New lids are a major step in Masafi's eco-friendly initiatives


Dubai, March 22, 2010: Reinforcing its commitment to the environment, Masafi - one of the region's leading FMCG brands - has introduced environmental-friendly PET lids to Masafi water cups. Replacing the existing aluminum lids, the new PET lids offer a host of health and environment benefits.

With the new lids, Masafi water cups coming in three sizes -- 250ml, 200ml, and 125ml - will become fully recyclable. Earlier, the cups could not be recycled as the recycling centres were unable to remove the aluminum from the PET cups.

The new PET lids are a major step in Masafi's environment initiatives aimed at developing processes, products and technology that support sustainable business practices. According to a study by US-based consultant Allied Development Corporation, PET production results in less greenhouse gas emissions and uses less energy than aluminum.

Ms Natascha Edelmann, Head of Marketing at Masafi, said: "As a company, Masafi is committed to sustainability and it is embedded in our company's culture. The new PET lids are totally environmentally sustainable alternative to current aluminum lids and offers added health and environment benefits at no extra cost to our consumers and at the same time not affecting the quality of our products."

Makram Haidar, Brand Manager of Masafi, said: "Compared to aluminum lids, the PET lids offer the best substitute from the environmental perspective. We have always believed in innovation across our product portfolio, processes and packaging technology and the new PET lid is a major sustainable extension."

The new lid technology will also reduce the aluminum used in the manufacturing process. "Originally, we were using 60 tons of aluminum foil in our cup production per year. Moreover, the new PET lids, coming in a new square design, will need only 9.4 gm for a 250ml cup, compared to the earlier round design which required 11.15 gm, thus leading to 16% material savings," added Mr Haidar.

In October 2009, Masafi introduced the Oxo Biodegradable films in its shrink-wrap packaging for water bottles, the first company in the food and beverage sector across the Middle East to do so. The Oxo Biodegradable films offer an unparalleled alternative to conventional plastic wraps, which can take up to 400 years to break down. The Oxo Biodegradable films disappear in all types of environment within 2 years.

As part of its commitment to safeguard the environment, Masafi launched the Corporate Recycling Initiative in October 2008, where it collects plastic bottles from UAE-based companies employing 200-plus people for recycling purposes. The bottles are sent to Fujairah for recycling into non-food plastic applications.

Masafi, the first mineral water company in the region to be awarded the prestigious ISO 14001 certification for Environmental Management, also won the Idea of the Year award for its environmental initiative at the Ideas.Arabia International Conference held in April 2009, the Superbrands Brand of Year in June 2009 and the 'Best Use of CSR' award at the GEMAS Effie Mena Awards [November 2009].

The company also launched the Brown Carton Box last year - a revolutionary new packaging concept which significantly reduced the amount of corrugated carton used in terms of grammage and coverage. Masafi also installed energy-efficient non-CFC chillers at its bottling plant in RAK as a major step towards safeguarding the environment. The company has signed up with UN Global Compact - the world's most influential network for socially and environmentally responsible businesses.

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About Masafi
Masafi, the leading producer of pure natural mineral water in the entire Gulf, was established in 1976 with a paid-up capital of approximately $5.5 million. The company has retained its market leadership for over three decades by providing world-class products which are renowned for their pure natural freshness. This has seen Masafi become the premium reference for bottled mineral water in the entire region. In the process, it has built an extremely strong distribution network to consistently deliver to dynamic market requirements and has continuously upgraded its first-class equipment to keep pace with technological advances around the globe.

Being a leading brand that delivers to consumer needs, Masafi's wide product portfolio includes Mineral Water, Tissues, Juices, Flavored Water and Gourmet (Chips). The mineral water product line comes in bottles of 1.5 litres, 1 litre, 500ml, 330ml (regular and sports) 4 gallon bottles, 330ml kids packaging (regular and sports); mineral water cups in sizes of 250ml, 200ml, and 125ml. The 4-gallon bottles are 100 per cent recyclable and only for one-time-use. The tissue line includes boutique fragrant tissues in three scents, floral tissues in purple, pink and green colors, car tissue boxes and Sense of Spring boutique packages. Masafi leads the UAE market in Brand Equity Index in the tissue line and enjoys the number one share of heart across the UAE. The hugely popular Masafi Juices come in an array of original flavors and rich fruit blends available in 2 litre, 1 litre and 200ml bottles. The flavored water is available in four flavors -- strawberry, lemon, peach and mint & lemon in 500ml sizes. The Gourmet potato chips come in three flavours - sea salt, sweet chilly and 'four cheese'.

The company was the first recipient of the ISO 9002 certification in the entire Middle East and was awarded the ISO 9001:2000 certification for developing and maintaining a high standard Quality Management System. Masafi has also been awarded the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) certification. Masafi is also a member of International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) and Asia Bottled Water Association (ABWA). Masafi Water is tested and approved by NSF International, USA, which carries out annual unprompted audits on behalf of IBWA. Masafi is the first mineral water company in the region to be awarded the prestigious ISO 14001 certification for Environmental Management.

For further information, please contact Ghada Kammoun/ Venkat Iyer,
BPG Public Relations, Dubai Tel: +9714-295 3456; Fax: +9714-295 1027
E-mail: gkammoun@batespangulf.com / venkat@batespangulf.com

© Press Release 2010