the shoes for synthetic basketball courts, tennis courts and playground surfacing tiles. The granulated fabric from the shoe uppers becomes the padding under hardwood basketball floors. These programmes are currently located in Australia, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States. There are two Nike Grind processing plants, one located in the United States and the other in Belgium.
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The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
PROJECT
GlassPoint builds 36 block solar plant in Oman Four solar power blocks have so far been completed producing over 100MWt
S
olar steam experts, GlassPoint, and oil company Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), have completed four blocks of the Miraah solar plant safely on time and on budget. The facility is exporting solar steam daily to the Amal oilfield, helping to sustainably produce Oman’s heavy and viscous oil, according to GlassPoint. The four blocks have a total capacity of over 100MWt with steam production ramping up to 660 tonnes of steam per day. When complete, Miraah will be one of 58
the largest solar thermal energy plants in history. It will consist of 36 blocks, delivering more than one-gigawatt of peak thermal energy. PDO is the largest oil producer in Oman and a joint venture between the government, Shell, Total and Partex. Miraah will use concentrated sunlight to generate 6,000 tons of solar steam each day. The steam will feed directly to PDO’s existing thermal EOR operations, providing a substantial portion of the steam required at the Amal oilfield in
Southern Oman. When complete, Miraah will save 5.6 trillion Btus of natural gas each year, which can be used for higher value uses in Oman boosting economic growth. The mega project dwarfs all previous solar EOR installations and is more than 100 times larger than the pilot project built by GlassPoint for PDO in 2012. By using solar steam instead of burning gas to make steam, Miraah will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by more than 300,000 tons each year. These carbon savings are equivalent of taking 63,000 cars off the road. The full-scale project will comprise 36 greenhouse blocks, deployed in standard steps in a continuous sequence. Specialised teams move from block to block completing a specific task then relocating to the next. For example, one team is solely responsible for glazing the greenhouse, whereas another team is skilled in mirror installation. The sequenced approach speeds deployment and allows each block to begin operations as soon as construction is complete, rather than waiting for the whole project to be built. This allows PDO to benefit from solar steam now and gradually ramp-up production to meet the field’s steam demand.
Customer:
Petroleum Development Oman
Location:
Amal, Oman
Status:
In daily operations,with construction ongoing
Source:
GlassPoint Solar
Source: GlassPoint Solar
Issue 05 | March 2018
PERSON
Janet Hartzenberg RAK Recycles Outreach & Education Manager
W
hat do you do? I work for the Ras Al Khaimah Waste Management Agency to inform students, businesses, tourists, and residents regarding the need to protect, preserve and nurture our environment by looking closely at the waste that is created and how we can minimise, reuse or recycle this. The concept of source separation as the easiest and most efficient way to manage waste, is core to the message that I try to deliver. What does sustainability mean to you? Sustainability to me means, being able to continue doing something in an economically and environmentally viable way â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in other words, being able to sustain your present behavior patterns and practices over time, without having to damage your environment or your economic situation. What is rewarding about your job? Every little bit that someone does to make a difference makes my heart skip and allows me to continue in the face of other negatives. The most rewarding thing in my work is to see students producing wonderful new ways to show adults how we can make a difference. Educating youth on sustainability initiatives is essential. How do you go about this? We need to teach our youth that they cannot keep taking, they need to look at creating a balance where taking and giving, or creating, will sustain their taking. In other words, our youth need to understand that the more we simple take, the more quickly our reserves will disappear. What are you passionate about? I am passionate about life. This means wanting to enjoy all that life offers and trying to improve what is being damaged by thoughtlessness, ignorance and at times, simple arrogance. What is your favourite quote? My favorite quote is: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Be good and do good, that is enough.â&#x20AC;? 59
The Sustainabilist | SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
INDEX
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Gas At the global scale, the key greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are: F-gases 2% Nitrous Oxide
6%
Methane (CH4): Agricultural activities, waste management, energy use, and biomass burning all contribute to CH4 emissions.
Methane 16% Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Dioxide
(fossil fuel and industrial processes)
(forestry and other landuse)
65%
11%
Global Emissions by Economic Sector Global greenhouse gas emissions can also be broken down by the economic activities that lead to their production.
Other Energy
10%
Electricity and Heat Production
25%
Industry
21
%
Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use
Transportation
14
%
24% Buildings
6%
Source: IPCC 2014, EPA.org
60
Carbon dioxide (CO2): Fossil fuel use is the primary source of CO2. CO2 can also be emitted from direct human-induced impacts on forestry and other land use, such as through deforestation, land clearing for agriculture, and degradation of soils. Likewise, land can also remove CO2 from the atmosphere through reforestation, improvement of soils, and other activities.
Nitrous oxide (N2O): Agricultural activities, such as fertilizer use, are the primary source of N2O emissions. Fossil fuel combustion also generates N2O. Fluorinated gases (F-gases): Industrial processes, refrigeration, and the use of a variety of consumer products contribute to emissions of F-gases, which include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). Black carbon is a solid particle or aerosol, not a gas, but it also contributes to warming of the atmosphere.
Electricity and Heat Production (25% of 2010 global greenhouse gas emissions) The burning of coal, natural gas, and oil for electricity and heat is the largest single source of global greenhouse gas emissions. Industry (21% of 2010 global greenhouse gas emissions)Greenhouse gas emissions from industry primarily involve fossil fuels burned on site at facilities for energy. This sector also includes emissions from chemical, metallurgical, and mineral transformation processes not associated with energy consumption and emissions from waste management activities. (Note: Emissions from industrial electricity use are excluded and are instead covered in the Electricity and Heat Production sector.) Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (24% of 2010 global greenhouse gas emissions): Greenhouse gas emissions from this sector come mostly from agriculture (cultivation of crops and livestock) and deforestation. This estimate does not include the CO2 that ecosystems remove from the atmosphere by sequestering carbon in biomass, dead organic matter, and soils, which offset
approximately 20% of emissions from this sector.[2] Transportation (14% of 2010 global greenhouse gas emissions) Greenhouse gas emissions from this sector primarily involve fossil fuels burned for road, rail, air, and marine transportation. Almost all (95%) of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transportation energy comes from petroleum-based fuels, largely gasoline and diesel. Buildings (6% of 2010 global greenhouse gas emissions) Greenhouse gas emissions from this sector arise from onsite energy generation and burning fuels for heat in buildings or cooking in homes. (Note: Emissions from electricity use in buildings are excluded and are instead covered in the Electricity and Heat Production sector.) Other Energy (10% of 2010 global greenhouse gas emissions) This source of greenhouse gas emissions refers to all emissions from the Energy sector which are not directly associated with electricity or heat production, such as fuel extraction, refining, processing, and transportation.
First solar-powered petrol station in the UAE