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Saudi Arabia Plans to Recycle, Export PET Flakes

SIRC announced earlier this week that it has exported its first recycled and heat-washed PET flakes to a major UK recycled PET bottle manufacturer. (The company’s website)
SIRC announced earlier this week that it has exported its first recycled and heat-washed PET flakes to a major UK recycled PET bottle manufacturer. (The company’s website)
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Saudi Arabia Plans to Recycle, Export PET Flakes

SIRC announced earlier this week that it has exported its first recycled and heat-washed PET flakes to a major UK recycled PET bottle manufacturer. (The company’s website)
SIRC announced earlier this week that it has exported its first recycled and heat-washed PET flakes to a major UK recycled PET bottle manufacturer. (The company’s website)

Saudi Arabia is accelerating its efforts to enhance the recycling and export of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) chips, with the aim to achieve environmental value, attract the European market, empower local industries, and promote a more sustainable future.

The Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC), wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund, announced earlier this week that it has exported its first recycled and heat-washed PET flakes to a major UK recycled PET bottle manufacturer, following its successful entry into the European market with shipments to Spain, raising exports to over 1,650 tons.

The PET flakes are produced through SIRC’s joint venture project under YADOUM, MASAB.

In a statement, SIRC said that its export of recycled PET flakes to the UK marks a significant step for YADOUM to enter the British market, a region with tremendous potential for importing recyclable materials.

Member of the Saudi Shura Council Fadel bin Saad Al-Buainain told Asharq Al-Awsat that waste recycling is one of the promising sectors that will contribute to achieving economic diversification and the sustainability of the circular economy.

“Exporting waste brings multiple gains to the Kingdom, including eliminating hazardous waste, strengthening the circular economy system, linking the local recycling system to global markets, and engaging into important and diverse partnerships... within qualitative global trade,” he stated.

According to Al-Buainain, YADOUM’S entry into the British market, which has enormous potential for importing recyclable materials, opens the door wide to broader and more comprehensive export operations, which in turn contribute to the disposal of waste and making use of it economically.

He added that Germany, Austria, South Korea, Wales and Switzerland are among the most advanced countries in the waste recycling industry, underlining the need to benefit from global experiences in legislation, regulations, investment and waste management.

For his part, Professor of Economics at Qassim University Dr. Ibrahim Al-Omar stressed that the recycling industry is considered one of the promising sectors, whether in terms of logistical support, or with regards to direct financial support and concessional financing from government funds.

Waste recycling achieves several benefits, including enhancing environmental sustainability, mitigating the effects of pollution resulting from the disposal of industrial and biological waste, preserving natural resources, protecting biodiversity, and improving the quality of life through environmental awareness and a suitable environment.

Al-Omar continued that investing in this sector stimulates innovation and technology, encourages research and development, and promotes green industries, which are an essential part of sustainable development.

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Saudi Arabia Makes History with Adoption of Riyadh Treaty on Design Law

Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Makes History with Adoption of Riyadh Treaty on Design Law

Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia has made history by uniting the 193 member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to adopt the Riyadh Treaty on Design Law. This landmark achievement, realized after two decades of deliberation, underscores the Kingdom’s leadership in enhancing the global intellectual property system.

The announcement came at the conclusion of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty, a rare event for WIPO, which has not held a diplomatic conference outside Geneva for more than a decade. It was also the first such event hosted in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, representing the final stage of negotiations to establish an agreement aimed at simplifying and standardizing design protection procedures across member states.

Over the past two weeks, intensive discussions and negotiations among member states culminated in the adoption of the Riyadh Treaty, which commits signatory nations to a unified set of requirements for registering designs, ensuring consistent and streamlined procedures worldwide. The agreement is expected to have a significant positive impact on designers, enabling them to protect their creations more effectively and uniformly across international markets.

At a press conference held on Friday to mark the event’s conclusion, CEO of the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem highlighted the economic potential of the new protocol.

Responding to a question from Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Suwailem noted the substantial contributions of young Saudi men and women in creative design. He explained that the agreement will enable their designs to be formally protected, allowing them to enter markets as valuable, tradable assets.

He also emphasized the symbolic importance of naming the convention the Riyadh Treaty, stating that it reflects Saudi Arabia’s growing influence as a bridge between cultures and a global center for innovative initiatives.

The treaty lays critical legal foundations to support designers and drive innovation worldwide, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s vision of promoting international collaboration in the creative industries and underscoring its leadership in building a sustainable future for innovators.

The agreement also advances global efforts to enhance creativity, protect intellectual property, and stimulate innovation on a broader scale.

This achievement further strengthens Saudi Arabia’s position as a global hub for groundbreaking initiatives, demonstrating its commitment to nurturing creativity, safeguarding designers’ rights, and driving the development of creative industries on an international scale.

The Riyadh Diplomatic Conference, held from November 11 to 22, was hosted by the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property and attracted high-ranking officials and decision-makers from WIPO member states.