Dubai-headquartered Neutral Fuels, a company that collects waste cooking oil and transforms it into biofuel, has recently partnered with Fairmont Dubai Sheikh Zayed Road on the hotel’s latest sustainability initiative.
Accordingly, Neutral Fuels will collect used cooking oil from the hotel and locally refine it into clean, renewable energy. The hotel will therefore not only minimise waste, but also further its green credentials.
Neutral Fuels, which has operations in countries including Bahrain, Singapore and South Africa, besides the UAE, says that it is the largest producer of biofuel in the Gulf region.
It added that from its inception in 2011 until Q2 2023, Neutral Fuels has directly been involved in a reduction of more than 54 million kgCO₂e for customers, including restaurant chains, truck and bus transportation fleets, hotels, the construction industry, the oil and gas industries, and maritime shipping.
The latest partnership with Fairmont, a 394-key property that recently completed an extensive renovation project, is expected to significantly reduce the hotel’s overall environmental impact.
“Improper disposal of used cooking oil (UCO) can have detrimental effects on both the environment and the economy. Through their partnership with Neutral Fuels, Fairmont Dubai Sheikh Zayed Road is taking a responsible and sustainable approach to the disposal of their waste oil, which will be collected and locally refined into biodiesel. The biodiesel will be used as a direct replacement for diesel, powering buses, trucks, and generators across the UAE. Their support for the UAE’s circular economy policy and carbon reduction initiatives mean that they are playing a crucial role in transitioning towards a net zero future,” said Charles Gardner, chief operating officer of Neutral Fuels.
Apart from its partnership with Neutral Fuels, Fairmont Dubai Sheikh Zayed Road has also implemented tools and initiatives to manage its resources and reduce emissions. One such tool is Gaia, a reporting platform for food waste and plastic management. Through Gaia, it can document its initiatives, ensuring compliance with sustainable actions and encourage accountability. The hotel obtains precise data to set relevant targets and ensure accurate follow-up on its sustainability goals.
The hotel has undertaken significant measures to reduce single-use plastic, including the introduction of sustainable and refillable toiletries dispensers in guest rooms and public areas. It has also replaced plastic amenities with eco-friendly alternatives, such as wooden dental kits and shaving kits and transitioned from plastic packaging to eco-friendly cloth materials for various items too.
The property has also embraced replaced conventional bulbs with LED lighting throughout the premises and installed aerators in all water taps to reduce water wastage.
Dubai’s Carbon Calculator to now track real-time emissions of hotels
Earlier this year, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) relaunched its Carbon Calculator tool to measure the carbon footprint within Dubai’s hospitality sector. The tool was revamped to track real-time data for carbon emission sources, allowing hotels to identify and manage their energy consumption. Every month, hotels are mandated to submit their consumption of nine carbon emission sources: electricity, water, district cooling, liquefied petroleum gas, landfill waste, recycled waste, petrol, diesel and refrigerants.
