Thought Leadership
Given the current extreme weather
conditions and the urgency for pol-
icymakers; businesses and govern-
ments to address climate change,
Zain was compelled to focus this
year’s report on the circular econo-
my. The flexibility and adaptability
of the model also helps address
multiple Sustainable Development
Goals (6,8,11,12,13,14,15) as artic-
ulated by the United Nations.
Plastic waste in gen-
eral is a large issue
in Kuwait as it has
been estimated that
18% of solid waste in
the country is plastic,
weighing in at ap-
proximately 200,000
tons.
In Bahrain, Zain rec-
ognized the nega-
tive impact of selling
products that turn
into e-waste and in a bid to mitigate this,
partnered with the Supreme Council for the
Environment and Crown Industries to intro-
duce sustainable, long-term solutions in this
area. The company also launched school
campaigns, competitions and conducted
awareness sessions in schools and champi-
oned a call-to-action for the public to collect
e-waste and encouraged other companies
to participate in similar initiatives.
Implementing the circular economy helps address multiple
Sustainable Development Goals
The circular economy can eas-
ily be embedded into the Informa-
tion, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector. For businesses, it
encourages greater innovation with respect to business models as it
pushes such companies to develop innovations in the area of waste
management. Technology driven organizations can educate consum-
ers and provide them with options on how to reuse and recycle digital
products. This step can open
doors by educating customers
on how to save money, as well
as shedding light on the pres-
ence and activities of waste
management companies.
With technological products,
devices and services being
used by so many people, most
gadgets end up in landfills af-
Zain hopes that through this forward-look-
ing thought leadership report, the public
and governments will be inspired to act in
a manner that benefits the planet and all
those who inhabit it.
Jennifer Suleiman, Zain Group’s
Chief Sustainability Officer, believes
the implementation of the circular
economy is well suited to the MENA
region, and it is therefore particularly
relevant to be raising the model’s
benefits at this point in time
ter use, with just 22% of used elec-
tronics being recycled. Moreover,
with the introduction of 5G, numer-
ous devices that are not compat-
ible with the technology will be dis-
carded. Recent studies reveal that 48
million tons of e-waste are produced
every year. According to The World
Economic Forum, e-waste is cur-
rently considered the fastest growing
source of waste today.
The circular economy model is based on the principles of designing out waste and
pollution; keeping products and materials in use; and regenerating natural systems
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