Duracell has signed a partnership agreement with Sharjah-based Bee’ah, a leading integrated environmental and waste management company, in an effort to drive environmental sustainability in the UAE.  

During the first phase of the partnership agreement, over 100 schools and 50 retail outlets across Dubai and Sharjah are set to participate in The Great Battery Challenge, said a statement.

Aligning with the UAE government’s Vision 2021 for a sustainable future, the unique competition educational programme aims to champion battery recycling, sustainable practices, and energy saving to protect the UAE’s environment, it said.

A recent report by AC Nielsen estimated that there are millions of batteries purchased in the UAE each year. The vast majority of these batteries are disposed of, without recycling, and end up in landfills.

Bee’ah’s partnership with Duracell, one of the biggest investors in sustainability programmes in the battery industry globally, will ensure that programmes which bring alternative battery solutions are initiated in the UAE.

Amer Afifi, general manager, Duracell Middle East and India, said: “Recycling batteries is one of the latest additions to the recycling landscape and we are happy to build awareness on its benefits to the UAE.”

“Reducing the impact on the environment starts with choosing the right technology. We at Duracell are committed to fostering environmental sustainability, for example, one of our superior alkaline battery can be up to 10 times more efficient than zinc/carbon batteries in high drain devices,” he said.

“Duracell’s unique Powercheck on Ultra Power batteries allows consumers to instantly verify the battery’s power level and use their batteries to the fullest, thus preventing unnecessary waste. Through our partnership with Bee’ah, we are actively looking to drive residential awareness around the importance of battery recycling and our collaboration will see the roll-out of a number of initiatives spanning across both the education and public space,” he added.

The Great Battery Challenge, set to launch in October 2018, is an interschool recycling competition designed to help young students, and their parents, to better understand how their battery purchases should be connected to acting environmentally sustainable.

Bee’ah’s environmental education programme, the Bee’ah School of Environment, seeks to encourage positive environmental behaviour through two annual competitions, the Environmental Excellence School Award (EESA) and the Inter School Recycling Competition (ISRC).  

The EESA encourages creative expression and problem-solving skills in students, towards the resolution of key environmental issues. The ISRC enables participating schools to compete against each other to collect the most paper, plastic, and aluminium materials.

This year’s edition of both competitions will culminate in an awards ceremony, which will be held on Sunday, May 13, 2018. Based on their submissions under the theme, ‘Preservation of Natural Resources’, students from 311 schools, across the UAE, will vie for 14 coveted prizes, under the 5 categories of the EESA.

Khaled Al Huraimel, group chief executive officer, Bee’ah, said: “We have made an enduring commitment towards encouraging sustainability, and we have utilized community engagement platforms to great effect in this endeavour.”

“Our educational programmes have played an instrumental role in incentivising recycling and encouraging environmental advocacy in students. We are delighted to form this partnership with Duracell, a company that has effectively demonstrated its commitment to sustainability,” he said.

“Through our mutual efforts, we will be able to create awareness, and a culture of recycling that includes discarded batteries. This partnership will have a tangible impact on the nation’s pursuit of a green economy, and will lay the foundation for future collaborations in the proper management of disposed batteries,” he added.

Afifi continued: “It is our duty as responsible, corporate entities to implement sustainable programmes in everything we do and help protect our planet for future generations.”

“Our new long-term partnership with Bee’ah will champion battery recycling efforts in the UAE,” he said.

Since its inception, Bee’ah has pushed the boundaries of environmental innovation and crossed remarkable milestones through its leading sustainability strategies and practices, especially in the field of education with over 200,000 students and 5000 teachers participating in Bee’ah’s programmes to-date, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service