TURNING WASTE AROUND

Ali Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and CEO of the Tadweer Group, believes that waste can be a powerful resource. As the company strives to divert waste from landfills and reduce emissions in the U.A.E., he's also hoping to have a global impact.

- LAYAN ABO SHKIER

When Ali Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and CEO of the Abu Dhabi-based Tadweer Group, looks back at his professional journey, it reads like a map of the capital's transformation. From the oil fields of ADNOC to the investment halls of Mubadala and now the waste management facilities of Tadweer Group, his story intertwines with the emirates' wider journey—one that has gradually shifted from hydrocarbons to energy transition, and now to circular economy solutions.

Today, the U.A.E. has a clear roadmap towards a green and sustainable future. Over the last decade, the country established its National Climate Change Plan 2017-2050 to manage greenhouse gas emissions while sustaining economic growth, issued its Circular Economy Policy 2021-2031 to provide a national framework to drive the sustainable use of natural resources, and launched its Green Agenda 2030 to increase the country's GDP by 4% to 5%, increase its exports by about $6.8 billion in total, and reduce emissions to less than 100 kilowatt-hours.

The Tadweer Group was established by the government of Abu Dhabi in 2008 as Abu Dhabi Waste Management PJSC (Tadweer). In December 2022, it became part of ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, rebranding to Tadweer Group in 2024, with a new identity, vision, and strategy. Today, the Tadweer Group is the sole custodian of waste management in Abu Dhabi with two main goals: diverting 80% of Abu Dhabi's waste away from landfill by 2030, and reaching 40% emissions reduction by 2035. “We are progressing well towards achieving these two targets,” says the CEO.