Environmental sustainability through transformation

HE Khaled Al Huraimel, Group Chief Executive Officer, Bee'ah.

Bee’ah is setting the standard in integration of technology and environmental sustainability, raising the bar with its recent foray into energy, says HE Khaled Al Huraimel, Group Chief Executive Officer, Bee’ah.

As the UAE’s leading integrated environmental, recycling and waste management company, Bee’ah is an advocate for sustainable growth that improves the lives of all citizens. The key to doing this successfully is to create a circular economy, where resources are put to continual use. This can only be achieved through technology. 

Bee’ah has been at the forefront, from innovations such as Waste to Energy plant, a digitally enhanced waste collection fleet and  geo-tagged, solar-powered Wi-Fi enabled smart bins; to the creation of the region’s first sustainable transport company, ION, in partnership with Crescent Enterprises, and its digital arm, Evoteq, which is also catalysing digital transformation through disruptive platforms. 

Bee’ah’s multi-faceted approach started out in 2007 with the goal of implementing a zero-waste to landfill strategy. Since then, Bee’ah has tripled the diversion rates in Sharjah and has now achieved 76% diversion, the highest in the Middle East. Through its technological innovations Bee’ah is serving iconic landmarks across the UAE like the Burj Khalifa. 

Using a digitalisation solution such as Bee’ah Waste Management System, built on the SAP Prologa platform, it has reduced the number of vehicles used and the number of waste collection trips, even with increase in tonnage. All these features, in turn, save time, effort, resources and manpower.

As the first fully integrated waste management company in the UAE, Bee’ah undertakes everything from collection to disposal. Bee’ah collects around 3 million tonnes of waste annually. This waste is sent to advanced recycling facilities for processing. Through these facilities, Bee’ah converts end-of-life products into recycled raw materials and products such as rubber tiles and concrete aggregates.

Bee’ah partnered with Masdar to form the Emirates Waste to Energy Company. This will establish waste-to-energy facilities across the MENA region. Bee’ah has already started work on the UAE’s first waste to energy plant at its waste management complex in Sharjah. This facility will process more than 300,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste each year, produce around 30 MW of energy, and it will be able to power up to 28,000 homes. This development will help to achieve the Middle East’s first zero-waste solution in Sharjah by 2021.

While embracing digital technologies is a great idea, businesses need to first have a clear vision of what technologies to use, and in what capacity. Companies should not go digital, for the sake of going digital. There are opportunities for technology to make a significant difference and by appointing a task force dedicated to this, companies can identify that core strengths that they should leverage. 

Bee’ah aims to become the first fully digitally enabled company in Sharjah. As the first fully artificial intelligence integrated building in the region, the new office will be one of the smartest and most sustainable companies anywhere in the worlds. Using a SaaS-based platform, the office will digitise even day-to-day tasks such as guiding visitors, booking appointments, documenting information, reviewing staff duties, reallocating resources and auto-filling applications. 


Highlights

  • Bee’ah aims to become the first fully digitally enabled company in Sharjah.
  • Bee’ah partnered with Masdar to form the Emirates Waste to Energy Company.
  • Bee’ah’s multi-faceted approach started out in 2007 with the goal of implementing a zero-waste to landfill strategy.
  • Bee’ah Waste Management System is built on the SAP Prologa platform.
  • SAP has reduced the number of vehicles used and the number of waste collection trips.
  • Bee’ah has tripled the waste to landfill diversion rates in Sharjah and has now achieved 76% diversion.

By HE Khaled Al Huraimel, Group Chief Executive Officer, Bee’ah.