• ‘Going Circular’ explores the concept of ‘Circularity’ - a system of economics and design that eliminates waste and saves the planet’s resources - through deeply personal transformations of four visionaries profiled in the documentary.

Dubai, UAE: Commemorating World Environment Day, Unilever, in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the UAE Ministry of Economy and Emirates Nature–WWF (World Wildlife Fund), hosted a private screening of the new environmental documentary ‘Going Circular’.

Attended by environmental advocates, youth boards, industry partners and members of the local press, ‘Going Circular’ the new documentary by the Oscar-winning producers of ‘My Octopus Teacher’ revolves around the concept of circularity - a system of economics and design that eliminates waste and saves the planet’s resources by utilising solutions inspired by nature.

In line with the UAE National Climate Change Plan 2017-2050, the implementation of circular economy in certain identified sectors is a key agenda for the UAE given its linkage to lowering material and resource consumption and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Transitioning to a circular economy can help mitigate carbon dioxide emissions that emerge from extractive industries, manufacturing, construction, transportation and other sectors. 

As part of the screening, a panel of speakers addressed the current environmental concerns in the UAE as well as the country’s ambitions to create a circular economy, while discussing the importance of the film’s narrative.

‘Going Circular’ features four visionaries from around the world - 102-year-old inventor Dr. James Lovelock; Biomimicry biologist Janine Benyus; Designer Arthur Huang; and financier John Fullerton - who have navigated the environmental, economic and social crises of our time and discovered that the solutions for creating a circular economy that have already been perfected in nature itself.

Khalil Yassine, Head of Unilever & Customer Development Arabia commented, “As an organisation, we pride ourselves on being not just purpose-led but also future-fit. We believe that being a responsible, sustainable business makes us a stronger, better business. This documentary perfectly captures the importance of being mindful of the Earth’s deteriorating resources and how sustainability makes sense for both the environment as well as businesses. Circularity is therefore an integral part of Unilever’s sustainability objectives, which is why we are committed to keeping our packaging waste out of the environment and within the circular loop. We are additionally reducing the consumption of plastics in our packaging, utilising more recycled plastics and ensuring zero non-hazardous waste in our operations.”

Panelists:

Welcome | Khalil Yassine, Head of Unilever & Customer Development Arabia

Opening Speech | Eng. Aisha Al Abdooli ,  Director of Green Dev. & Env. Affairs, UAE Ministry of Climate Change & Environment  

About ‘Going Circular’ | Ellen Windemuth, Documentary Executive Producer & CEO WaterBear Network

Panel Discussion | Hoor Ahli, Youth Environmental Advocate; Sara Jackson, Green Ethics Consultancy; Monica Cooney, Head of Strategy & Impact, Emirates Nature-WWF 

Closing Speech | Loubna Zaitouni, Sr. Specialist Co-operative Follow-Up – Strategic Reserve, U.A.E. Ministry Of Economy

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About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. We have 148,000 employees and generated sales of €52.4 billion in 2021.

Over half of our footprint is in developing and emerging markets. We have around 400 brands found in homes all over the world – including iconic global brands like Dove, Lifebuoy, Knorr, Lux, OMO and Sunsilk; and other brands such as Love Beauty & Planet, Magnum and Comfort.

Our vision is to be the global leader in sustainable business and to demonstrate how our purpose-led, future-fit business model drives superior performance. We have a long tradition of being a progressive, responsible business. It goes back to the days of our founder William Lever, who launched the world’s first purposeful brand, Sunlight Soap, more than 100 years ago, and it’s at the heart of how we run our company today. 

The Unilever Compass, our sustainable business strategy, is set out to help us deliver superior performance and drive sustainable and responsible growth, while: 

  • improving the health of the planet;  
  • improving people's health, confidence and wellbeing; and  
  • contributing to a fairer and more socially inclusive world. 

While there is still more to do, in the past year we’re proud to have achieved sector leadership in S&P’s Dow Jones Sustainability Index, ‘Triple A’ status in CDP’s Climate, Water and Forest benchmarks and to be named as the top ranked company in the GlobeScan/SustainAbility Sustainability Leaders survey, for the eleventh consecutive year.

For more information about Unilever and our brands, please visit www.unileverme.com