The Circular Packaging Association (CPA), a public-private partnership across the packaging value chain, has officially launched in the UAE.
The event was officiated by Ms. Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, alongside representatives from the Circular Packaging Association’s 14 founding organizations, at Dubai Chambers’ headquarters.
Additionally, representatives from the Executive Committee of COP28, Dubai Chambers, Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, GPCA, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, and Emirates Nature-WWF were in attendance.
Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri Minister Climate Change & Environment
“Packaging is a crucial resource to protect food, prolong product shelf life, and reduce environmental impact by reducing waste. The Circular Packaging Association is a vital step toward implementing the UAE’s ambitions to promote sustainable practices across different sectors. UAE is committed to implementing a circular economy to ensure the sustainable management and effective use of natural resources. The circular economy plays an important role in the UAE’s plans to reduce carbon emissions and pollution and accelerate the country’s progress towards climate neutrality by 2050.”
The Circular Packaging Association aims to integrate the principles of a circular and green economy into the packaging value chain in the UAE, transforming the current linear system, which is based on the concept of buying, using, and disposing of products, into one that considers post-consumption packaging waste as a valuable resource that can be reused. The Association aspires to raise awareness among consumers and provide recommendations on legislation and policies related to circular packaging, through a data-driven and multi-stakeholder approach.
Ms. Priya Sarma, Chairperson of the Circular Packaging Association and Head of Sustainability & Corporate Affairs at Unilever Middle East, emphasized that members of the Circular Packaging Association are committed to diverting packaging waste from landfill and contributing to the UAE’s waste-free ambitions utilizing a data-based, multi-stakeholder approach. Ms. Sharma added that the official launch builds on their ongoing efforts and is reflective of a collaborative approach that aims to generate innovative solutions to eliminate packaging waste from the environment, while recovering its value as a resource.
