Canadian University Dubai (CUD) has partnered with global Foods and Beverages company, PepsiCo, to help promote environmental sustainability through the reduction of single-use plastic on campus.
The collaboration aims to encourage a culture of refill and reuse through the Aquafina Water Station, a new hydration platform that has already saved an average of more than 1,800 bottles per week since installation.
As part of the agreement, CUD has become an early adopter of the Aquafina Water Stations, enabling the university community to reuse plastic and minimise associated waste. During the first six weeks of operation, the three installations have helped save a total of 11,090 plastic bottles, 109,502 ounces of water, and the equivalent of 14 planted trees. The platform also measures the prevention of carbon dioxide emissions and has helped eliminate over 865Kg of emissions so far.
PepsiCo and CUD recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Prof. Karim Chelli, President and Vice Chancellor of CUD and Ahmed Dafrawy, Senior Commercial Director of PepsiCo Middle East. The organisations are aiming to drive change following the Dubai Can initiative, launched earlier this year by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Speaking about the agreement, Prof. Chelli said, “As an educational institution, we are committed to acting on, as well as teaching environmental responsibility across our community. Promoting a sustainable planet is a global challenge that requires a collaborative approach, and we are delighted to be working with PepsiCo as ambassadors of this refill and reuse initiative.”
Representing PepsiCo Middle East, Ahmed Dafrawy said, “We’ve always maintained that partnerships are essential to driving change and we’re incredibly excited to partner with CUD to contribute to building a healthier planet by prioritising a more conscious culture. The Aquafina Water Station is an excellent example of how innovation, sustainability, and consumer desire can trigger positive behaviour.”
Dafrawy added, “We first debuted the Aquafina Water Stations at Expo 2020 Dubai and have since continued to make the Water Stations more accessible to government and corporate entities through our partnership with Dubai Can, but we don’t want to stop there. We know that it takes continuous and persistent effort to move the needle on the global challenges facing us today. Through our partnership with CUD, we hope to inspire more people to serve as ambassadors for the behaviour we want to see across the country.”
The signing of the MoU is part of the University’s month-long program of activities to mark World Environment Day. Prof. Chelli concluded, “As we nurture the next generation of responsible citizens, it is vital that we work as an institution to embed environmental responsibility in everything we do. These initiatives are designed to drive changes that makes a positive impact and help secure the planet that our students will inherit.”