PHOTO
United Arab Emirates: Emirates Global Aluminium, the biggest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, and RECAPP by Veolia have partnered to promote aluminium recycling across UAE schools and universities.
The initiative will start with 12 schools in Abu Dhabi and Dubai that are near to EGA’s operations. RECAPP will manage the deployment of recycling drop-off locations that are easily accessible to students to help generate more interest and awareness among young people about recycling.
RECAPP by Veolia is a member of the Aluminium Recycling Coalition, which was founded by EGA earlier this year to bring the company together with can-makers, beverage producers and waste management companies to promote aluminium recycling in the UAE.
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, said: "Aluminium is an infinitely-recyclable material, vital for creating a sustainable society. Despite its potential, too much aluminium is discarded in the UAE, impacting our economy and environment. Our partnership with RECAPP by Veolia aims to transform this behaviour by engaging young people, who are most receptive to change and have the greatest stake in our collective future. By fostering a culture of sustainability and environmental stewardship, we empower the next generation to become leaders in environmental responsibility, paving the way for a more sustainable and circular economy."
Jérôme Viricel, General Manager of RECAPP at Veolia Near & Middle East, said: “We are pleased to partner with EGA to promote aluminium recycling within local educational institutes, building on our strategic collaboration on the responsible management of waste which spans several years. Closing the aluminium recycling loop in the UAE requires multiple solutions that both encourage consumers to the right behaviour, and make it simple and rewarding. By working hand-in-hand, we will be supporting national efforts towards sustainability through promoting the recycling reflex and diverting waste from landfill.”
RECAPP is a digital recycling solution for individuals and businesses, which currently has some 52,000 users in the UAE. It is centred on an app that enables its members to order collection of their recyclables from their location, and in return receive discounts in a dedicated marketplace. Last November, RECAPP by Veolia launched GoRECAPP.com, the first B2B digital recycling platform in the UAE, which enables businesses to deploy recycling boxes on their premises.
Recycling aluminium takes 95 per cent less energy than making new metal. Last year, EGA announced it intends to build the largest aluminium recycling facility in the UAE.
-Ends-
Contact at EGA:
Simon Buerk
sbuerk@ega.ae
Contacts at Veolia:
| Veolia Near and Middle East | Gambit Communications (for Veolia) |
About EGA
Since 1975, when it was founded as Dubai Aluminium by His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Global Aluminium has been innovating aluminium to make modern life possible.
Today EGA is the world’s biggest ‘premium aluminium’ producer and the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside the oil and gas industry.
EGA is equally-owned by Mubadala Investment Company of Abu Dhabi and the Investment Corporation of Dubai. It is the largest company jointly owned by the two Emirates.
EGA is an integrated aluminium producer, with operations from bauxite mining to the production of cast primary aluminium. EGA operates aluminium smelters in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah, an alumina refinery in Al Taweelah and a bauxite mine and associated export facilities in the Republic of Guinea.
EGA’s aluminium is the second largest made-in-the UAE export after oil and gas. In 2022, EGA sold 2.72 million tonnes of cast metal. EGA is the only UAE producer and makes the UAE the fifth largest aluminium producing nation in the world.
EGA has more than 400 customers in over 50 countries. In 2022, value-added products accounted for 78 per cent of EGA’s cast metal sales.
EGA’s aluminium is primarily used in the construction, automotive, packaging, aerospace and electronics industries.
Around 10 per cent of EGA’s aluminium production is sold in the UAE to around 20 downstream aluminium companies that make products with EGA’s aluminium. The growing broader aluminium sector in the UAE supports almost 50,000 jobs. EGA itself employs around 6,500 of these people including more than 1,200 UAE Nationals.
EGA has focused on technology development for over 30 years. EGA has used its own technology for every smelter expansion since the 1990s and has retrofitted all its older production lines. In 2016 EGA became the first UAE industrial company to licence its core industrial process technology internationally.
As a corporate citizen of the UAE, EGA aspires in all its operations to be measured amongst the world’s leading metals and mining companies in meeting its environmental and social responsibilities. In 2017, EGA became the first Middle East headquartered company to join the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative, a global programme to foster greater sustainability and transparency in the aluminium industry. In 2019, EGA’s Al Taweelah site became the first in the Middle East to receive certification from ASI for its sustainability practices and performance. EGA’s Jebel Ali site was certified in 2021. ASI certification is the aluminium industry’s internationally recognised standard for environmental and social performance and governance.
In 2021, EGA began production of CelestiAL solar aluminium, produced with solar power from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park on the outskirts of Dubai. EGA is the first company in the world to make aluminium commercially using the power of the sun.
EGA was formed in 2014 through the merger of Dubai Aluminium and Emirates Aluminium.
EGA’s Jebel Ali aluminium smelter began production as DUBAL in 1979. At almost five square kilometres, this site is five times bigger than Dubai Mall.
EMAL started production in 2009 and its Al Taweelah aluminium smelter was the largest single-site aluminium smelter in the world when completed. EGA’s Al Taweelah site is five times bigger than Al Maryah Island at six square kilometres.
EGA has its own power stations at both sites, producing electricity to meet its needs. EGA’s electricity generation capacity is 6,474 megawatts, making EGA the third largest electricity generator in the UAE after the Dubai and Abu Dhabi utilities. EGA also produces water through desalination units at its power plants.
EGA began production at Al Taweelah alumina refinery in April 2019. EGA’s alumina refinery is the first in the UAE and only the second in the Middle East. The project reduces the UAE’s dependence on imported alumina and supplies over 45 per cent of EGA’s needs.
Bauxite exports from Guinea Alumina Corporation, EGA’s wholly-owned subsidiary in Guinea, began in August 2019. The GAC project was one of the largest greenfield investments in Guinea in over 40 years.
For more information on EGA please visit www.ega.ae.
About Veolia
Veolia group aims to be the benchmark company for ecological transformation. With nearly 220,000 employees worldwide, the Group designs and provides game-changing solutions that are both useful and practical for water, waste and energy management. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources, and replenish them. In 2021, the Veolia group provided 79 million inhabitants with drinking water and 61 million with sanitation, produced nearly 48 million megawatt hours and recovered 48 million tonnes of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE) achieved consolidated revenue of 28,508 billion euros in 2021. www.veolia.com
