Dubai’s DMCC, a leading global free zone, has announced a partnership with Duracell, a major manufacturer of high-performance alkaline batteries, to encourage employees to recycle their used batteries.

The partnership sees the rollout of designated collection battery bins across the 66 towers of DMCC’s Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) district, host to over 15,000 member companies with a workforce of nearly 60,000.Towards the end of the year, Duracell will reveal the total number of batteries recycled.

Duracell is one of the biggest investors in battery collection and recycling programs, and this partnership forms part of The Great Battery Challenge initiative, which aims to change consumer behaviour by encouraging them to recycle used batteries to protect the environment.

“DMCC is delighted to partner with Duracell to mark World Environment Day as a result of our shared commitment to sustainability and determination to protect the environment,” said Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman, DMCC.

“In 2017, DMCC became the first free zone in the Middle East to commit to the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, the UN Global Compact. We will continue to focus our efforts on sustainable, ethical and responsible business practices to drive progress towards the UN Global Compact’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals alongside Duracell and the 15,000 companies based in our Free Zone,” he added.

In addition to initiative launch, senior representatives of both parties signed an agreement to collaborate on future projects to drive the sustainability agenda and progress towards the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“As an environmentally-minded corporate citizen, Duracell is committed to continuous efforts to improve our environmental impact throughout our operations and products’ lifecycle,” said Amer Afifi, general manager – Duracell Middle East & India.

 “We are proud to partner with DMCC to champion battery recycling efforts and work together to achieve our shared sustainability goals. The Great Battery Challenge is a hugely exciting opportunity to promote sustainability through responsible recycling and our aim is to expand awareness and create excitement about battery recycling as well as demonstrating that battery collection and recycling can be positive for the environment compared to landfilling.”

Just last month, Duracell signed a partnership agreement with environmental management company Bee’ah which will see The Great Battery Challenge launching in 100 schools and 50 retail outlets in UAE in October 2018.

Celebrated across the globe every year on June 5, the World Environment Day is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of our environment.– TradeArabia News Service