The AED 1.2m investment aims to contribute to the reduction of plastic pollution in Dubai, and supports The Crown Prince of Dubai’s sustainability initiative, Dubai Can
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (20th September 2022) – In the presence of senior figures from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Trust Your Water, Investment Corporation of Dubai, Kerzner International, Goumbook, and Atlantis Dubai, Atlantis, The Palm’s new on-site water purification and bottling plant was unveiled today.
The AED 1.2m project was conceptualised with a clear purpose – to support Atlantis, The Palm’s pledge to eliminate all single-use plastic bottles from its operation, both resort-wide and in Aquaventure Waterpark by the end of 2023. This commitment was made in February 2022 in support of Dubai Can, a sustainability initiative by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai.
To put this into perspective – a total of 2.7 million single-use plastic bottles of water will be replaced with reusable, refillable drinking water in glass bottles and provided to all in-house guests. This is a significant contribution to reducing plastic pollution across the city, which is harming the environment and putting terrestrial and marine wildlife at risk.
Expertly designed to supply all 1,544 rooms and suites at the resort, Atlantis, The Palm’s AED 1.2 million water bottling plant produces up to 800 litres of purified artisan water per hour and operates around the clock with 2,500 one-litre refillable glass bottles in circulation at any one time.
The water itself is put through a stringent four-step filtration process starting with prefilters, then a remineralisation filter, before going through the main filters, and finally disinfection (using copper-silver ionisation and UV lamps). While other hotels in Dubai have installed similar technologies to offer filtered and purified water to their guests, Atlantis, The Palm is the only hotel in the UAE that has implemented a remineralisation filter – adding Calcium and Magnesium, essential minerals for health, to its water.
Tim Kelly, Managing Director & Executive Vice President of Atlantis Dubai, commented: “Today marks a key milestone on our sustainability journey as we unveil our AED 1.2 million water bottling plant. This has been custom-designed to provide our in-house guests with fresh, purified artisan drinking water from refillable glass bottles around the clock – replacing single-use water bottles in rooms and suites. As we continue driving efforts to meet our goal of eliminating all single-use plastic bottles by the end of 2023, we are also rolling out plans to remove other single-use items across the resort, and looking to embrace circularity principles as part of our aim to be a leader in responsible tourism within the region. We are proud to support Dubai Can and His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, by removing 2.7 million plastic bottles from our operation each year which will will have a big impact on the city.”
Atlantis, The Palm’s new water bottling plant is the latest sustainability initiative under Atlantis Atlas Project to drive responsible operations this year, with other highlights including the installation of Winnow AI food waste reduction technology and increasing locally and responsibly sourced dishes on menus by over 70%. Earlier this month, the resort’s first nine conservation and sustainability project partners to receive funding from its $120,000 investment fund contribution for 2022-2023 were also announced.