Sustainability Pays: OmboriGrid and Etihad Airways partner to deploy smart recycling kiosks at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week

Stockholm, Sweden, February 7, 2022

OmboriGrid AB (publ) has partnered with Etihad Airways, the national airline of United Arab Emirates, to launch a new sustainability initiative using smart recycling kiosks.

OmboriGrid worked with INCOM TOMRA and Microsoft to develop the smart recycling kiosks that function as reverse vending machines (RVMs) connected to Etihad Guest’s loyalty programme, rewarding users for recycling plastic drink bottles and aluminium cans with Etihad Guest Miles in real-time.

The first Grid-enabled Etihad Guest smart recycling kiosk made its debut at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability week on January 17, 2022. Initial responses from users have been overwhelmingly positive, with an NPS score of 95. 

Users deposit plastic bottles or cans in the Etihad Guest smart recycling kiosk, which sorts and analyses the material and verifies its eligibility for recycling and rewards. The user then uses their mobile phone and a QR code to receive Etihad Guest Miles. If they are not already a member of Etihad Guest loyalty programme, they can sign up through a quick registration link presented. 

Through the simple engagement, Etihad Guest aims to encourage its members to make Conscious Choices, the loyalty programme’s recently launched sustainability initiative. Conscious Choices has been created to support Etihad’s overarching sustainability ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, and halve 2019 emissions by 2035. Travellers wishing to fly and spend more consciously and sustainably can now earn Tier Miles, and other rewards, for making sustainable choices. 

The entire project was developed and launched in under a month, underlining the ease and speed with which Grid-enabled INCOM TOMRA RVMs can be configured and installed. In addition, this was the first project to make use of the new Grid Signals functionality, which enhances and extends the analytics capabilities of Ombori Grid apps.

“Sustainability is important to all of us, and we’re excited to be doing our part,” said Andreas Hassellöf, CEO of Ombori. “By combining our software and Microsoft Azure with INCOM TOMRA’s reverse vending machines, we make it easier than ever to encourage sustainable behaviours. Etihad take their environmental responsibilities very seriously, and we’re proud that they selected us to support their sustainability program.”

“Microsoft is committed to accelerating progress toward a more sustainable future by reducing our own environmental footprint while empowering our customers to build sustainable solutions.” said Naim Yazbeck, regional director, Enterprise and Partner Group (EPG), Microsoft UAE. “We are excited to partner with OmboriGrid AB, INCOM TOMRA and Etihad Airways in leveraging the trusted Microsoft Cloud to bring this innovative solution to life.” 

Kim Hardaker, Director Loyalty and Partnerships, Etihad Airways, said: “We are very proud to partner with OmboriGrid, which made the unique digital sustainable platform quick and easy to create. Sustainability is a fundamental principle for Etihad, and the steps that we have taken with Conscious Choices demonstrate our ongoing commitment to both aviation decarbonisation and the planet. This partnership enhances our guest proposition to making a positive impact for a more sustainable future.”

See the Etihad RVMs in action

About OmboriGrid

OmboriGrid AB (publ) is part of Ombori Group, headquartered in Stockholm, with offices in the UK and the Philippines. The company is backed by a consortium of investors, including ITAB, and has clients worldwide, including H&M, IKEA, Target, ACE Hardware, Lindt and Dufry.

About Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, was formed in 2003 and quickly went on to become one of the world’s leading airlines. From its home in Abu Dhabi, Etihad flies to passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. Together with Etihad’s codeshare partners, Etihad’s network offers access to hundreds of international destinations. In recent years, Etihad has received numerous awards for its superior service and products, cargo offering, loyalty programme and more. The Etihad Guest programme offers rewards for a wide range of environmentally conscious behaviours. Etihad is recognised as one of the world’s leading airlines in response to COVID-19 and was the first airline in the world to fully vaccinate its crew on board.

https://www.etihadguest.com/en/conscious-choices.html 

About INCOM TOMRA

INCOM TOMRA Recycling Technology (Beijiing) Co., Ltd. is a Chinese-Norwegian joint venture. INCOM TOMRA was established in March 2016 by Beijiing INCOM RECYCLE Co., Ltd from China and TOMRA Systems ASA from Norway to promote, sell and service reverse vending machines (RVMs) developed by the two companies. TOMRA is a world leader in Sorting and Collection solutions, and INCOM RECYCLE is the biggest operator and supplier of Smart Municipality recycling solutions in China. 

For more information:

Andreas Hassellof, CEO, OmboriGrid AB (publ), +46 (0) 77-586 80 00, [email protected]

Duty Media Officer, Etihad Airways, [email protected], +97150 818 9596