Dubai, UAE: Canadian University Dubai (CUD) has partnered with global Foods and Beverages company, PepsiCo, to help promote environmental sustainability through the reduction of single-use plastic on campus. The collaboration aims to encourage a culture of refill and reuse through the Aquafina Water Station, a new hydration platform that has already saved an average of more than 1,800 bottles per week since installation.

As part of the agreement, CUD has become an early adopter of the Aquafina Water Stations, enabling the university community to reuse plastic and minimize associated waste. During the first six weeks of operation, the three installations have helped save a total of 11,090 plastic bottles, 109,502 ounces of water, and the equivalent of 14 planted trees. The platform also measures the prevention of carbon dioxide emissions and has helped eliminate over 865Kg of emissions so far.

PepsiCo and CUD recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Prof. Karim Chelli, President and Vice Chancellor of CUD and Ahmed Dafrawy, Senior Commercial Director of PepsiCo Middle East. The organisations are aiming to drive change following the Dubai Can initiative, launched earlier this year by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.

Speaking about the agreement, Prof. Chelli said, “As an educational institution, we are committed to acting on, as well as teaching environmental responsibility across our community. Promoting a sustainable planet is a global challenge that requires a collaborative approach, and we are delighted to be working with PepsiCo as ambassadors of this refill and reuse initiative.”  

Representing PepsiCo Middle East, Ahmed Dafrawy remarked, “We’ve always maintained that partnerships are essential to driving change and we’re incredibly excited to partner with CUD to contribute to building a healthier planet by prioritizing a more conscious culture. The Aquafina Water Station is an excellent example of how innovation, sustainability, and consumer desire can trigger positive behaviour.”

He added, “We first debuted the Aquafina Water Stations at Expo 2020 Dubai and have since continued to make the Water Stations more accessible to government and corporate entities through our partnership with Dubai Can, but we don’t want to stop there. We know that it takes continuous and persistent effort to move the needle on the global challenges facing us today. Through our partnership with CUD, we hope to inspire more people to serve as ambassadors for the behaviour we want to see across the country.”

The signing of the MoU is part of the University’s month-long program of activities to mark World Environment Day. Prof. Chelli concluded, “As we nurture the next generation of responsible citizens, it is vital that we work as an institution to embed environmental responsibility in everything we do. These initiatives are designed to drive changes that makes a positive impact and help secure the planet that our students will inherit.”

-Ends-

About Canadian University Dubai

Established in 2006, Canadian University Dubai (CUD), is a higher academic institution located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). CUD offers over 40 UAE Ministry accredited degree concentrations across four academic faculties, based on the Canadian curriculum, and serves as a gateway for students to pursue higher education, research, and employment opportunities in Canada. The institution is ranked among the leading 541-550 universities globally according to the QS World University Rankings 2023. CUD students can transfer their studies to one of more than 50 academic partner institutions around the world.
www.cud.ac.ae

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $79 billion in net revenue in 2021, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with PepsiCo Positive (pep+). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for the planet and the people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.