DEWA accelerating the pace towards a green economy in Dubai

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 16, 2013

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) signed during the second day of Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition, WETEX 2013 a memorandum of understanding with Unilever, a leading FMCG company, in an effort by DEWA to share its experience with leading companies in their respective fields and benefit at the same time from their experiences to accelerate the pace towards green economy in Dubai.

The signing ceremony was attended by HE Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Supreme Council of Energy, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA, which is organising "WETEX" 2013 under the umbrella of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy,and Mr. Arijit Ghose, Managing Director, Unilever Gulf, in addition to high-level representatives of the company, which is  global brand with sales in more than 190 countries around the world, offering goods that are consumed by more than two billion consumers around the world every day.

Under the Memorandum, DEWA will train Unilever promoters on the instructions to rationalize the use of water and energy and provide promotional materials on energy saving devices to be used at the points of sale as well as campaign management promotion of energy-saving devices.

HE Al Tayer said: "We are pleased to sign this agreement with a global leader in its field, such as Unilever. We are confident that the positive results that will be achieved by this agreement regarding the consumers of the company's products in Dubai will be many, which will contribute to provide the elements of the transition towards a green economy in the Emirate of Dubai."

He added: "The signing of the agreement with Unilever Gulf is based on the vision of DEWA to be a sustainable world class utility, where it adopts the integrated strategy designed to promote opportunities for cooperation and coordination with all interested parties in the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly, where the cooperation with the private sector in strategic projects is very crucial to reach our goals in creating sustainable and effective solutions, particularly in the areas of vital topics such as water and energy."

The agreement included a commitment from Unilever to activate water conservation, activate energy-saving devices, promote water conservation packages and encourage the campaigns directed for schools and the residential-oriented sectors.

Arijit Ghose said: "Unilever intends to fulfill its commitment to reduce ecological footprint through the full life cycle of their products and this is part of Unilever plan for sustainable living. There is only 5% of the environmental footprint caused by manufacturers like our company while 68% of which is produced for the consumer. Hence, we take our responsibility to the partnership with non-governmental organizations and government agencies, as Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, to help educate consumers and thus ensure the best use of our natural resources."

Ghose added: "We live in an area that suffers from shortage of water, however we have one of the highest consumption rates in the world. So we are delighted that DEWA is our partner in this initiative, which shares our ambition to build a sustainable environment and provide a better life for all."

Also, "Unilever" is committed to insert DEWA's instructions regarding the economy in the consumption of water in promotional packaging of soap, body lotion, shampoo, toothpaste and fabrics softeners in addition to providing support in booking promotional spaces to connect with consumers and give useful tips to change the habits of excessive use of water and energy.

The company is adding special guidelines regarding the economy in water consumption in its websites, including its Facebook page and official pages for relevant products.

The Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition, "WETEX" 2013, is an ideal place to view solutions, technologies and strategies on the latest environmental sustainability practices

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© Press Release 2013