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What does averda do?
We are an environmental services company specialized in the cleaning, collection, recovery and disposal of waste. In short, we aim to solve environmental problems intelligently and efficiently.

Who are averda´s clients?
We serve municipalities, public organizations, commercial enterprises and the industrial sector, both state-run and private, as well as residential communities.

Where does the company currently have presence?
Our operations extend to the Lebanon, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

What is averda´s long-term strategy?
Our goal is to become the MENA´s leading environmental services company in both the public and private sectors.
We´ll realize this goal through our commitment to these strategies:

• Innovation through R&D
• Organic growth
• Company acquisitions and partnerships
• Investment in new technology

Describe the employee hierarchy from top management to the lowest level.
The company has a Board of Directors, which is the highest governing authority within the management structure. The company is run by the Chief Executive Officer with the support of the Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Managing Directors of our different operations. Then there are levels of middle and lower management in addition to other specialists, drivers and the labourers who are the pillars of the company.

What is your status at large in the community?
We have been regionally and internationally acclaimed as a role model that upholds the highest standards in environmental services. We get involved with the community on many levels including our educational programme, averda Learn, which motivates students to care for the world around them and understand how their actions can influence the ecosystem they inhabit.

averda supports AFED´s Environment Conference on Climate Change

averda recently announced its support of AFED´s (Arab Forum for Environment and Development) Environment Conference scheduled for 19-20 November 2009 in Beirut, Lebanon.

We build strong ties with the communities we serve.

We regularly invite schools and university groups to our premises to show students the full scope of our activities, the benefits of recycling and how to preserve the environment.

To give something back to the communities we serve, we transform organic material into compost, an excellent soil enhancer, which we distribute to farmers at no cost.

Through averda Research our centre for environmental research and testing. We monitor this programme to maintain the quality of our compost as a natural fertilizer.

Additionally, we launched door-to-door collection of recyclable materials from many institutions, distributing free colour-coded bags and bins to enable separation at source.

There are many small steps we can all take to live more responsibly. Through promoting environmental awareness, waste reduction and recycling, we aspire to embed a new way of living in our communities.

We´re launching many new initiatives in the coming months. Please check back soon.

Every day, we come face to face with the impact of human activity on our ecosystem.

To improve our efficiency and reduce our own carbon footprint, we are committed to adopting industry best practices and technological innovations.

Our team of highly qualified engineers and specialists conducts all services in compliance with ISO standards, working around the clock to provide the level of service clients have enjoyed for almost two decades.

Our in-house R&D team, averda Research, provides technical, scientific, and analytical services, including laboratory analysis; research and development techniques; consultancy related to solid waste systems; waste by-products, water and wastewater; agriculture and other environmental issues.

All analyses are executed according to the laboratory Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Quality Assurance/Quality Control, and as per the ISO14001 Environmental Standards, best practices and governmental regulatory norms.

Our continuing success rests on the shoulders of our employees, truly our most valuable resource.

At averda, everyone has an equal opportunity to develop their skills and career. Moreover, we are committed to the well-being of our employees through our first-rate equipment and machinery, catering facilities and medical care.

Above all, we provide an environment where people can work with dignity and treat each other with respect.

Read what some of our employees have to say.

Let´s treat waste as a valuable ´resource´, says averda

Dubai, May 28, 2009 – A change in behaviour is essential to extending the life cycles of everyday products. averda, a regional full-service integrated waste management company, with a strong presence in Dubai educates communities to maximize these ´under-used resources´.

Keith Newman, averda´s Technical Director, speaking yesterday at the Middle East Waste Summit 2009 (Dubai Airport Expo Centre, May 26-28), emphasized the need to view society´s discards in a different light.

"The word ´waste´ conjures negatives—nasty, smelly, toxic, hazardous and useless," he says. "At averda, we look through the other end of the telescope. What most people refer to as ´waste´, we call a ´resource´."

Newman cites the book ´Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the way we make things work´ (2002) by German chemist Michael Braungart and US architect William McDonough as an inspiration for his philosophy at averda.

"Everything has an infinite life cycle. Societies with a linear resource pattern discard items at a particular stage. Yet that isn´t the death of the material.

