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Dr. Al Zeyoudi praises Emirati companies sustainability initiatives

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Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, has praised the role of Emirati private businesses in supporting nationwide commitment towards sustainability.

He made his remarks during a press conference on the sidelines of Gulfood 2019, the world’s largest annual food and beverages trade show, currently taking place from 17th – 21st February 2019, at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

On the occasion, Agthia Group, an Emirati group of companies, announced its sustainability practices and application of Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance, ESG, standards in its business operations.

In addition to Dr. Al Zeyoudi, the event was attended by Dhafer Ayed Al Ahbabi, Agthia Group Chairman, and Tariq Ahmed Al Wahedi, Agthia Group CEO. The company’s management announced their commitment to Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange’s recent drive to promote sustainable and transparent practices in listed companies.

The company also outlined the group’s long-term environmental sustainability goals as well as where it stands today in terms of its ESG footprint.

Dr. Al Zeyoudi said, "We value the role of Emirati private businesses such as Agthia in supporting our nationwide commitment towards sustainability. Through embracing sustainable production and consumption patterns across all sectors and meeting the highest environmental and efficiency standards, multiple ‘Made in UAE’ products are now winning consumers’ trust and competing in regional and global markets."

At a Ghaf planting event that took place as part of the conference, Dr. Al Zeyoudi emphasised that the message of tolerance the UAE seeks to convey to the world includes the peaceful coexistence between people and their surrounding environment. He urged attendees to adopt environment-friendly habits to ensure a sustainable future for the current and future generations.

In turn, Al Ahbabi noted, "Agthia is committed to going above and beyond regulatory requirements, embracing sustainability best practices and applying environmental, social and corporate governance standards. This helps Agthia lead by example and ensure a sustainable and profitable business that is good for our consumers, shareholders and wider stakeholders."

For his part, Al Wahedi stated that Agthia has from the onset, adopted a careful and considered approach, "integrating best ESG practices in our business and avoiding any harm to the environment and all others who may be effected, directly or indirectly by our manufacturing activities in all locations."

Agthia already uses 100 percent recyclable secondary packaging across all categories of which 99 percent are biodegradable. The company has plans in place for all packaging to be 100 percent eco-friendly by 2020. The company also plans to achieve zero landfill fill waste by 2020 in addition to a commitment to use 10 percent of pet from recycled sources and 5 percent of pet from plant-based sources by 2021.

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