Greek delegation visits Circular Economy facility in Sharjah

A diplomatic delegation from the Hellenic Republic is visiting the UAE ahead of Expo Dubai 2020, which launches in October. As part of the official itinerary, the group visited the facility of Evogreen - the joint venture in Sharjah between Bee’ah and Polygreen that sees the two organisations cooperate on marine environment protection and circular economy solutions.

The visit to the joint venture facility is the only scheduled tour of a private sector company and was led by Mr Ioannis Smyrlis, Secretary General of International Economic Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Enterprise Greece S.A. and Commissioner General of Greece in the World Expo 2020. He was accompanied by Ms. Betty Alexandropoulou, Executive Director of Enterprise Greece S.A. and Deputy Commissioner General of Greece in the World Expo 2020.

Smyrlis was joined on the visit by a supporting team from the Embassy of Greece in the UAE, including  Dionyssios Zois, the Greek Ambassador to the UAE, as well as Pantelis Gassios, Counsellor for Economic and Commercial Affairs, Embassy of Greece in the UAE, and Mr. Dimitrios Thomopoulos, First Secretary for Economic and Commercial Affairs, Embassy of Greece in the UAE, Office for Economic and Commercial Affairs in Dubai, also took part in the specially arranged site visit.

Polygreen is a Greek multinational company, with a growing global footprint. Its presence in the Middle East is independent and is part of its technical knowledge export programme, that sees solutions developed in Greece rolled out in the Middle East.

The ‘Evogreen’ joint venture between Polygreen and the leader in environmental solutions and sustainable development in the region, Bee’ah, was announced in Athens in June.

Athanasios Polychronopoulos, Group CEO of Polygreen, said: “It is for us a great honour to welcome the Greek delegation at our facilities in Sharjah, and to present them with the capabilities of our esteemed regional partner Bee’ah. Polygreen’s vision for environmental protection and sustainable development are the driving forces behind our presence here in the UAE, which represents a long-term commitment to the country and the overall region.

“We are looking forward to sharing our future endeavours and success stories with all stakeholders, both in Greece and the UAE, as well as to make sure that we facilitate the know-how transfer between the two countries through some of the best experts on the issue globally, who we are honoured to have in our respective teams.” Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO of Bee’ah, added: “We’re delighted to welcome the Greek delegation upon their visit to the facilities of Bee’ah and Polygreen in the UAE.

“At Bee’ah, we believe that protecting marine ecosystems is crucial to maintaining the vital balance of our planet. Evogreen, our joint venture with Polygreen, will address an important range of maritime waste and pollution issues, offering oil spill response services, management of distressed vessels, cargo and abandoned containers, green ship recycling and the establishment of an environmental laboratory, among others.

“Polygreen and Bee’ah share similar values and a vision for sustainability and Evogreen showcases the potential of international cooperation between the UAE and Greece, and what we can achieve through exchange of knowledge, expertise and experience.

“Bee’ah’s partnership with Polygreen will both strengthen the UAE’s specialised waste treatment recycling capabilities by leveraging international cooperation to help protect our oceans, and offer advanced solutions to the maritime industry.”

Bee’ah, and Sharjah Cement Factory signed a long-term contract last year for the supply of alternative fuel from Bee’ah’s Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) plant, in line with the UAE’s commitment to promote the use of cleaner fuels and protect the environment.

The agreement bolsters Bee’ah’s efforts to achieve a zero waste-to-landfill target in Sharjah and will result in a reduction in the carbon footprint in the Emirate. It involves the innovative use of commercial and industrial waste as well as mixed household waste from Bee’ahs state-of-the-art waste management complex to develop an even cleaner power source than Recovered Derived Fuel (RDF), another common alternative fuel used in cement factories.

Bee’ah’s supply of the fuel to Sharjah Cement Factory, is powering the entity’s cement factory and reducing the use of traditional fuels. At minimum, 73,000 tonnes will be provided each year – the equivalent weight of over 460 houses. This translates to 73,000 additional tonnes of waste being diverted from Sharjah landfills and being reused by the UAE’s industries.

Sharjah Cement Factory’s use of SRF from Bee’ah also complies with the UAE government’s objectives to replace 10 percent of current fuel sources with alternative fuels produced by waste treatment to protect the environment and the health and well-being of the people in the UAE. While the resolution refers to the use of RDF, Bee’ah has used a more technologically advanced process to produce an even cleaner fuel.