Anne Vasara pointed out that the waste recycling rate in the Emirate is already higher than other countries in the region….reports Asian Lite News
The UAE’s circular economy infrastructure is the most developed in the Gulf region, which opens many interesting opportunities for bilateral cooperation with Finland, a senior Finnish diplomat said.
“Both Finland and the UAE have a shared vision in developing a more sustainable future. We see great potential to increase our collaboration in areas such as waste management, waste-to-energy, waste-to fuel projects, and digitalisation of the circular economy sector,” Anne Vasara, the Ambassador for Circular Economy and Energy at Department of International Trade in the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, told Emirates News Agency (WAM).
A circular economy keeps materials, products, and services in circulation for as long possible through sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling. In practice, it implies reducing waste to a minimum.
About the UAE’s developed circular economy infrastructure, she pointed out that the waste recycling rate in the Emirate is already higher than other countries in the region.
“We are glad to know that UAE is committed to the green transition, developing its circular economy model, and having many circular economy projects under planning. This opens many interesting cooperation opportunities. New business opportunities are also growing in the areas of material recycling and reuse as the circular economy sector grows and expands to new areas,” she explained.
The diplomat spoke to WAM during a media tour to Helsinki last week, organised by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Senior journalists from nine media outlets, including WAM, from nine countries across the world were invited to the media trip named “Climate solutions from Finland”.
Finnish circular economy initiatives
Finland has been a front runner in circular economy since the creation of the first national circular economy roadmap in 2016, Vasara said.
The interesting areas, where Finland shines as one of the leading countries in Europe, are the eco-innovations, sustainable solutions, and energy efficient technologies, she emphasised. Finland continues to invest heavily in clean technologies, sustainable bio-economy and circular economy, the diplomat added.
“Circular economy is a vision for a more resilient economy, which redefines and unlocks new growth by giving us more from what we have. Circular economy makes sense, economically as well as in everyday practice.”
Still, the progress in this regard gets challenged by the same issues encountered in most highly developed societies, where the consumption patterns favour single use plastics, and the recycling of plastics still needs to improve, she pointed out.
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