"A ´cradle-to-cradle´ society looks to reinvest in items that have served their original purpose, giving them a useful afterlife and creating a virtuous circle of resources—as well as increased economic activity and environmental improvements.

"Waste is the only global resource that is not diminishing," he adds. "So it´s high time companies started competing for it."

averda does so through its waste-to-energy solutions. The company´s Centre for Environmental Research & Technology (CERT), where Mr Newman works , seeks ever greater efficiencies. But that´s only half the story.

"Almost all discards have the potential to be reused, recovered or recycled in some form or another. To these three Rs, we add a fourth: rethink.

"Since we all contribute to what we call waste, we´re all responsible for what happens when we´ve finished with it. At averda, we´re aiming to establish a new mindset throughout the Middle East with educational programmes that engage with communities and inspire fundamental change in people´s approach to what they discard or throw away."

Through its community activities, averda encourages people to change their regular habits to reduce the impact of waste. But what happens when irregular events overturn even the best intentions?

Walid Shaar, Deputy CEO and COO of averda, speaking today at the the Middle East Waste Summit 2009, highlighted the company´s experience with crisis management

"On July 12, 2006, war broke out in Lebanon," he says. "Within four days, 1500 Syrian workers had fled the country, with a further 500 Indians leaving just days later. Our warehouse stopped receiving bulky items and other municipal waste.

"The situation looked grim. Yet by July 20 we had recruited Lebanese labourers in an unheralded turn-around, while crisis management teams went into neighbourhoods to roll out a community volunteer programme.

"By July 22, we had emergency sites up and running and our labour force fully restored by July 27, two weeks before the ceasefire came into effect."

Mr Shaar attributes this ability to react quickly under the worst conditions to a combination of local knowledge and international best practices.

"We started as a local company in Lebanon," he says, "and we take that mindset into each new territory, learning about each community´s culture and its needs. When you combine this approach with our adherence to the strictest international standards," he concludes, "you have a powerful engine that drives us in any eventuality."

´averda´ announces acquisition of UAE-based GWC

Move part of the company’s expansion plan into the GCC market

7th October, 2009:´averda´, a leading environmental services company, has announced its expansion into the GCC market with its first acquisition in the United Arab Emirates. The acquisition of Al Ghadeer Waste Collections Company (GWC), a Sharjah-based waste management company, marks a significant step for the company in its plans to become the premier private environmental services provider in the MENA region.

Since 1968, ´averda´ has developed a strong reputation throughout Lebanon for its reliable and efficient operations. Now the company plans to expand its regional presence with its investment in countries such as Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Morocco and Algeria.

GWC provides municipal solid waste collection and transportation for the Sharjah Industrial Areas, free zones, airports, seaports and other public and private organizations. Founded in 2006, it has grown from a start-up to its current presence in Sharjah with a continuously growing workforce. Now one of the most respected solid waste management service suppliers in its areas of operations, GWC enjoys excellent relationships with its long list of customers both large and small. As a result of this acquisition, GWC can now tap into averda´s considerable environmental and technical know-how to further enhance its recovery practices.

´We´re delighted with GWC´s track record and it´s a very good fit for us,´ says ´averda´ CEO Malek Sukkar. ´Like ´averda´, GWC places as much emphasis on sorting and recovering recyclables as on waste collection and transportation. With this new addition to our family, ´averda´ is able to service the UAE market directly. Additionally, GWC´s location in Sharjah makes it an ideal foothold for averda´s regional expansion.´

Yet challenges lie ahead. He continues, ´Sharjah, like other areas in the region, faces growing waste volumes both residential and commercial. Recycling is still in its infancy, due to low incentives and a drop in the value of recyclables since late 2008. ´averda´ sees these areas as opportunities for substantial growth.´

´As GWC expands,´ continues Mr Sukkar, ´we will elevate its practices to averda´s corporate standards. To this end, we have already sourced and relocated some of averda´s best talent to GWC.´

Taking on the role of GWC´s Managing Director is Alan Thomson, an experienced general manager who moved to Dubai from Scotland where he was responsible for the waste management performance at BP/INEOS Grangemouth, the second largest refinery and petrochemicals complex in Europe.

