Under the patronage and attendance of H.H. Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi, the “Green Sheikh”

Goumbook Launches “Drop It – Say NO to plastic bottles”

Nation-Wide Campaign to Minimize Plastic Bottled Water Consumption and Reduce Plastic Waste

Dubai, UAE, May 3, 2016:  Under the patronage and attendance of H.H. Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Ali bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, UAE’s “Green Sheikh”, Goumbook is announcing the launch of its nation-wide campaign to minimize plastic bottled water consumption and reduce plastic waste across the UAE. The event took place on May 3rd, 2016 and was hosted and sponsored by the Sofitel Downtown Dubai Hotel and attended by the campaign ambassadors and partners.

With the UAE having one of the highest consumption of bottled water per capita in the world, the aim of the campaign is to raise awareness on the implications of consuming plastic bottled water on people’s health and the environment versus consuming filtered tap water, as well as tackling the plastic pollution issue in the UAE. 

H.H. Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Ali bin Rashid Al Nuaimi commented: “The problem of plastic waste is becoming alarming not just locally but on a global scale. We truly believe we can minimize plastic bottle consumption by creating a change of mindset and making a huge positive impact just by dropping consumption of plastic bottles.”

“Becoming a “Drop It” Member means joining a group of visionary leaders that are making a difference and taking actions that will decide what our tomorrow will look like for generations to come not only in the UAE but all over the world,” added H.H. Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Ali, bin Rashid Al Nuaimi.

By 2050, it is expected that there will be more plastic waste in the sea than fish, as per a report released by The Ellen MacArthur Foundation during the World Economic Forum last January 2016.

Tatiana Antonelli, Managing Director of Goumbook commented: “Looking at International Initiatives, Goumbook realized there was little being done locally to tackle the “plastic issue” or raise awareness on the excessive use of plastic in people’s lives and its negative impact on the environment and health. Hence the Drop It campaign was designed to unite individuals and the local business community in saying NO to plastic bottles.”

“Choosing to embrace the campaign means people will not use plastic bottled water but instead they will filter and bottle their own, which will be used at home, in offices or in public areas. This makes an immediate positive environmental impact of reducing plastic waste and reducing the supply-chain carbon footprint,” added Antonelli.

In-house filtration meets the demand of today’s consumers for environmentally sound yet quality drinking water, while it helps save money by moving away from expensive bottled water to affordable tap water. It is ideal for all, including the hospitality sectors: hotels, restaurants, conference centers, offices and educational establishments.

The “Drop It” Campaign will also donate 5% of all corporate memberships to funding a Water Project under the Charity Water umbrella to bring safe, drinking water to global communities in developing nations. 

The campaign is already supported by a number of organizations that are based and operate in the UAE like AccorHotels, Careem, Beco Capital and Fekra Communications, to name but a few. The AccorHotels have embraced the campaign in their endeavor to make a positive local impact, which is a key objective of their sustainable development program Planet21.

Drop It is a Goumbook initiative. Goumbook is a Not for Profit Organization aiming at raising awareness on Sustainability and Green Living: Goumbook's desire is to create a new global community focused on environmental responsibility, uniting environmental experts, organizations, businesses and consumers from the Middle East and North Africa.