News

This partnership will help address the global plastics waste problem

DGrade was established by Kris Barber in 2010 to address the vast amount of plastic water bottles being produced in the UAE. The company converts ...

DGrade announced as a finalist for the Gulf Sustaibility Awards Best Sustainability Education or Awareness Programme...

Star International School Mirdif recently took part in the “Simply Bottles” plastic bottle recycling campaign, where ten different schools participated and helped in recycling over 150,000 bottles within just six weeks. The school was particularly proud to be ranked the third position in the recycling competition which further reinforced its commitment to instill the values of environment sustainability within children from a young age.

Over the last decade Yas Marina Circuit has implemented a number of initiatives to improve the sustainability of its venue and events. In 2019 Yas Marina Circuit began working with DGrade to find a sustainable solution for plastic water bottles and cups used during the Formula 1 event. The key goal was to maximize the recovery of PET plastic and close the loop by recycling the plastic into staff uniforms.

DGrade worked with Yas Marina Circuit to identify the most efficient strategy for the collections including placement of bins, recycling display, training facilities management teams, and logistics. DGrade managed the full recovery process and audited the plastic collected.

Imagine recycling thousands of plastic bottles and producing clothes out of it.

Dubai-based DGrade recycles plastic bottles into high-quality sustainable clothing by way of its Greenspun technology

With its state-of-the-art infrastructure, environment-friendly laboratories, and a solar-powered community park with green spaces nearing completion, Dubai Science Park is a district focused on healthcare, energy and the environment.

Its Greenspun technology uses a process whereby plastic bottles are washed, shredded, melted into fibre and then spun into its trademarked Greenspun yarn

Dubai firm turns plastic bottles into T-shirts and face masks

Mai Dubai announced that it has partnered with DGrade to support its ‘Simply Bottles’ recycling initiative for schools. The initiative has been designed to educate, engage and empower children to contribute to sustainability by increasing recovery and recycling rates of plastic bottles in the UAE.

1. Tell us about yourself and what brought you to the UAE.

I moved to the Middle East 10 years ago to take a position as a Director for leading retail fashion brands including Reiss, Lipsy, Koton and New Look. I do love the fashion industry, but the more I learned about the environmental impact of the industry the more I wanted move to a position where I could do something about it. Over consumption and many of the current manufacturing methods are unsustainable.

DGrade has announced the launch of the new Greenspun® Face Mask made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. The Dubai based company known for recycling plastic bottles into clothing and accessories developed the reusable fabric face mask to help reduce PPE waste and divert plastic from landfill.

There is no doubt that consumers are becoming more aware about sustainability and recycling, and the good news is that brands are responding with an increasing number of products that tick those boxes.

Each UAE resident throws away some 450 plastic bottles per year, according to waste management industry estimates. A simple calculation based on the most recent data (2011) puts the country’s aggregate annual waste at 4.3 billion bottles, with only a fraction of those recycled. The rest goes to landfills, where it takes anywhere from 450 to 1,000 years to decompose. UAE-based DGrade is doing its bit for the environment by turning discarded plastic bottles into activewear, caps, bags and even reusable coffee cups. 

DGrade announces its first collection of Official Expo 2020 Dubai apparel and headwear made from recycled plastic bottles is now available to purchase. Featuring the logo of what will be the largest event ever to be staged in the Arab world, all products are made from plastic water bottles, thus preventing the plastic from going to landfill.

Sustainable fashion is possible. It only has to start with being conscious of waste segregation, more of the walk-the-talk on collaborative efforts between and among individuals, and political will.

 The UAE has one of the highest consumption rates of bottled water in the world, standing at 450 billion bottles per year. That’s a lot in comparison to the world where people are moving to reusable bottles and cups. 

DUBAI: A growing number of UAE companies are integrating sustainable innovation into their business models and reaping the benefits as they enhance their competitiveness, industry experts explained during the Dubai Dialogue 2019 which took place in the emirate earlier today.

A Dubai concert is promising to Rock the World but not the planet. Still, the show is being powered by a controversial fuel that some say isn’t so green.

ABU DHABI, 18th September 2019 (WAM) - Zayed Higher Organisation for People of Determination signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding with Abu Dhabi General Services Company, Musanada, and the Abu Dhabi Center for Waste Management, Tadweer, concerning a cooperative mechanism to achieve vocational and operational rehabilitation of people of determination within the National Empowerment Policy.

When it comes to rock concerts, we’re always onboard. And knowing that it isn’t harming the environment in any way only makes us want to rock out even harder.

Dubai is set to host the first fully sustainable rock concert. We'll speak to 
the man behind it. Karl Feilder is the Chairman & CEO of The Neutral Group.

As the United Arab Emirates grapples with growing plastic pollution from its rapidly-rising population, two local companies say they can help tackle the crisis.....Another local company, DGrade, is the first in the region to manufacture clothing from recycled plastic. DGrade shreds discarded plastic bottles and turns them into yarn to make high-quality polyester fabrics or blends. 

A central mission of Expo 2020 is the stimulation of innovation and entrepreneurship capable of driving economic diversification and sustainable development. The encouragement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) has consequently emerged as a natural evolution of the exposition’s tenets.....One example is DGrade....

Yas, plastic can be made into T-shirts. Who knew?!

Regardless of whether you may or may not have heard of clothing manufacturer DGrade, you will be surprised by the things they do.

Plastic can actually be good

I love plastic. Don’t hate me for that. And here’s my second confession: I’ve just got myself a “quick dri” t-shirt that’s made of 10 recycled PET (plastic) bottles, a cap for my son made from six recycled bottles and a cloth bag that was made out of anything between 10 to 40 recycled plastic water bottles. Did I hear you say plastic is bad for our oceans and deserts? That we should stop using it completely? Contrary to popular belief, plastic has a low carbon foot print, it is safe and hygienic and it is meant to be recycled, and not dumped. And that’s why we need to stop trashing it around and instead, recycle and reuse it in the form of garments and accessories, just like I did.

Kris Barber, CEO of DGrade and a speaker at PlastiCon, answers questions about a new PET bottle collection initiative in the UAE. The UK/UAE company is one of the new success stories in the GCC region