ADCOOPS Group aims to reduce its waste by 20% by 2017

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: November 18th, 2015

Unilever, one of the world's leading FMCG companies and manufacturer of iconic brands such as Lipton and Lifebuoy, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Abu Dhabi Co-operative Society, one of the leading retail chains in the UAE, which also owns and operates the SPAR International franchise in the MENA region, to work closely on strengthening the Co-operative's Sustainability Agenda'.

The Abu Dhabi Co-operative Society Group has committed to reducing, reusing and recycling its waste by 20% by 2017, following Tadweer's Waste Management strategy that is in line with the core objectives set by the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030.

The MoU was signed by Mr. Afsal Hamza on behalf of Mr. Ibrahim Abdulla Al Bahar, CEO of Abu Dhabi Co-operative Society and Gaurav Rustagi, Unilever's Director for the UAE and Oman. The MoU entails developing sustainability projects which mainly targets waste production and disposal in the Co-operative's various sites as well as controlling water and energy consumption. The MoU also outlines the implementation of employees' engagement programs and consumer awareness campaigns.

"Making a positive change to the community has been an integral part of Unilever's DNA since its inception. And when it comes to environmental sustainability, we have been at the forefront in implementing different initiatives that allow us to achieve our vision - doubling the size of the business whilst reducing our environmental footprint. By end 2014, we have achieved the "zero waste to landfill" status in all of our factories around the world. Therefore it thrills us to see that a major retailer such as Abu Dhabi Co-operative society has jump on the sustainability bandwagon and is contributing to the national agenda," said Gaurav Rustagi, Unilever's Director for the UAE and Oman.

Abu Dhabi Co-operative Society has been driving the sustainability agenda within the retail sector by being the first major retailer in the UAE to implement the usage of hundred percent Biodegradable shopping bags.

"Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society has always been the pioneer by constantly initiating change in the region - by way of its vision, policy and operations. Being the responsible corporate enterprise, ADCOOPS has developed several strategies to "give back to the community" and minimize its carbon footprint. The MoU with Unilever reaffirms the close working relationship to mutually achieve the targeted sustainability goals within the ideal time frame," said Afsal Hamza.

Unilever Gulf has been actively partnering up with retailers across the region to act as a consultant and assist them to reduce their waste, energy and water consumption in their operations and with their consumers.

-Ends-

For media questions, please contact:
Shatha Alkhatib
Corporate Communications, Unilever Gulf
Shatha.alkhatib@unilever.com  
+971562168776

Emad Al Kareem
PR, Media & Events Coordinator, Abu Dhabi Co-operative Society
etaha@adcoops.com
+971 2 6440808

About Unilever:
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. It has more than 172,000 employees and generated sales of €48.4 billion in 2014. Over half of the company's footprint is in developing and emerging markets (57% in 2014). With more than 400 brands found in homes across the world, its portfolio includes Omo, Dove, Knorr, Domestos, Lifebuoy, Lipton, Sunsilk, Signal, Magnum and Axe.

Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) aims to double the size of the business whilst reducing environmental footprint and increasing positive social impact. Its three goals are:

·          Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being

·          Decoupling their growth from their environmental impact

·          Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020

Unilever was ranked number one in its sector in the 2014 Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In the FTSE4Good Index Series, it attained a top environmental score of 5. It led the list of Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders in the GlobeScan/SustainAbility annual survey for the fourth year running, and in 2015 was ranked the most sustainable food and beverage company in Oxfam's Behind the Brands Scorecard.

Unilever has been named in LinkedIn's Top 3 most sought-after employers across all sectors. For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com. For more information on the USLP: www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/

About Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society:
In the year 1981 a group of ambitious technocrats and seven committed professionals put together Abu Dhabi's first supermarket and little did they know that they had just witnessed the birth of the state's retailing revolution. With the blessings and eminent guidance of the then ruler, the late H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, sound and seasoned promoters, excellent business partners and some of the industry's best talents, Abu Dhabi Co-operative Society today is the premier retail organization in the region having 28 state of the art retail venues spanning over more than 500,000sq m., over 100,000 customers every single day and 2200 qualified and trained professionals from over 56 countries.

With core interest in the retail industry, Abu Dhabi Coop is primarily in the business of Hypermarkets, Supermarkets, Shopping malls, convenient stores, retail property Management, real estate & investment.  As a joint stock holding company, Abu Dhabi Coop is parented by the Consumer Cooperative Union, an organization under the Ruler's decree & governed by the Ministry of Labour & Social Affairs.

Coop Hypermarkets & Supermarkets:
The group's flagship, Coop Supermarkets & Hypermarkets span across the length & breadth of the Capital. Almost a way of life for over 1,000,000 residents of the capital, Coop enjoyed the position of market leader from the very first year of its operations.  Featuring sleek & inviting store formats with international product range, Coop caters across all demographics & is patronized by the masses.  Ranging from fresh produce to packaged, branded, consumer goods, in-house mechanized baking systems, electrical & household appliances, electronics, digital home entertainment & IT Solutions & much more, Coop's product range promises to be a true delight for its cosmopolitan customer base. Under the brand name "COOP", we currently operates 10 stores and 2 stores will be added soon to its portfolio.

Megamart Hypermarkets & Supermarkets:
Megamart hypermarkets & supermarkets are Abu Dhabi Co-op's brand outside Abu Dhabi's Main Island, currently operating total 6 stores in the Emirates of Dubai & Sharjah and in Al Ain.

SPAR Hypermarkets & Supermarkets:
In accordance with its ambitious growth plan to extend its reach to the entire countryside and also to the emerging economies in the neighboring countries, Abu Dhabi Coop joint hands with the world largest food retail chain - SPAR.  Abu Dhabi Co-op has the master franchisee rights of SPAR branded stores for the entire GCC Countries.  Currently there are 12 SPAR stores operating in UAE and 9 stores in the pipeline.

SPAR is the world's largest food store retailer - the worldwide SPAR organization comprises over 13,500 stores in 38 countries, across 4 continents and meets the needs of over 11 million consumers every day. SPAR was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, and has grown to be the largest voluntary retail chain worldwide. SPAR has members in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, India, Japan, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Lebanon, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Retail Property Management:
As a thoroughbred retailing organization, Abu Dhabi Co-op specializes in retail management, pioneering the Emirate's first shopping mall in 1984.  Ranging from neighborhood community shopping centers to large format shopping malls, Abu Dhabi Co-op currently owns and manages 6 retail properties, which all are popular shopping destinations among Abu Dhabi residents.

© Press Release 2015