How Expo 2020 Dubai and value partners set the course for continued sustainability practices
Global fair set the bar in waste management with help from value partners such as Pepsico
Expo 2020 Dubai set a high bar for future global events, having delivered the most sustainable World Expo ever. Diverting maximum waste away from landfill with help from PepsiCo, Official Beverage & Snack Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai; Dulsco, Official Waste Management Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai; and Cisco, Expo 2020 Dubai’s Official Digital Network Partner.
Of more than 1.1 million tonnes of waste that Expo 2020 Dubai generated, up to and including the six months of the event, it successfully diverted 90.9 percent cumulative waste from landfills, while seeing a marked increase in recycling practices by Expo 2020 Dubai’s millions of visitors.
Dina Storey, Director – Sustainability Operations, Expo 2020 Dubai, says, “As the issue of climate change becomes more pressing, we are proud that Expo 2020 Dubai has provided a powerful, collaborative platform to connect innovators and share sustainable, tangible solutions. By working together with our partners, we not only exceeded our waste target, but also highlighted a range of sustainability initiatives that have had – and will continue to have – real impact in helping to create a cleaner world.”
Event-time activations included PepsiCo’s 28 Aquafina water stations advocating the use of reusable bottles, its branded reusable bottles available for sale and its innovative, infinitely recyclable Aquafina aluminium water cans, as well as 40 sabeel drinking-water fountains located around the site. In addition, the use of smart bins delivered by Dulsco, engaged visitors to recycle better, leading to proper segregation methods and a higher separation rate of waste.
The collaborative strategy helped reduce the use of single-use plastics across the site, with the number of 500ml bottles saved thanks to the Aquafina water stations topping 500,000. Cans, the majority of which were PepsiCo’s Aquafina cans, collected in Dulsco’s smart bins and then recycled through Dulsco into new aluminium products – saved the equivalent of 6.6 million bottles.
Eugene Willemsen, CEO, Africa, Middle East and South Asia, PepsiCo, says, “The Expo 2020 Dubai partnership has been a major milestone in PepsiCo’s journey in the UAE, cementing our commitment in a region we’re proud to have served for the last six decades. We set out with a shared vision for a fun and sustainable future during and beyond this World Expo, and we’re incredibly proud to have played a part in delivering on this vision.
“Expo 2020 Dubai has given us the platform to truly bring the best of our pep+ vision to life. Innovations like the Aquafina cans, Aquafina water stations and Sunbites compostable packaging, which we piloted at Expo 2020 Dubai, have helped minimise the plastic footprint on site, offered consumers more sustainable alternatives, and helped us reduce, recycle, and reinvent – pillars we consider essential to help drive a circular economy.
Other partners helping Expo 2020 Dubai reach its waste target included the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and Emirates Foundation, supporters of the Expo 2020 Dubai Food Rescue Programme, in collaboration with Cisco, Expo 2020 Dubai’s Official Digital Network Partner. Their food-waste initiative cut food loss and wastage at the event by monitoring of food operations at the Expo site’s restaurants, food halls and staff canteens to ensure they adhered to the highest sustainability criteria in food preparation.
