Promoting sustainability and circular economy initiatives tops the agenda of the “Proper 2025” exhibition in Dubai

The activities of the “Propeper 2025” exhibition, the leading regional exhibition for the paper industry between companies, were launched today in Dubai. The exhibition, which will be held from October 13 to 15, 2025, focuses on promoting sustainability and circular economy initiatives in the paper industry, with the aim of reducing the carbon footprint, with a number of the most prominent companies in the region investing large sums in recycling projects.

“We are seeing a steady rise in the number of paper mills investing in renewable energy sources and waste recycling to reduce climate impacts in the region,” said Gene Joshua, CEO of Fairfire, which organizes the exhibition. As indicated by the increase in the number of material recovery facilities (MRFs) Small businesses for sorting and processing to feed paper mills indicate the seriousness with which companies are dealing with this transformation.

He pointed out that paper mills in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, especially in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman, are at the forefront of these initiatives, as total investments in the field of recycling and paper innovation in the region are estimated at about $200 million, most of which are concentrated in the Gulf countries.

The most prominent of these investments is $54 million from Star Paper Mills in the UAE. and $5.5 million from Kimfi East Africa. And $2.5 million from a joint venture between Tetra Pak and Union to manufacture paper in Egypt. And $40 million from Kiryas Paper Company in Oman. And large investments from the Middle East Paper Company (MEPCO) in Saudi Arabia.

In addition, Al Ghurair Foods, one of the Al Ghurair Group companies, announced today that it is targeting a phased completion of the completion of its new cornstarch factory, the first of its kind in the country, located in the Khalifa Economic Zones in Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), during the first quarter of 2026, as a spokesman for Al Ghurair Foods stated that the civil, mechanical and electrical construction work for the main building of the factory has been almost completed. complete.

This announcement was made during the opening of the Propeper 2025 exhibition. Hamad Al Ghurair, Vice President of Al Ghurair Foods, said: “The processing equipment is currently being installed, and we expect to complete the project in phases during the first quarter of 2026, provided that we launch our main product during that period, followed by launching additional products in later stages.”

He added that the paper industry, despite being one of several downstream sectors that use cornstarch, including the food, pharmaceutical, textile and chemical industries, plays a strategic role thanks to the use of starch in paper manufacturing, packaging and surface treatment, adding that this highlights the importance of cornstarch in strengthening regional industrial supply chains and improving product performance across key manufacturing sectors.

The UAE imports an estimated $20 million worth of cornstarch annually, and Hamad Al Ghurair expressed his confidence in the new company’s ability to replace most of the current imports with local production, making the UAE a competitive and reliable center for starch production. The project is being built on an area of ​​13.6 hectares in Kizad.

He continued, saying: “We will focus mainly on the UAE market and the neighboring Gulf Cooperation Council countries, while studying expansion opportunities in South Asia and some African markets.” He explained that the cornstarch market in the Middle East and Africa region reached about 1.3 billion US dollars in 2024, while the UAE’s share alone reached about 30 million dollars.