At its first meeting of 2023, chaired by His Excellency Abdullah bin Touq

Circular Economy Policy Committee discusses methods for implementing circular economy initiatives and projects in the country for 2023

Bin Touq: “The UAE has made rapid progress towards the circular economy model. Additionally, the declaration of the ‘Year of Sustainability’ represents a significant boost to the implementation of the Circular Economy Policy 2031.”

• Meeting followed up on the implementation of the national policy for electric vehicles, in order to promote the growth of the country’s electric vehicle market.
• It focused on reviewing government efforts to strengthen international partnerships that support the development of circular economy policies.
• Members further evaluated the Aluminum Recycling Coalition project and its role in enhancing the country's efforts towards green development.

 His Excellency Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Head of the Council’s Circular Economy Policies Committee, affirmed that the UAE has achieved rapid progress in its transition towards a circular economy model, which is one of the main pillars of the country’s vision for the next 50 years, in accordance with the directives and vision of its wise leadership.

This came during the first meeting of the Circular Economy Policy Committee of the UAE Circular Economy Council, chaired by His Excellency Abdullah bin Touq. The committee discussed strategies for implementing circular economy policies in the country for 2023, as well as ways to improve collaboration between the relevant federal, local, and private sectors, which support the country’s efforts to achieve sustainability.

His Excellency said: “The Committee continues to intensify its efforts to implement circular economy policies, initiatives, and projects, especially by strengthening collaboration between the government and private sectors.”  H.E.  noted that the wise leadership's declaration of 2023 as the ‘Year of Sustainability’ further serves as a strong and encouraging motive to advance national action in the successful integration of the UAE's circular economy policy 2021 - 2031. Additionally, it provides opportunities and prospects to support the growth of the nation's new economic model, contributing to the UAE's position as a global hub for circular economy over the next decade, especially with the country hosting the 28^th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).

The committee also followed up on government efforts to fortify its international partnerships in relation to a circular economy, the most notable one being the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Economy and the Italian Confederation of Environmental Sciences. The memorandum supports the country's vision for making progress in the development of circular economy policies, creating models for these policies, promoting the empowerment of SMEs, enabling green development tools, and adopting innovative methods that would support the UAE's undertakings to drive circular economy applications and stimulate investments through its projects.

The meeting also allowed the committee to assess the implementation of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure's National Electric Vehicle Policy, which is part of the Circular Economy Committee’s policies. The goal of this policy is to create a national network of electric vehicle chargers to support electric vehicle owners, regulate the  country's electric vehicle market, establish a set of community-beneficial incentives, support electric vehicle manufacturers, and promote the use of electric vehicles. The policy is being carried out in collaboration with all federal, local, and private sectors.

This policy is also based on a range of objectives, such as mitigating the effects of climate change by reducing carbon emissions in the transport sector, developing the country’s EV market, promoting the purchase of EVs and hybrids, and setting up the infrastructure for EV chargers in a way that supports the circular economy policy.

Furthermore, the committee reviewed the ‘Aluminum Recycling Coalition’ project of the Emirates Global Aluminum Company, and its role in advancing the country's efforts towards green development. The project encourages residents to adopt a lifestyle that promotes sustainability by pushing consumers to recycle aluminum and other beverage packaging, thereby increasing collection rates.

Representatives of the committee's member organisations, which include federal, state, and local entities, as well as prominent national and international businesses specialising in sustainability and circular economy initiatives, had attended the meeting. They include  H.E.  Eng. Aisha Al-Abdooli, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for the Green Development and Climate Change Sector at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, and Vice-Chairman of the Committee,  H.E.  Abdulaziz Al-Nuaimi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Commercial Affairs Regulation Sector at the Ministry of Economy, Mohamed Hassan Jawi, Director of Environment and Waste Department at Emirates Global Aluminum Company, and Samah Al-Hajri, Director of the Department of Cooperatives and Strategic Reserves at the Ministry of Economy, along with representatives of the Office of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Emirates Global Aluminum, UPS, BEEAH Group, Multinational Companies Business Group (MCBG), the Circular Coalition, and the American University of Sharjah.

Over the past year, the committee has consistently worked on implementing the set objectives of the 22 policies adopted by the UAE Circular Economy Council. These policies were developed to accelerate the adoption of the UAE Circular Economy model in four crucial industries, which are manufacturing, food, infrastructure, and transportation.