´We´re planning to expand GWC´s service portfolio by introducing liquid waste collection, transportation and treatment,´ says Mr Thomson. ´We´re also looking at niche markets, such as electronic waste and clinical waste disposal.´

GWC may expand geographically, too. Its current sphere of operations covers all of Sharjah City with the exception of three eastern provinces.

´We recognize the need for innovative environmental solutions and see great potential across the region,’ says Mr Sukkar. ´averda started as a local company in Lebanon and we take that mindset into each new territory, learning about each community´s culture and its needs. When you combine this approach with our adherence to the strictest international standards,´ he concludes, ´you have a powerful engine that drives us in any eventuality.´

As ´averda´ seeks to spread its success in Lebanon across the MENA region, Malek Sukkar is clearly proud of how far ´averda´ has come and confident of the road ahead.

Beirut hosts business forum on practical green measures for challenging economic times

Workshop organized by AFED in partnership with UNEP and averda

Beirut, May 8, 2009 - A green economy initiative can help rescue the Arab region´s economy from the global downturn, a workshop held today in Beirut was told. Entitled ´Corporate Environmental Responsibility: Challenges and Opportunities´, the event was organized by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED), in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Averda, and hosted at Phoenicia Intercontinental hotel.

The one-day intensive workshop, which brought together executives from 35 leading private corporations and public sector bodies, addressed the business rationale for corporate environmental sustainability efforts and presented frameworks for incorporating environmental responsibility goals into business strategies.

"More and more companies are considering environmental initiatives. This strongly suggests that market forces are increasingly powerful drivers of corporate environmental improvement," said Najib Saab, Secretary General of AFED. "This workshop, part of our Corporate Environmental Responsibility (CER) program, assists business managers steer their complex organizations through transition to environmentally responsible enterprises, and learn how to remain profitable while acting in an environmentally sustainable way." Saab thanked UNEP for its support, and commended AFED´s corporate member, Averda, "for playing a major part in making this workshop possible." He invited other companies to join AFED´s CER program and "become leaders in incorporating environmental issues into their goals for the future."

Hussein Abaza, Chief of UNEP´s Economics and Trade Branch in Geneva, said: "Arab countries, like the rest of the world, are experiencing the effects of economic recession, which call for efficient and immediate action. Today´s economic slowdown presents us with a rare opportunity to re-direct our energies and resources toward making a transition to more sustainable patterns of development." Abaza called for “turning high unemployment, food and water security risks, and climate change into green opportunities". Explaining that the Green Economy Initiative "would be anchored in investments in environmental assets, clean and efficient production, renewable energy and regenerative urbanization," Abaza noted that the workshops are carried out in cooperation with UNEP´s regional office for West Asia.

Maysarah Sukkar, Chairman of averda, highlighted the need for businesses to find efficiencies across their operations. "All businesses can become leaner and greener. Some changes, like investing in cleaner technology, involve a short-term cost. But we have also streamlined many of our processes and seen immediate cost savings. We are very happy to be cooperating with AFED and UNEP and hope that by sharing our experiences we can inspire other companies to follow our example. Of course, there is always room for improvement. So this forum gives us the chance to learn from other organizations as we continue our journey towards greater sustainability."

The ten-hour workshop was led by Bashar Zeitoon, Director of AFED’s Corporate Responsibility Program. It included presentations, discussions, case studies and group exercises, and concluded by forming a steering committee representing participating bodies.

The event inaugurates a series of seven workshops AFED is holding over the coming six weeks in Amman, Manama, Kuwait, Dhahran and Dubai. All workshops, supported by UNEP, will culminate in the formation of national steering groups entrusted with coordinating activities in the framework of an Arab Green Economy Initiative, undertaken by AFED in association with UNEP and other regional partners.

averda acquires majority stake in TWM in Oman

Company to lend support to Oman Government´s initiatives towards becoming an eco-friendly tourism hub

Dubai, 26 October, 2009: averda, a leading regional environmental services company, has announced its investment in TWM (Technique Waste Management), a company that delivers first-class cleaning and waste collection services to Oman´s commercial, industrial, residential and public sectors. With this investment averda acquires a 70 per cent stake in TWM, with the remaining shares held by the respected original Omani shareholders.

