Masafi unveils corporate recycling service; joins UN global compact

As part of the initiative, Masafi has requested UAE-based companies employing 200 plus people to hand over plastic bottles for recycling purposes. Masafi has engaged an Environmental Executive to collect the plastic bottles, which will be sent to Fujairah for recycling into non-food plastic applications. Masafi has dedicated a toll free number to facilitate the collection process and the service is absolutely free. The Environmental Executive will also continue to visit the various educational institutions and centres where the company has already installed the recycling cages.

The company has already collected approximately 300 metric tonnes of plastic for recycling purposes since the launch of the action plan. The plan is aimed at reducing the amount of carbon emissions from its manufacturing unit, product offerings, systems as well as services and becoming a total environment-friendly organisation.

In a related development, Masafi has joined the UN Global Compact and is the world's largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative. Companies join the United Nations Global Compact because they share the conviction that business practices rooted in universal principles contribute to a more stable and inclusive global market and help build prosperous and thriving societies.

Masafi's joined the UN network through the Emirates Environmental Group a voluntary, non-governmental organisation devoted to protecting the environment. Masafi is the only beverage company in the UAE to be part of the elite network, which offers proactive and in-depth information on key environment sustainability issues.

Announcing details about the environmental programs, Mrs Natascha Edelmann, Head of Marketing of Masafi, said:

"The Corporate Recycling service is a unique initiative by Masafi to help recycle used plastic bottles in the UAE into non-food plastic applications. As market share leader in the bottled water category as well as flavored water segment, it is an operational priority to provide this service and we request top management in companies with 200 plus employees to cooperate with us in the project. Masafi will take the responsibility of collecting used plastic bottles at the participating companies with the help of our very own Environmental Executive. The companies need not be Masafi customers to be partners in this initiative and all they need to do is dial 800 5455. It is also free of cost."

She added: "The collected plastic bottles will be sent for recycling to a Fujairah-based company for recycling purposes within the UAE. We entered into a partnership with the recycling company and till date we have recycled 300 metric tonnes of plastic in 2008. Previously, we used to sell the pre-processed plastic to municipality-approved ISO certified dealers who later exported the same to Chinese manufacturers. By recycling the plastic in the UAE, we have further reduced the carbon foot print as the plastic need not be transported by ocean liners to China. We are also thrilled to be part of the UN Global Compact network - the world's most influential network for socially and environmentally responsible business."

Masafi has always cared for the environment and is ready to go the extra mile towards a better tomorrow for the people and society. As a responsible company, Masafi had adopted the Carbon Action Plan to measure and reduce the carbon emissions and move towards a carbon negative environment.

The company launched the Brown Carton Box a revolutionary new packaging concept, which significantly reduced the amount of corrugated carton used in terms of grammage and coverage. Masafi also installed energy-efficient non-CFC chillers at its bottling plant in RAK as a major step towards safeguarding the environment.