Latest news with #sustainableInnovation
Zawya
08-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
UAE Startup The Surpluss wins top global honour at 2025 BRICS Solution Awards
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — The Surpluss, a UAE-based climate-tech start up, has been awarded first place in the Circular Economy category at the 2025 BRICS Solutions Awards held this week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The win marks a major milestone for the company—and for the UAE's global positioning as a hub for sustainable innovation. At the 2025 BRICS Business Forum held on Saturday, July 5, the BRICS Solutions Awards unveiled this year's winning innovations—spotlighting scalable, high-impact technologies from across member countries. The awards recognize outstanding contributions in six key categories: bioeconomy, circular economy, digital transformation, energy transition, food security, and innovative financing. Designed to strengthen cooperation among BRICS nations and accelerate global adoption of sustainable solutions, the initiative drew over 500 applications from startups, public institutions, large enterprises, government bodies, and universities. Founded in the UAE, The Surpluss (a certified B Corp) is a multi-award-winning digital platform that enables traceable trade of surplus materials, products, and industrial resources. Operating across three continents, its mission is to make the circular economy profitable, measurable, and mainstream by enabling localized, data-driven transactions that unlock economic and environmental value from underutilized inventory and assets. 'We are immensely proud to see 'The Surpluss', a homegrown UAE company, win first place in the Circular Economy category at the BRICS Solutions Award 2025 in Rio de Janeiro. Securing top honours in our very first year of participation is a remarkable achievement—not only for the company but for the UAE's innovation ecosystem as a whole. This recognition reaffirms our country's commitment to sustainable, scalable solutions that contribute to global challenges. I encourage more UAE enterprises to come forward and showcase their ingenuity in future editions of the BRICS Solutions Award.' His Excellency Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chair, UAE Chapter, BRICS Business Council; Group Chairman & CEO of DP World The BRICS Solutions Awards celebrate and promotes innovative projects that drive climate change mitigation, environmental sustainability, and the efficient use of natural resources. These awards spotlight high-impact initiatives tackling global challenges while fostering sustainable development across BRICS nations. Aligned with the strategic priorities of the BRICS Business Council (BBC), they strengthen BRICS' role as a global leader in advancing environmental and climate technologies. Among the initiatives recognized in the BRICS Solutions Awards are the development of liquid biochips for agricultural genotyping and mobile 3D concrete printers, capable of constructing buildings in half the time of traditional methods while also reducing emissions. 'This award reflects a broader shift in global industry – from seeing latent resources as a liability to recognizing them as strategic levers for industry transformation' said Rana Hajirasouli, Founder & CEO of The Surpluss. 'As a women-led start up, we are honoured to receive this award on such a prestigious international platform which reaffirms the UAEs' commitment to Sustainable Development and to exporting high-impact, locally developed solutions that can scale, globally'. With this global recognition, The Surpluss is accelerating its expansion across BRICS markets by embedding localized implementation models that enable industries to recover value from surplus, reduce disposal costs, and meet verified climate and resource efficiency targets. About The Surpluss Founded in the UAE, The Surpluss® is a multi-award-winning platform enabling traceable trade of excess materials, products, and resources. Its mission is to make sustainability profitable, measurable, and mainstream—creating new circular economies through digital infrastructure. The BRICS Solution Awards is promoted by the BRICS Business Council in partnership with the Brazilian Institute for the Development of International Business Relations (IBREI).
Globe and Mail
30-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Business Email Database Leads Climate-Friendly Tech Initiatives in Iraq under Ali Owaid Jasim
In a world increasingly aware of environmental challenges, Ali Owaid Jasim AL-RIKABI is championing the integration of climate responsibility within Iraq's burgeoning technology sector. At a recent public forum on sustainable innovation, Jasim stressed the importance of ensuring that digital progress does not come at the expense of the environment, urging policymakers, entrepreneurs, and technologists to adopt eco-friendly practices that balance growth with sustainability. Iraq, with its rich natural resources and unique environmental challenges, stands at a critical juncture. The country faces issues such as water scarcity, air pollution, and land degradation—problems that are exacerbated by rapid industrialization and climate change. Against this backdrop, Ali Owaid Jasim's call for green technology is both timely and vital. 'Technology has the power to solve many of Iraq's most pressing problems,' Jasim explained, 'but it also has a responsibility to do so in a way that preserves our natural heritage.' He highlighted that climate-conscious innovation should be embedded at every stage of technological development—from design and manufacturing to deployment and disposal. One key area Jasim pointed out is the energy consumption of digital infrastructure. Data centers, for example, can be significant energy users, and without proper efficiency measures, their environmental footprint can grow substantially. He advocates for investing in energy-efficient data centers powered by renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. 'Iraq's abundant sunlight is an opportunity waiting to be harnessed,' he said. Moreover, Jasim called attention to the need for sustainable hardware design. This includes using recyclable materials, reducing e-waste, and promoting longer product lifecycles. 'We need to rethink the entire tech ecosystem to minimize its impact on the environment,' he urged. Another focus of Ali Owaid Jasim's vision is the development of digital tools that help monitor and manage natural resources more effectively. He spoke about leveraging IoT (Internet of Things) devices and AI analytics to optimize water usage in agriculture and track pollution levels in urban areas. Such smart technologies can enable Iraq to manage its resources more efficiently and mitigate environmental risks. Jasim also emphasized the importance of government incentives to encourage climate-conscious tech innovation. He proposed policies such as tax breaks for green startups, funding for research in sustainable technologies, and national strategies prioritizing environmental goals alongside digital transformation. For Ali Owaid Jasim, the role of youth in this transition is crucial. He praised the growing number of young Iraqi entrepreneurs and innovators focused on environmental technology and urged continued support for their initiatives. 'Young people bring fresh ideas and passion that can drive Iraq towards a sustainable future,' he said. Jasim concluded by stressing that innovation and sustainability must go hand in hand. 'We cannot separate progress from responsibility,' he said. 'By adopting climate-conscious technology development, Iraq can not only solve its environmental challenges but also position itself as a leader in green innovation in the region.' Through his advocacy and vision, Ali Owaid Jasim AL-RIKABI is helping to steer Iraq's tech sector toward a future that respects both economic growth and ecological balance—demonstrating that digital transformation and environmental stewardship are mutually reinforcing goals. For More information,
