New plastic bottles are a major step in Masafi Carbon Action Plan

Step reinforces its commitment to environmentally-safer practices

Dubai, March 16, 2011: In a step that re-emphasizes the company's commitment to protecting the environment, Masafi - one of the region's leading FMCG brands - has introduced the lightest 500ml water bottle in the UAE, manufactured with 23 per cent reduced plastic. At a weight of just 13 grams, Masafi is the first company in the food and beverage sector across the Middle East to introduce the new eco-friendly bottles.

The reduced plastic on Masafi 500ml bottles considerably cuts down on the carbon emissions in the manufacturing and disposal processes. The launch of the new bottles is a major step in Masafi's Carbon Action Plan - a key initiative launched in 2008 aimed at reducing the carbon footprint in the UAE by cutting down on the carbon emissions from its manufacturing unit, product offerings, systems as well as services.

With the new technology, Masafi will cut down on an estimated 575 tonnes of PET on an annual basis. The innovative 'green' product is another socially-responsible initiative by Masafi and will help reduce the plastic landfill, thus considerably cutting down the rate of average carbon emission per person. The initiative further reinforces Masafi as one of the most eco-friendly FMCG brand in the region.

In comments on the new bottle, Mohammad Usman, Factory Manager of Masafi Water and Tissues line, said: "Masafi has always been at the forefront in environmentally-sound practices and we are extremely proud to launch the lightest 500ml water bottles in the UAE. The launch of the new bottles with reduced plastic will go a long way in ridding this planet of harmful non-degradable plastic waste. It is well known that 46,000 pieces of plastic debris float on every square mile of Earth's oceans. The new reduced plastic technology will be introduced on 500ml bottles first, at no extra cost to customers and maintaining our world-class quality."

Usman added: "The launch of the new bottles is part of Masafi's endeavour to be a leader in all aspects of its business - be its products, innovation, technology, environmental initiatives or supporting government initiatives. Apart from its innovative packaging technology, it showcases our commitment to develop best-in-class products, packages and manufacturing processes while acting responsibly in everything we do. The new bottles also have a new base innovation technology to resist the stacking pressure, thus reducing the damage to bottles in distribution."

Masafi has always been the flag-bearer in eco-friendly initiatives. In November 2009, Masafi launched Oxo-Biodegradable films in its shrink-wrap packaging for water bottles which completely revolutionized the food packaging sector. The Oxo-Biodegradable films offer an unparalleled alternative to conventional plastic wraps. While the conventional shrink-wraps can take up to 400 years to break down, the Oxo-Biodegradable films degrade, then biodegrade in two years' time.

The company also 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 is also the first mineral water company in the region to be awarded the prestigious ISO 14001 certification for Environmental Management. The company has also signed up with UN Global Compact - the world's most influential network for socially and environmentally responsible businesses - to play a proactive role in ecologically sustainable issues.

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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 state-of-the-art 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 Pure, Natural 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. All Masafi product bottles are 100 per cent recyclable and only for one-time-use. The tissue line includes boutique fragrant tissues in four scents, floral tissues in purple, pink and green colors, and car tissue boxes. Masafi leads the UAE market in the Brand Equity Index in the water and tissue categories. 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 and a 100% juice blend tetra pack product line. The flavored water is available in four flavors -- strawberry, lemon, peach and mint & lemon in 500ml sizes. The Gourmet potato chips come in four flavours - sea salt, sweet chilly, 'four cheese' and Labneh & Zaatar.

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 2011