The Waste Lab, a start-up located in Dubai, and Kia Corporation are collaborating to introduce a three-stage GCC process that turns food waste into nutritious compost. The cooperation, which is set to begin at the start of Ramadan, aims to reduce food waste throughout the holy month and increase awareness of the significance of implementing sustainable practices right now.
Kia will assist the Waste Lab team by supplying them with hybrid vehicles as a provider of sustainable mobility solutions. The initiative, which is divided into three parts and will take place across the UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, will take a comprehensive approach based on the "cycle of life" concept. The automaker will provide the Kia Niro Hybrid, Kia K5 Hybrid, and Kia K8 Hybrid to The Waste Lab in the UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, respectively.
The UAE will start conducting business. In the first phase, Kia and The Waste Lab will collect food waste from 150 homes in Sustainable City and Villa Lantana, two communities in Dubai. The Waste Lab facilities will receive the food waste after it has been collected, sort it, and create healthy compost there.
The second stage will take place at Lizq Oasis, a family-run, locally owned farm in Oman where healthy compost and regenerative agricultural practices support productive orchards with date trees, citrus trees, and tropical fruit trees on a small plot of land. This procedure complements the Waste Lab's emphasis on organic farming and soil health.
Yasmin Hamza, a Saudi chef, will bring the composting journey—or "The Cycle of Life" initiative—to a close. The Middle East's first zero-waste fine-dining establishment, Her Indulge Thyself, is located in Jeddah. To honor local environmentalists, Kia will offer a farm-to-table Iftar at the restaurant.
"We are excited to strengthen our sustainability impact in the region with this partnership, especially on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan," said Yaser Shabsogh, Chief Operating Officer, Regional HQ, Middle East & Africa, Kia. Our brand is built on movement; it is how we bring people together and incite inspiration. In keeping with our ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) strategy, we are able to safeguard our environment and change lives by establishing this initiative with a ground-breaking local organization like The Waste Lab. For Kia, a more sustainable future requires bringing attention to a crucial issue like food waste. By fostering a sense of environmental responsibility, we hope that our sustainable movement will motivate everyone to prevent food waste and go beyond it.
The Waste Lab's creators, Lara Hussein and Ceylan Uren, added: "We have always been passionate about finding methods to live in harmony with our earth. We can return some of what we receive from the soil through composting. This compost's high nitrogen content is converting arid soil into a fertile ecosystem. This is compost's power.