Abu Dhabi: HH Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Executive Council member (center), witnesses the signing of a training agreement between Etihad Rail and ACTVET, during the Emirates Skills 2023 Competition, at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre ADNEC. Seen with Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail (left) and HE Dr Mubarak Saeed Al Shamsi, Director General of ACTVET (right). Abdulla Al Neyadi / UAE Presidential Court
Rail and air travel relies heavily on the cost-effectiveness and lightness of plastics for fuel efficiency. Look inside the body of an aircraft and the passenger cabins of light railways and trains and you can’t deny the importance of plastics. So yeah, while we want to ban the plastic bag and see fewer flipflops in the Seychelles we still need to push for more sustainable plastics. But much more can be done in innovation so that plastics are produced with less waste and so plastic can be upcycled, recycled or generally stopped from going to landfill. Are there tires in your lettuce? is a good lesson for us to look at.
So a forward thinking Abu Dhabi is putting their mark on greening the plastics industry by connecting industry at Etihad Rail with students at ACTVET to apply the latest 3D printing technologies that use recycled materials. ACTVET is the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
Etihad Rail signs a deal to help create more sustainable plastics with researchers and young Emirati students.
Abu Dhabi‘s Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council, Chairman of Etihad Rail, signed an MOU to promote the engineering and design of eco-friendlier plastics with the help of expertise of young locals trained in the sector.
Sheikh Theyab emphasised the importance of hiring Emirati manpower to work on the latest technologies for 3D printing because the UAE can’t outsource its future. Last year the UAE started taking more steps to make the home-workplace balance more equitable by offering a 4.5 day workweek.
Eithad Rail will help you zip across the desert: The Etihad Rail passenger train will connect 11 cities and regions across the UAE. It will stretch from Al Sila to Fujairah including Al Ruwais, Al Mirfa, Dubai, Sharjah, Al Dhaid and Abu Dhabi. Travelling from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and from Dubai to Fujairah will only take 50 minutes each in the future.
Shadi Malak, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Rail, said “Our wise leadership have continuously empowered our nation’s youth as they are a vital part in the development of all sectors and the
drivers of continued growth and progress.”
What should we promote recycled plastics?
The use of recycled materials helps companies achieve sustainability goals by improving resource efficiency, enhancing the environment by reducing waste from production and manufacturing processes and protecting natural resources. Sustainable use of plastics materials can also improve long-term
profitability by reducing costs associated with materials waste and minimising pollution.
The application of 3D printing specifically allows the production of parts and components with
high precision, speed and lower costs compared to traditional methods of manufacturing, and saves energy by reducing the number of steps required to operate the equipment needed to produce manufacturing moulds, tools, and equipment.
And what’s most important for the planet and the Middle East is that manufacturing is done close to home, not in a town or village in another part of the world.
Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist and publisher that founded Green Prophet to unite a prosperous Middle East. She shows through her work that positive, inspiring dialogue creates action that impacts people, business and planet. She has published in thought-leading newspapers and magazines globally, owns an IoT tech chip patent, and is part of teams that build world-changing products to make agriculture and our planet more sustainable. Reach out directly to [email protected]