TDT | Manama
Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Report by Zahra Ayaz
At a recent gathering of prominent figures from various fields, calls for a transition to a circular economy were heard loud and clear. Circular economy models, which focus on reducing waste, reusing materials and minimizing resource extraction, have been hailed as a path to economic sustainability.
Athanasios Polychronopoulos, President and CEO of PolyGreen (Greece), emphasized the importance of abandoning the concept of landfills and embracing a culture of use, reuse and recycling. He highlighted the surprising fact that older generations, especially those over 80, have the highest recycling rates.
Their education, freed from the throwaway culture prevalent today, reminds us that adopting a more sustainable lifestyle means returning to the habits of the last century. Pietro Calgi, General Manager of Intesa Sanpaolo Bank (UAE), stressed the need to redesign industrial systems to foster economic growth while ensuring resource efficiency.
He argued that the First Industrial Revolution brought us to our current state of economic development, but we now need to adopt alternative models to foster progress. As an advocate of sustainable entrepreneurship, Ghanim Al Sulaiti, CEO of Enbat Holdings (Qatar), emphasized the power of education and community engagement.
Envat Holdings has been actively visiting schools and universities to provide educated and sustainable information. By starting conversations within our communities, we have seen significant changes in people’s behaviors and habits. Janka O’Brien, Director of Sustainability at Emerson (UAE), shared inspiring stories from her personal life.
Motivated by a project approved by the UAE Ministry of Carbon Change, her 12-year-old son embarked on a mission to collect and segregate plastic waste using smart boxes scattered across the country. These smart boxes, combined with mobile his applications, incentivize individuals by offering discounts at various stores.