ADDED organizes workshop to shed light on Abu Dhabi’s circular economy in industrial sector

In line with the Abu Dhabi’s hosting of the 18th General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) taking place from November 3 to 7, 2019 at Emirates Palace Hotel, the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) held a workshop focused on circular economy in the industrial sector. The workshop was held at ADDED’s Media Club with the participation of representatives from the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) of ADDED, Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center (Tadweer) and the Emirates Steel Factory.

H.E. Rashed Abdul Karim Al Balooshi, Undersecretary of ADDED, said that organizing the workshop is in line with ADDED’s commitment, led by IDB, to deepen the culture and understanding of a sustainable economy in accordance to the regulations within the industrial sector in the Emirate, further noting the important role of the industrial sector, particularly factories in recycling or repurposing their waste into a new product to achieve circular economy.

H.E. Al Balooshi explained that circular economy is one of the main themes that will be addressed during the UNIDO Conference in Abu Dhabi, and that the UAE is strategically positioned regionally and globally to adopt this model to achieve sustainable growth, in line with leading trends in attaining sustainable development and improving the quality of life of the people as outlined in the  Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030.

His Excellency also highlighted IDB’s accomplishments in line with the circular economy model following the implementation of several economic initiatives in Abu Dhabi, the most important of which is the resolution allowing the trade of industrial secondary products in 2019, which contributed to the reuse of  secondary products by 6 per cent. This percentage is expected to increase up to 35 per cent during the next phase. In addition, 32 per cent of the sector benefits from industrial secondary products and sell them to other industrial facilities.

He further discussed the recently launched Electricity Tariffs Incentive Program (ETIP) by ADDED has resulted to major improvements in the energy consumption in industrial processes, which boosted industrial productivity and brought value-added products. The program also contributed to the development of raw materials produced locally for local products, thereby enhancing the value of local products while reducing imports. It also increased activities for local factories which benefitted the logistics sector as it provided the services and led to an increase in investment opportunities in this field.

H.E. Dr. Salem Khalfan Al Kaabi, Director General of Tadweer, said: “Tadweer's participation in this workshop is part of its ongoing commitment to support industries and projects that take waste recycling into consideration because of its high economic and environmental benefits as well as its important role in reducing the pressure on our natural resources as well as the cost of importing raw materials.”

H.E. Dr. Al Kaabi highlighted the need to take into account the environmental impact of development and industrial projects in light of the rapid pace of development in the UAE in general and Abu Dhabi in particular which supports the government's direction towards a green economy while achieving the goals of sustainable development. “Tadweer gives high importance in involving several sectors mainly the industrial sector due to its role in the reuse of secondary products and the conversion of waste into value-added products that contribute to the protection of the environment and support the process of sustainable development,” H.E. added.

The workshop included presentations of participating entities, initiated by Eng. Nabil Saleh Al-Awlaki, Director of Environment, Health and Safety at IDB, who talked about the circular economy and the industrial initiatives that were launched in this field.

H.E. Al-Awlaki emphasized that the volume of industrial waste being processed in industrial facilities in Abu Dhabi [A1] has reached up to 9,800 tons annually, as there are 140 industrial facilities that self-recycle their industrial waste to become secondary products, including the use of paper waste for the paper manufacturing, plastic waste for plastic manufacturing and food preservatives, among others.

He added that the volume of industrial waste which can be used as inputs for other industrial activities reaches up to 35,900 tons annually and is being supplied by about 450 industrial facilities. These types of waste include empty chemical containers, solvents used in chemical industries, zinc residues used in chemical and battery industries, aluminium remnants reused in aluminium industries, wood waste for furniture industry, plastic waste for plastic industry, iron waste for steel and cement industries.

Al-Awlaki cited that ADDED has licensed 22 industrial waste recycling facilities, while 15 facilities will be added in the coming months, highlighting IDB’s commitment to meet the government’s objectives of increasing its contribution to clean energy in the national energy mix by up to 50 per cent by 2050 through enhancements in energy efficiency by 40 per cent as well as  conversion of industrial waste to resources in other industries following the principles of circular economy.

Ibrahim Abdulmajid Al Ali, Projects and Facilities Director at Tadweer Centre for Waste Management also presented during the workshop several waste recycling projects and their role in enhancing the circular economy in Abu Dhabi.

Eng. Ahmed Al Baloushi, Project Manager at Emirates Steel Company and Eng. Hind Saad Al Deen, an industrial analyst at the company, gave a joint presentation on the contributions of Emirates Steel Company in achieving the UAE’s sustainable development goals by reducing the environmental impact of its industrial activities at different stages of its operations. The presentation also highlighted the adoption of latest innovations in energy efficiency and sustainable practices, as well as addressing sustainability issues in the early stages of an expansion project.

The presentation also included an overview of the Emirates Steel Company, which was established in 1998 and succeeded in exporting its products to more than 40 countries around the world with a production capacity of 3.5 million tons per year of products such as rebar, wire rod coils, heavy sections and sheet piles. The presentation noted the steel industry’s growing importance in the field of circular economy due to its 100 per cent recyclability where recycled steel maintains the inherent properties of the original steel.

Eng. Al Baloushi said that Emirates Steel Company is committed to lessen the environmental impact of its industrial activities at various stages of its operations in line with the company’s initiatives of adopting the latest innovations in the field of energy efficiency and other sustainable practices.