Zainiac 2020 - Fifth Edition Zainiac 2020 - Fifth Edition | Page 7

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 5