When we think of what we are leaving behind for future generations, the harsh reality is a vast legacy of plastic pollutants that take up to 450 years to disintegrate. The silver lining is that innovation has always been our superhuman strength.
Climate change is a non-disputable global challenge, but the collective vision of an eco-revolution is slowly changing mindsets and organic sustenance is making its positive presence felt. Just ask Scottish entrepreneur and Dubai resident David MacDonald, who won the Glasgow Business Award for Entrepreneur of the Year 2023.
The owner and chief executive of Cullen Eco-Friendly Packaging is filled with the urgency to create a renewable solution to mitigate the thousands of tonnes of packaging pollutants. As such, MacDonald has devised a simple alternative to single-use plastic packaging. The versatile Fibre Bottle is a planet-friendly replacement that can be manufactured to any shape, and fit various packaging needs in industries as diverse as horticulture, medicine and fast-moving consumer goods.
“When you consider 500 billion bottles being used annually, my mission is to simply replace single-use plastic by creating the world’s first paper bottle,” MacDonald tells The National. In the past 18 months, the Fibre Bottle has replaced 1.5 billion plastic products in 35 countries, including being used by the NHS in the UK, and is expected to be available in the UAE from this month, to coincide with Cop28.
Made using custom-built machines from moulded pulp packaging scavenged from the recycled by-products of Cullen’s corrugate packaging business through a closed-loop recycling system, these bespoke bottles can hold dry goods such as spices, vitamins and household cleaning products.
At the end of its life cycle, which is about six months, the compostable and biodegradable product will simply return to nature causing no damage to the planet.
MacDonald believes companies such as his shoulder the responsibility that every product bought off the shelves has its environmental footprint created at various stages. “If we can assess right at the packaging stage that the product offers minimal environmental damage, we are already victorious in our attempt to save our planet,” he says. Organic living is a deep-rooted philosophy and a dialogue of choices that consumers consciously need to make, he adds.
He strongly advocates a “flexible approach to life, which means choose organic, keep challenging your mind, shop, gift and celebrate sustainably and, most importantly, adjust your mindset to be productive and have fun by adopting the ‘less is more’ attitude.
“The challenge we face together is that plastic as a product is not the problem; it is how we use it. If you do not buy it, the only option is to change how we sell it.”
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
LIGUE 1 FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Nice v Angers (9pm)
Lille v Monaco (10.45pm)
Saturday
Montpellier v Paris Saint-Germain (7pm)
Bordeaux v Guingamp (10pm)
Caen v Amiens (10pm)
Lyon v Dijon (10pm)
Metz v Troyes (10pm)
Sunday
Saint-Etienne v Rennes (5pm)
Strasbourg v Nantes (7pm)
Marseille v Toulouse (11pm)
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
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