Emirates Environmental Group highlights innovative strategies for decarbonising packaging in the Gulf region

Emirates Environmental Group recently held its second panel discussion of 2026, and this time, the spotlight was on packaging emissions. They really wanted to look at it not just as a niche sustainability issue, but as a real, practical challenge for climate action.

The event took place in Dubai, with a title that was quite comprehensive: “Decarbonising Packaging: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Carbon Footprint, Innovation and Climate-Neutral Strategies.” A pretty mouthful, I know, but it covered a lot. It gathered a mix of policymakers, corporate sustainability leaders, academics, and even some young participants to talk about how packaging can be redesigned to cut emissions across entire supply chains. According to the group’s summary, the main focus was on how important packaging has become within Scope 3 emissions , especially for manufacturing, retail, and consumer goods companies.

This shift reflects a broader change in climate strategies. As more companies feel the pressure to measure and reduce their indirect emissions, packaging isn’t just a boring operational detail anymore. It’s transforming into a reporting challenge , and with it, real carbon impacts. The panelists dove into how thinking about the entire life cycle of packaging can help identify where emissions are highest , whether that’s during raw material extraction, processing, use, recovery, or disposal. Honestly, that kind of big-picture approach seems pretty handy.

Dr. Habiba Al Mar’ashi, who’s both co-founder and chairperson of Emirates Environmental Group, kicked things off by emphasizing that packaging should be viewed as part of the global supply chain responsibility, rather than just a functional container. She pointed out that assessing its full life cycle and footprint are key to spotting emission hotspots, improving how resources are used, and making claims about being climate-neutral more trustworthy. She also highlighted how important innovation, digital tools, supportive policies, and cross-sector cooperation are if we want to make packaging systems more resilient and environmentally friendly.

The panel featured some notable voices too: Ms. Jamila El Mir from Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority; Dr. Nika Salvetti from Heriot-Watt University Dubai; Omar Jaber of CANPACK Middle East and North Africa; and Deepak Chavan from Napco National. They explored everything from technical design and regulations to market expectations and the harsh realities of decarbonizing a high-volume material stream.

A key point that kept coming up was the value of structured assessments based on Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). Instead of making vague sustainability claims, the panelists talked about how data can actually guide better material choices, improve transparency, and help companies see which design tweaks will truly cut emissions. This is particularly important in the Gulf region, where packaging volumes are closely tied to fast-moving consumer markets and a rapidly expanding logistics sector.

The discussion also turned to innovation, especially in materials science, circular design, recycling infrastructure, and digital tracking. They identified advanced carbon accounting systems and supply chain traceability tools as crucial enablers , especially for companies that need to document progress and show it in ways that can be audited and compared across different markets.

But, here’s the thing, they also made it clear that technology alone won’t do the trick. There’s a need for better waste management systems, more recycling capacity, harmonized standards, and supportive policies. Extended Producer Responsibility, for example, was highlighted as one such policy tool. The core message seemed to be that decarbonizing packaging isn’t just about creating better products; it’s also about having the systems in place to collect, sort, and recover packaging efficiently.

This is increasingly relevant for the UAE and the wider Gulf Cooperation Council region. Circular economy policies are gaining ground, and packaging sits right at the intersection of waste reduction, materials efficiency, and brand claims to consumers. The panel made it clear , just claiming a product is climate-neutral isn’t enough anymore. It has to be backed by real, measurable reductions, transparent reporting, and alignment with international standards.

The session wrapped up with a Q&A on how doable it actually is to implement these changes, what kind of regulatory frameworks are needed, and how quickly businesses can shift to climate-neutral packaging. There’s an ongoing concern: companies are willing to innovate; the real sticking point is whether infrastructure, standards, and across-the-board collaboration can keep pace.

In her closing remarks, Dr. Al Mar’ashi underscored that decarbonizing packaging is a fundamental part of climate action and sustainable production. She pointed out that applying lifecycle assessment, boosting innovation, and fostering cooperation across the value chain are all essential if packaging is to genuinely support emissions reductions and environmental resilience. EEG remains dedicated to promoting informed conversations and practical pathways toward climate-neutral strategies.

They also mentioned that this panel is part of a broader series planned for 2026. Earlier this year, in January, they held a session focused on scaling up renewables, integrating clean energy sources, and ensuring grid stability. That earlier event followed a similar pattern: bringing together industry, policymakers, and academia to focus on practical implementation rather than just aspirational goals.

The recent session was supported mainly by McDonald’s UAE, which EEG described as its main sponsor, and was hosted at the Holiday Inn & Suites Dubai Science Park. They also acknowledged support from the Emirates Green Building Council, the Clean Energy Business Council, the Swiss Business Council, Capital Club Dubai, and the Arabia CSR Network.

For those involved in climate tech and sustainability in the UAE, what stands out is how much the discussion emphasizes measurement, design, and systemic change. Decarbonizing packaging isn’t just about switching materials , it’s about the data, recycling capacity, producer accountability, and commercial incentives that make lower-carbon choices feasible and scalable.

The panel suggested that the next steps in packaging reform in the region will depend heavily on how quickly these various pieces , policy, technology, industry cooperation , can be aligned and made to work together.