Bottle recovery project launched in Jordan

Amman 18 October 2022-- Seeking to enhance public spaces, keep cities cleaner and create job opportunities, UN-Habitat, Nestlé and Diageo partnered to launch the Jordan Bottle Recovery project, managed by Development Inc. International, under the patronage of the Ministry of Environment in Jordan.

The project aims to increase collection and recycling of packaging, resulting from tourism and out of home sector. To support packaging collection at source, the project is placing dedicated plastic and glass collection bins to more than 250 hotels and restaurants. Reverse Vending Machines will also be placed in prime locations in Amman for consumers to dispose of used plastic bottles, and a reward system is created to motivate the act of recycling.

The launch of the project was announced at a  press conference, attended by  Muawia Radaideh, the Minister of Environment, as well as Erfan Ali, UN-Habitat Regional Representative of the Arab States, Mazen Al Kayyali Business Executive Officer at Nestlé Waters Jordan, Robert Haddad Director of Marketing, Yousef M. Haddad, Co. & Partners (Diageo distributors and partners in Jordan) and Mohamed Daoud – CEO and Founder of Development Inc.

“The Jordan Bottle Recovery Project contributes to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” Ali commented. “In particular the eleventh goal of making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. The project also contributes to the realisation of the New Urban Agenda and UN-Habitat's Strategic Plan 2020-2025.”

The project will use a digital framework to ensure traceability across the value chain. A technology-based tractability framework is put in place to ensure control of the operations, accuracy and transparency of the collected quantities and end life, with an aim to create “Bottle to Bottle” mechanism.

Commenting on the launch, Al Kayyali stated: “At Nestlé we believe that there is an urgent need to minimise the impact of packaging on the environment. We understand this requires systemic changes and collective collaborative efforts. Nestlé Pure Life is embarking on this voluntary journey, and we extend a call to action for all actors to collaborate with us to tackle plastic pollution in Jordan.”

The Jordan Bottle Recovery project is aligned with Nestlé’s global commitment to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or re-usable by 2025 and Diageo’s target to invest in renewable energy and improve energy efficiency, whilst actively engaging with suppliers and partners to reduce indirect carbon emissions.

The Jordan Bottle Recovery project is part of “Plan Zero”, a regional alliance established in an effort to limit the environmental impact of plastic and glass waste in the Middle East and North Africa region. In July 2021, UN-Habitat signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nestlé, Diageo, Development Inc. and others to jointly promote sustainable waste management and responsible production and consumption within the private sector and general public.

‘’Plan Zero’’ works to reduce carbon footprint in the targeted countries by diverting packaging waste from landfills, water bodies and the environment, through retrieving recyclables and non-recyclable plastic, fibre, glass and metal packaging materials.