The study, conducted by Dubai Carbon, aims to map the behavioural patterns in food waste and other precious resources in support of the Emirate’s transition to a sustainable society

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Continuing its efforts to boost sustainable living, Dubai Carbon has launched the emirate’s first social experiment focused on understanding lifestyle habits of the general public this Ramadan. The study will gather information needed to evaluate consumption patterns, resource efficiency and waste management.

The social experiment requires consumers to provide data on domestic waste one creates, as well as on transportation, electricity and water. According to Dubai Carbon, the ability to map individual behavioural patterns is key towards boosting efficient use of resources, and help in reducing carbon footprint. On the other hand, this data-centric approach is also expected to help in building a foundation for government policies, and drive change in the way people utilise resources in their day to day life. 

“We believe giving knowledge is the best way to celebrate the spirit of Ramadan, as lifestyle habits are drastically affected during this season. It is a sad truth that food wastage goes up to 2.7 Kg from 1.8kg per person, per day during the holy month. This is a significant increase, and should be addressed the right way. We believe, this social experiment will help us in understanding different trends in the emirate, especially given the diversity of the people living here,” says Ivano Iannelli, CEO, Dubai Carbon.

Commenting on the importance of the experiment, he said, “Engaging the general population, in tracking their consumption patterns, is not only a great tool to educate and seed the idea of changing their daily habits to being more energy efficient and reducing their waste, but ensure that there are financial benefits for each individual or family in doing so. In addition to the general public, the business leaders and stakeholders of Dubai Carbon have also been involved in the experiment.”

Stefanie Schachtsachbel, Owner & Founder, City Film, which has recently partnered with Dubai Carbon on a new magazine that discusses the business side of sustainability, commented, “A study like this can play a part in self-realisation among people about their habits that damage the environment, and create awareness about climate change. I believe this will also motivate them to act in responsible ways.”

Furthermore, Ivano Iannelli noted that most households leave the cleaning and disposal of waste to their domestic staff. “It is important for everyone to participate as it provides an immediate snapshot of their best practices in waste and recycling. Only once we have identified patterns that meet our statistical analysis we will be able to design the programme and incentives to support individual households with their pursuit of efficiency and facilitate the move towards a more circular economy.”