Dubai: Abu Dhabi Waste Management Company (Tadweer) has announced an ‘Integrated Textile Circularity Initiative’ to be established across the UAE.
This aims to increase consumer awareness and foster collective efforts among public-private partners throughout the entire value chain.
The first-of-its-kind initiative was announced during COP28 which saw several leading prominent UAE entities participate in a thought-provoking panel at the UAE Actionist Hub Pavilion within the Green Zone.
The partners came together to address the issue of textile waste and present a solution to achieving textile circularity in the UAE.
The panel gathered strategic enablers alongside Tadweer from the textile ecosystem with speakers from entities such as the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), Emirates Foundation, Landmark Group, Lulu, SOEX.
The representatives had a meaningful conversation about the opportunities and challenges surrounding the practical implementation and transition to textile circularity.
Eng. Ali Al Dhaheri, Managing Director, and CEO, Tadweer, stated that, “Textile circularity plays a significant role in the UAE’s ambitious environmental and sustainability goals, and is an opportunity for partners in the public and private sectors to shift the approach to collection and recycling. By convening at COP28 and committing to this pledge, we are creating a blueprint for the development of dedicated community development programs that educate, support, and lead businesses and consumers to recycle materials. This initiative also supports our efforts to promote the wider circular economy for a sustainable future.”
According to statements, the UAE’s textile consumption is currently at around 500 million pieces annually, of which around 210,000 tons end up as discarded materials. Currently, up to 90 percent of waste textiles wind up in landfills, where they emit methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and global warming.
Tadweer emphasized the significance of implementing programs to expand the organized collection of used textiles in order to reduce the impact of textiles on the environment.
The initiative also addressed this vast area of opportunity with a variety of programs to target four pillars such as community awareness development, textile collection and recycling, enabling ecosystem participation, and national policy development.
Through these pillars, the initiative intends to organize and expand the collection and recycling of used textiles throughout the UAE, establishing a comprehensive infrastructure to support disposal efforts and encourage more sustainable consumption patterns among businesses and consumers at a grassroots level.
Government officials, ministries, nonprofit organizations, hotel chains, hospitals, and more were among the prominent entities in attendance. These included representatives from the Emirates Red Crescent, Aldar Properties, M42 Healthcare, Abu Dhabi National Hotels, Kiswa, Behavioral Science Group, Majid Al Futtaim, Erth, Reloop, Fabric AID, Nadeera, Recapp, and Washmen.