08 March 2015
With the participation of over 300 employees, students & volunteers For the 3rd consecutive year Over 1800 kilograms of waste collected

Kuwait - EQUATE Petrochemical Company, Kuwait's first international joint-venture in this industry, the Environment Public Authority (EPA) and Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association (GPCA) launched, for the third consecutive year, a partnership for the Waste Free Environment (WFE) campaign for Beach Cleanup.

The campaign's partners for this year included Kuwait Municipality, K's Path and Touristic Enterprises Company. Held outside the Green Island, the activity was attended by over 300 persons, including EQUATE employees, school students and other volunteers, who collected 1813 kilograms of waste.

EPA Director-General Sheikh Abdullah Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah expressed gratitude to EQUATE and all the event's partners, noting that EPA will always do its best in light of law number 42 for the year 2014 to ensure protecting and preserving the environment as a whole for Kuwait's best interests.

On his part, EQUATE President & CEO Mohammad Husain said, "This event is not only about cleaning up the beach, but it is an embodiment of our continuous commitment to protect and preserve the environment for overall sustainability as part of our corporate strategy. Why are we doing this? It is simply because the environment deserves our care and attention. The environment, with all its elements, is a critical part of our existence and daily lives as a whole. This activity is part of sharing success with all stakeholders, yourselves included, to ensure the environment is protected and preserved. It is a comprehensive commitment that requires an overall partnership between all of us. Your presence here today is a living example of our slogan 'Partners in Success' in Kuwait and beyond. Throughout the years, EQUATE has launched several world-class environmental initiatives, including the Middle East's First Plant Water Recycle Project, Kuwait's First two projects for CO2 recovery, Kuwait's First Seawater Cooling Towers, and others. In conclusion, I would like to extend utmost appreciation and gratitude to all of you, the Environment Public Authority (EPA), Kuwait Municipality, K's Path, Touristic Enterprises Company, schools, media members, and our employees."

GPCA Secretary-General Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun said, "As an industry involved with the production of plastic--a product that is often erroneously blamed for environmental problems--we feel it is essential to educate and engage with different groups about the persistent issues surrounding improper waste disposal. Education plays a crucial role in the campaign, which highlights the fact that plastic litter in marine and desert environments is largely due to irresponsible disposal of plastic waste combined with poor waste management, a lack of regulatory framework and insufficient recycling infrastructure. Plastic forms an integral part of daily life, and is used in the automotive, aerospace and food packaging sectors so the solution to waste is not cutting the production of this vital product but in the reuse and recycle of its many applications," explained Dr. Al Sadoun. "In the long term, we hope that initiatives like the WFE demonstrate that ultimately, litter is a behavioral problem: plastics do not litter; people do." 

Since the launch of the GCC campaign in 2013, the WFE has grown in size, participation and collection. The 2014 edition saw a record collection of 11 tons of waste from 5,512 participants from GPCA member companies, schools and local communities in nine GCC cities. Volunteers included students from 71 schools and universities, and included clean- up teams in beaches and waters as part of the day-long campaign.

-Ends-

About EQUATE Petrochemical Company
Established in 1995, EQUATE Petrochemical Company is an international joint venture between Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC), The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Boubyan Petrochemical Company (BPC) and Qurain Petrochemical Industries Company (QPIC). Commencing production in 1997, EQUATE is the single operator of a fully integrated world-scale manufacturing facility producing over 5 million tons annually of high-quality petrochemical products which are marketed throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. www.equate.com.

Contact:
Ali Y. Al-Hamad
T:  (+965) 2576-5661 
M: (+965) 9722-8611
E: alhamaay@equate.com

SilvanaTiab
T: (+965) 2225-8719
M: (+965) 6600-4311
E:silvana.tiab@ogilvy.com

© Press Release 2015