The company also expressed its support for the government´s initiatives to turn Oman into an eco-friendly tourism hub, with the aim of attracting 12 million tourists per year to the Sultanate by 2020. As part of its GCC-wide expansion plan, averda is eyeing the growth in Oman´s tourism industry and the resulting opportunities for the company in terms of serving new and existing hotels, resorts, developments and commercial businesses.

Known as one of the ´great ecological destinations´ in the region, Oman is steadily building its tourism industry and undertaking successful efforts to promote its sights and culture to attract visitors from across the globe. Anticipating increased demand for environmental services in the Sultanate as a result of tourism growth, averda´s investment in TWM is part of the company´s strategy to gain an entry point into new markets.

´In line with the Oman Government´s ambitious plan to achieve an almost fourfold increase in its current tourist count, we are committed to delivering our environmental solutions to Oman-based businesses operating in the hospitality and tourism industries,´ says averda CEO Malek Sukkar. ´Our most recent expansion effort, the investment in TWM, reiterates our high interest in this market and our commitment to establishing strong ties and long-term relationships within the Sultanate. We are looking forward to delivering our best technologies to Omani clients through our experienced team, using our established working practices and continuing our long-standing commitment to service integrity.´

The first step following the acquisition has been to introduce averda´s client-centric culture to TWM. ´It is vital that all averda companies share the same vision,´ Mr Sukkar continues. ´So we are integrating averda´s beliefs and policies within TWM´s operational structure. After this, we´ll be looking at expanding our geographical presence by building specialized waste handling centres across the country. This will avoid unnecessary waste transportation across districts and effectively reduce carbon emissions. We are also looking forward to playing a leading role in the evolution of waste management practices in Oman by extending our support to both public and private organizations.´

Taking on the role of TWM´s Managing Director, Paul Pitman is responsible for developing strategic and tactical plans to support TWM´s business goals and future growth of operations.

´TWM´s operations are centred on Muscat, but we also have resources deployed in Suwadi and Sohar serving major clients in these increasingly important areas. TWM is well positioned to respond to client needs across these three key locations,´ says Mr Pitman, ´and we look forward to the opportunity of bringing service excellence and recycling initiatives to these areas.´

We see waste as a resource.

Treated intelligently, waste provides alternative energy sources and rich natural fertilizers. Of course, it can also make manufacturing greener when recycled as raw material for new products.

For municipal waste management, our cleaning teams sweep streets and maintain public, residential and commercial areas. Collection crews gather rubbish and other solid waste, including hazardous materials.

After sorting, organic waste is turned into compost for farming. Some waste goes to make thermal energy. Some we transform into alternative fuel. We recycle many other materials and safely dispose of what´s left in sanitary landfills.

At averda, we turn waste problems into solutions. Governments, municipalities, businesses, NGOs and other communities can all benefit.

We have a strong desire to expand and a strategic determination to invest in the region. Join us on our journey.

Our professional and pragmatic approach has a solid foundation:

EXPERTISE All projects are run by senior people whose strategic insights and operational competence ensure successful results.

EXPERIENCE We have been delivering solutions to a diverse national and international client base, every day for four decades.

CAPACITY Our extensive network of planners, facility managers, logistics specialists, fleet managers, computer scientists and environmental engineers enables us to handle the complete process from concept to rollout.

Our Quality & Compliance, Legal, HR and Communications teams provide world-class support that gives you full confidence in our services throughout the region.

Finally, we control our entire supply chain, a fact which has helped us build a proven track record in the region and enabled us to succeed consistently under the harshest conditions.

We manage the waste cycle in four clear stages, starting with our teams on the streets. Technological advances mean we can now recover much value from waste material that in the past would have been thrown away. We dispose of the remainder safely.

CLEAN
We maintain urban and rural areas through the efficient combination of mechanical means and traditional manpower.

COLLECT
From conventional collection by truck to advanced pneumatic transfer systems, our teams handle everyting from regular household waste to hazardous industrial material.

RECOVER
At sorting facilities, waste is separated for recycling and composting or used to create energy through thermal treatment or as the basis of refuse-derived fuel.

DISPOSE
All landfill sites are automated and constantly controlled with computerised systems to ensure optimal environmentally friendly and hazard-free conditions.

The complete process from cleaning and collection to recovery and disposal is managed by a single operator: averda.

Learn more about our process