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WGES 2026 explores the role of supply chain resilience in enhancing adaptability and sustainability · DEWA Podcasts

• 0:00
  Welcome to our special coverage of the 12th World
• 0:03
  Green Economy Summit. Yeah. It's taking place
• 0:07
  in Dubai on October 21st and 22nd, 2026. Hello,
• 0:13
  everyone. Held under the patronage of His Highness
• 0:16
  Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al -Maktoum, this
• 0:19
  summit's theme is, well, from success to scale,
• 0:23
  showcasing the green economy. Hmm. A major focus
• 0:27
  this year is the circular economy market, which
• 0:30
  is projected to reach, get this, $888 billion
• 0:35
  by 2030. Setting the vision for this transition
• 0:39
  is His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al -Tayr, vice
• 0:43
  chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy,
• 0:46
  MD and CEO of Diwa, and chairman of WGEO. Right.
• 0:52
  He stated that WGES advances the UAE's Circular
• 0:56
  Economy Policy 2021 -2031 by strengthening national
• 1:01
  and global action. Oh, okay. This action improves
• 1:06
  resource efficiency, reduces waste, and, you
• 1:10
  know, accelerates recycling. Yeah. It also promotes
• 1:14
  promising partnerships arising from the UAE's
• 1:17
  pioneering development policies. Hmm. He noted
• 1:21
  this is an increasingly important priority as
• 1:24
  the European Union's carbon border adjustment
• 1:26
  mechanism reshapes GCC economies. Wow. With critical
• 1:32
  minerals becoming central to circularity and
• 1:35
  global demand for batteries, clean energy, and
• 1:37
  advanced technologies rising, the Middle East
• 1:40
  is well positioned to lead the next frontier
• 1:43
  of investment. Highlighting the strategic urgency,
• 1:47
  he added that WGES responds to the urgent need
• 1:50
  to transition towards a circular economy. Right.
• 1:54
  This transition extends the lifecycle of materials
• 1:57
  and products. Hmm. He mentioned it enhances the
• 2:01
  development of innovative and sustainable solutions.
• 2:05
  Okay. These solutions are capable of addressing
• 2:09
  current challenges and strengthening supply chain
• 2:12
  resilience. as a key pillar of economic security,
• 2:16
  adaptability, and long -term sustainability.
• 2:19
  Advanced technology is the engine driving this
• 2:22
  resilience. Yeah. Yusuf Luta, founder and CEO
• 2:26
  of Luta Biofuels, explained this integration
• 2:29
  well. Okay. He said the next evolution is the
• 2:34
  intelligent circular economy. Hmm. This is where
• 2:38
  robotics, artificial intelligence, and blockchain
• 2:41
  work together to transform how waste is collected,
• 2:46
  tracked, and converted into clean energy. Wow.
• 2:50
  Robotics can automate collection, while AI can
• 2:53
  optimize operations and predict waste flows.
• 2:56
  Right. Meanwhile, blockchain provides transparency
• 3:00
  and traceability from waste source to final fuel.
• 3:04
  And to scale these technologies? the financial
• 3:07
  sector really must adapt. Valerio Capizzi, global
• 3:12
  lead for utilities at ING Bank, spoke on this.
• 3:15
  Okay. He said the path to net zero requires not
• 3:20
  only investment in technology, but also collaboration.
• 3:23
  Yeah. It needs resilience and new approaches
• 3:27
  to balancing affordability, security, and sustainability.
• 3:32
  This requires aligned goals across the corporate
• 3:35
  landscape. Hmm. Priya Sarma, head of corporate
• 3:39
  affairs and sustainability at Unilever Beauty
• 3:42
  and Wellbeing, made a great point. Right. She
• 3:46
  noted that from circularity and low -carbon innovation
• 3:49
  to sustainable manufacturing and consumption,
• 3:52
  we have seen that real progress happens when
• 3:55
  purpose is matched with partnership and action.
• 3:58
  That action also means redefining physical infrastructure.
• 4:02
  Yeah. CEO and founder of River Recycle explained
• 4:07
  this. He noted plastic can be intercepted before
• 4:12
  it reaches the ocean. Wow. Then the low -value
• 4:16
  plastic collected can be turned into construction
• 4:19
  boards that sustain our recycling operations.
• 4:23
  Right. Being circular by design means building
• 4:27
  infrastructure that lasts well beyond the first
• 4:30
  cleanup. Finally, looking at resource security,
• 4:34
  Stefano Castoldi, partner at EY, had a bold statement.
• 4:38
  Okay. He stated producing cleaner water at lower
• 4:42
  cost is no longer the finish line. Resilience
• 4:46
  is. Hmm. The next leap is systemic, integrating
• 4:50
  desalination with reuse, storage, renewable energy,
• 4:54
  and circular business models. The momentum for
• 4:58
  the 2026 summit is incredible. Incredibly clear.
• 5:01
  Yeah. Now, here's a question we'd like you to
• 5:05
  think about. Hmm. How can your own industry integrate
• 5:09
  these circular AI -driven business models to
• 5:12
  build long -term economic and environmental resilience?