The Egyptian Minister of Environment, Dr. Yasmine Fouad and Major General Sherif Fahmy, Governor of Ismailia, held an inspection tour of the factory of Zero Carbon Company - a company specialized in providing waste management solutions, in Ismailia Governorate, in the presence of Engineer Karim Al-Sabaa, CEO of the company, along with a wide range of personalities and parties concerned with the file of waste management in the market. Egyptian.

Zero Carbon Company owns two main factories in Ismailia and Port Said governorates, with capacity to recycle 1.9 million tons of municipal solid waste since the beginning of its activity in 2015, with 928 thousand tons in Ismailia and about 1.05 million tons in Port Said.

For her part, Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, affirmed the Ministry’s constant keenness to continue the efforts made in cooperation with the private sector to implement the directives of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to activate the new system for managing municipal solid waste, in light of the importance that the state attaches to improving environmental conditions and reducing carbon emissions, because of these paths. It is of great importance to achieving the sustainable development plan and Egypt’s Vision 2030.

She indicated that the government pays great attention to continuing and enhancing partnership opportunities with the private sector to expand waste management projects, pointing to the importance of the project in light of its positive contribution to municipal waste recycling processes, producing alternative fuels, and reducing carbon pollution within Ismailia Governorate.

Dr. Yasmine Fouad also stressed that providing economic opportunities for women is the most appropriate way to empower them in the field of the environment and confront the effects of climate change, by enhancing their role in reducing emissions, recycling waste, and producing environmental products with economic returns. During the meeting, the Minister of Environment talked about the importance of organic fertilizers and the necessity of spreading the culture of Interest in everything organic, pointing to the Environmental and Climate Investment Conference, which presented a bio-economy strategy for growing plants with a high investment return, such as growing jojoba.

The Minister pointed out the possibility of joining the project that will be presented soon during the investment conference in cooperation with the European Union, as an economic feasibility study for it has already been prepared. The Minister enjoyed the challenges facing the project with regard to benefiting from alternative fuels in generating energy in the cement factory, and the extent to which the price is compatible with The production process, as well as the challenges facing the production of organic fertilizers from agricultural residues.

The Minister of Environment also appreciated the activities of Zero Carbon Company due to its positive contribution to the processes of recycling municipal waste, producing alternative fuels, and reducing emissions within Ismailia Governorate, noting the Ministry’s keenness to continue the efforts made in cooperation with the concerned authorities to implement the directives of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of Egypt, to activate the new system for managing Municipal solid waste, in light of the importance that the state attaches to improving environmental conditions and reducing pollution rates, as well as the positive repercussions of this on the sustainable development plan and Egypt’s Vision 2030, pointing to the importance of these projects, which aim to establish a national waste management industry, provide new job opportunities and support The private sector and its involvement in the waste management system to expand waste management projects, in order to achieve the highest sustainable environmental and economic return, which contributes to the implementation of integrated management of municipal solid waste.

For his part, Major General Sherif Fahmy, Governor of Ismailia, indicated that there is a main trend in the governorate, which is to work to preserve the environment and safely dispose of waste accumulations in a way that does not affect the public health of citizens, through activating the integrated management system for municipal solid waste, which is based One of its axes is to develop the infrastructure of the recycling and treatment system by involving the private sector in the system.

He added that the state seeks to enhance the participation of the private sector in the process of integrated management of the solid waste system and to contract with private sector companies with extensive experience in this field to provide the capabilities and modern technical methods necessary in all stages of the system, including collecting, transporting and recycling waste and disposing of it in safe and controlled sanitary landfills.

Fahmy continued that the experience of the “Zero Carbon” company within the Ismailia Governorate is a model that must be emulated in the path of partnership and cooperation between the government and the private sector, to expand projects to support the transition towards green and reduce carbon emissions, stressing the governorate’s aspiration to launch more waste recycling initiatives and projects and using them as clean sources. Alternative energy, especially in various industrial projects.

He added that there must be a societal responsibility from everyone to preserve the environment and reduce emissions, in addition to the role of the state, represented by the Ministry of Environment and the executive agencies in the governorates.

Engineer Karim Al Sabaa, CEO of Zero Carbon, expressed his pride in the role that his company plays in supporting the country’s efforts towards achieving sustainability and reducing carbon emissions, in addition to working to continue expansion and growth, creating more new job opportunities and empowering women, saying, “We are proud of the contributions Women have been a key partner in achieving the company’s aspirations and vision since its founding in 2015, as the company has firm convictions in the importance of gender equality as a major driver of innovation and success.” Al-Sabaa added that the company has been able, over the past years, to be at the forefront of distinguished companies in projects to produce alternative fuels used in the cement industry as an alternative to coal, and is also working to develop its organic fertilizer product to be used as an alternative to chemical fertilizers in agriculture.

Al-Sabaa continued that the company’s projects contributed to reducing air pollution from carbon emissions in both governorates by the equivalent of 110,000 tons of carbon annually, supporting the rights of about 3 million citizens to live in a healthy, low-carbon environment, as well as improving environmental conditions for more than 10,000 citizens and farmers in The areas surrounding the company’s factories in Ismailia and avoiding throwing waste into water drains such as Lake Manzala in Port Said.

Al-Sabaa continued that the company's business volume in the Egyptian market amounts to about 100 million pounds, noting that the company is looking forward to continuing expansion by pumping new investments worth up to about 500 million pounds during the next year 2025 by establishing new projects in many governorates of the Republic.

The activities of the tour included an inspection by the Minister of Environment, Dr. Yasmine Fouad, and the Governor of Ismailia, Major General Sherif Fahmy, for details of the women’s empowerment initiative launched by Zero Carbon for its female employees, in light of the company’s strategy aimed at supporting the state’s efforts for sustainable development and creating female cadres capable of contributing positively to Development of the Egyptian economy.

The project includes providing the latest educational and rehabilitation programs for female models with the aim of raising their operational capabilities in recycling textile waste and manufacturing high-value products from them, so that the final products are displayed to the consuming public, with the female cadres benefiting from the proceeds of the project.

It is divided into 3 main stages, where the first stage of the project includes starting to raise the capabilities and qualification of about 12 women in the factory according to the latest international training programs in the field of handloom craft, while the second stage, which is scheduled to be launched during the coming period, includes increasing the number of female models and repeating the experience in Port Said Governorate, in order to In preparation for reaching the third phase, which will include expansion of the project in all governorates of Egypt.

Al-Sabaa explained that the Egyptian market possesses all the elements that qualify it to attract the movement of international and local capital into waste recycling and treatment projects, as estimates indicate that the total volume of waste produced by the country annually reaches about 22 million tons of solid municipal waste, industrial waste, agricultural waste, and construction waste. And demolition, in line with the company’s vision of discovering innovative treatment methods for various types of waste, which is what “Zero Carbon” have achieved today by treating both solid municipal waste and producing alternative fuel for heavy industries and organic fertilizer for many farms, non-hazardous industrial waste and producing fashion accessories. And household and agricultural waste by producing biofuel, in addition to starting the first project of its size to recycle demolition, construction and tooth production waste.

It is also estimated that the current growth in recycling rates will contribute to the creation of approximately 3.2 million jobs by 2030, amid expectations that the size of the waste recycling services market around the world will reach $91.37 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate of 4.7%. During the expected period from 2023 to 2032.

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