Dubai Can, the citywide sustainability movement launched on 15 February 2022 by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, has seen a reduction in the usage of an equivalent of more than 3.5 million 500 ml single-use plastic water bottles.
The movement has achieved this extraordinary success as measured by water consumed from Dubai Can water fountains installed throughout the city. During the last six months, 46 fountains have been installed in various locations across the city, including public parks, beaches and tourist attractions, with the help of the initiative’s stakeholders, sponsors and partners. The fountains are now in various Dubai neighbourhoods, including Kite Beach, Dubai Marina, JLT, Downtown Dubai, Dubai Harbour, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai Festival City, Khawaneej, and others.

Yousuf Lootah, Executive Director – Tourism Development & Investments Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), said: “In line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai a sustainability champion, the Dubai Can movement has made remarkable progress during the last six months. We could not be prouder of this achievement. While encouraging residents and visitors to commit to a paradigm shift in their lifestyles, this initiative has a larger goal: creating a city that is the world’s most visited and the best place to live and work in, as envisaged by the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.
Yousuf Lootah, Executive Director – Tourism Development & Investments Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), said: “In line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai a sustainability champion, the Dubai Can movement has made remarkable progress during the last six months. We could not be prouder of this achievement. While encouraging residents and visitors to commit to a paradigm shift in their lifestyles, this initiative has a larger goal: creating a city that is the world’s most visited and the best place to live and work in, as envisaged by the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.

“The strength of the city’s public-private partnership is essential to realising the Dubai Sustainability Strategy. As we look forward to the campaign’s continued success, this excellent collaboration model will propel Dubai Can to greater heights as we strive to achieve every single sustainability goal of Dubai,” said Lootah.

Transforming mindsets

Since the campaign’s launch, the movement has extended far beyond the fountains themselves, with people across the city encouraged to purchase refillable bottles for use at the fountains and in their homes and hotels. Many private companies have invested in water fountains for their offices to discourage employees from using single-use plastics in their workspaces. Moreover, the initiative has encouraged UAE residents to make behavioural changes and inspired conscious consumerism to achieve a more sustainable planet.

The Dubai Can initiative aims to bring about a mindset change in how the city’s residents and visitors view sustainability, starting the transformation at the individual level and then progressing to the level of community, city, nation, and beyond. The movement encourages creative ways of altering our consumption behaviour, one single-use plastic bottle at a time. It advocates the optimum use of natural resources to preserve them for future generations and boost sustainability.

Refill for life

The Dubai Can initiative aims to continue generating positive environmental change and inspiring the city’s residents, tourists and corporations to make mindful and environmentally friendly choices. Many valued partners and stakeholders from the business and tourism sectors have pledged to install a fountain. Dubai Can is well on track to meet the pledge of installing more than 50 fountains across the city by December 2022. The initiative’s efforts feed into Dubai’s commitment to meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, enhancing the city’s reputation as a global liveability hub, and ensuring that people across the city have the opportunity to ‘refill for life’.

The campaign aligns with the city’s sustainable strategy. The focus on reducing the usage of single-use plastic bottles is the first phase of an enduring citywide sustainability initiative. As the momentum for sustainability measures accelerated, a ban on all single-use plastic bags came into effect on 1 June as part of a more comprehensive UAE initiative to protect the environment and reduce waste.