Residents of the UAE exchanged around 1.5 million items through dubizzle in 2016, giving products a second life and reducing the UAE's ecological footprint by over 3.26 million tons of CO2 emissions

In 2016, 1.5 million items were exchanged on dubizzle which have directly curbed over 3.26 million tons of CO2 emissions. This number is equivalent to around 85 million trees grown for a period of 10 years, which is double the number of Palm trees in the UAE***. If we consider another measurement, the CO2 emissions saved is equivalent to over 12.6 billion kilometers driven by the average passenger vehicle, which is 83 times the distance between our planet and the Sun. This, and more, has been revealed by an exclusive dubizzle report done in conjunction with Alcott Group.

Select insights from the report were released in the run-up to World Environment Day on June 5, 2017. The report covered dubizzle transactions for the year 2016. All stages in the life-cycle of a product until it reaches the user were considered for some of the most traded product categories on dubizzle.

By 2030, the Dubai Government** wants to have reduced energy use across the emirate by 30 percent and to generate at least 25 percent of its power from renewable sources, including solar, clean coal and nuclear. It also wants to eliminate waste sent to landfill within 20 years, and devise more sustainable methods of water generation.

Every time a transaction is made on dubizzle, it ignites a sustainable behavior. Every time an item is sold on dubizzle, the life of that product gets extended ensuring more sensible use. Every time an item is bought on dubizzle, one less item gets produced, lowering carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Barry Judge, General Manager at dubizzle said: "Leadership in climate change starts in the home, l would urge people to confront this reality and challenge their decisions around the way they consume”. Judge continued “dubizzle is a key contributor in reducing the carbon footprint and contributes to more sustainable consumption.  Because of that, our users adopt the ‘Resell-Reuse-Reduce’ habit the minute they logon to dubizzle!”.

The UAE has one of the largest carbon footprints in the world. The 2015 UAE State of Energy Report****, which was published by the government in January and holds the most recent data, says the UAE produced almost 20 tons of CO2 emissions per person in 2010, a 63 percent increase from the year 2000.

“Extending the life of a product is an essential strategy towards sustainability. The UAE market has been a remarkable success story in passing on goods, and making it commercially viable is a wonderful example of leapfrogging to a sustainable lifestyle.” Judge concluded.