SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
12.2
Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12) focuses on responsible consumption and production, urging nations to achieve efficient resource utilization, reduce waste, and promote sustainable lifestyles. In Kuwait, a country known for its high consumption patterns and waste generation, addressing SDG 12 is pivotal for ensuring a more sustainable future. The American University of the Middle East (AUM) recognizes the significance of responsible consumption and production and is actively contributing to this goal through various initiatives and practices.
Kuwait's journey toward sustainable consumption and production involves reevaluating patterns of overconsumption and waste generation. AUM aligns with this endeavor by promoting awareness about responsible consumption among its students, faculty, and the wider community. By offering courses, workshops, and seminars on sustainable practices, the university equips individuals with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed choices and minimize their environmental impact.
Furthermore, AUM's efforts extend to its campus operations. The university can adopt sustainable procurement practices, prioritize energy-efficient technologies, and implement waste reduction strategies. By reducing its own ecological footprint, AUM sets an example for responsible consumption and production in Kuwait.
AUM's commitment to SDG 12 also involves community engagement. The university can collaborate with local organizations and businesses to promote sustainable practices. This can include initiatives like promoting reusable products, supporting local producers, and advocating for reduced packaging.
In conclusion, Kuwait's pursuit of responsible consumption and production aligns with AUM's efforts to instill a culture of sustainability within its community. By educating individuals, implementing sustainable practices on campus, and engaging with the broader society, AUM serves as a catalyst for positive change in Kuwait's transition towards responsible consumption, reduced waste, and a more environmentally-conscious future.
Considering the data available to date, Kuwait has been incessantly implementing action plans for sustainable consumption and production and has incorporated and prioritized them into its national policies since 2016 (indicator 12.1.1). As part of its commitment to this goal, the State of Kuwait has signed and strived to implement several environmental treaties and conventions including i) the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal; ii) the Stockholm Convention on Hazardous Wastes; iii) the Rotterdam Convention on Hazardous Wastes; and, iv) the Minamata Convention on Issues Relating to Mercury Pollution in Air, Soil and Water, and has yet to join the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer193. In this regard, Kuwait has supported, by various means, methods, and legal, judicial and security legislation, a range of initiatives that guarantee limiting the spread and accumulation of hazardous and environmentally polluting industrial waste, which directly affects the public health of humans, wildlife and marine life. For instance, in the year 2019, the Environment Public Authority closed the waste dumps of damaged rubber tires and transferred them to safe areas to be recycled in the fields of manufacturing that serve the plastic and rubber industries, as well as the road industry and the improvement of paving and asphalt that are important for urban expansion and linking transport and communication networks between cities. The State of Kuwait has also been keen on supporting the national committees for building codes and the standard specifications sector. This would update and develop building and materials systems in a way that guarantees and legitimizes the exploitation of innovative materials and applications of modern technologies in construction, urbanization, monitoring and control.
AUM Reducing waste generation
We aim at not producing unnecessary waste through awareness of its impact on the environment where every product requires natural resources. For instance, as of 2021, AUM switched from paper-based exams to PC-based exams to save papers, thus trees. Also, there are several initiatives to reduce plastic use. We adopt sustainable procurement on campus as part of our dedication to making sustainable choices in our procurement processes, contributing positively to our campus and the broader community.
We are thrilled to launch the AUM Recycling Project ♻️to engage you further in our recycling operations.
Join us in recycling paper and plastic and help save the environment. ☘️🪴♻️ Please watch the video carefully to be aware of the proper segregation practices and follow the instructions written on the bins across campus.
Stay tuned for more updates and activities related to recycling!
In Fall 2021, one of the very first initiatives when students came back to campus after Covid-19 period, was the launching of “Toward Zero Waste Campus” Initiative led by students to strengthen awareness, promote ethical sourcing and remind them on the importance of recycling.
Strong guidance was given on how waste should go to each dedicated bin: paper, plastic, other waste.
The university has rigorous sourcing and recycling practices that are classified by different types of waste including hazardous waste from biology, chemistry and chemical engineering laboratories.
AUM collaborated with SLB to host The Sustainability Village on November 9 and 10, 2022. A sustainability mini walk-through experience linked with a number of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals and local sustainability goals. The purpose behind the project is to showcase the importance of these topics to the modern-day Kuwaiti Household.
One of the three main booths was “Waste Management – In Our Typical Modern Kuwaiti Household” in addition to the other two booths: “Electricity Consumption Booth” and “Health and Wellbeing”. The booth was designed in an interactive way that would encourage individuals to participate and experience how sustainability and especially waste management can make a difference in their lives.
On the occasion of World Environment Day, the American University of the Middle East (AUM) organized a competition among students and alumni to encourage them to think in a more environmentally friendly way and come up with creative solutions that can make the campus more sustainable.
World Environment Day is celebrated every year on June 5 to keep the environment top of mind among people, and to remind them that nature should not be taken for granted and must be respected for its values.
Students and alumni submitted their ideas through written reports and videos where they came up with creative solutions that can reduce the carbon footprint of university campuses.
As part of AUM’s approach to sustainability, the university will be exploring the implementation of these ideas and initiatives with students and alumni in the future.
Certification of participation and plants were distributed to all participants, in addition to prizes to the top three winners: Danah Afat, Ayah Sharaf, and Ali Hashem.
Who would have imagined that the paper used could turn into masterpieces! 🎨
AUM students celebrated World Sustainability Day by participating in a workshop where they learned how to recycle used paper and turn it into paintings. ✨
AUM launched an upcycling workshop series as part of its efforts to teach students about waste management, recycling, and responsible consumption.
The first series of workshops was titled “Plastic to Plant” and comprised two sessions on the first week of December and another two sessions on the second week of the same month so both groups of students can attend, while taking all the necessary health and safety precautions.
The workshop started with an informative session about recycling, upcycling, the negative effects of waste on the environment, and the sustainable development goals. Different ideas about what kind of wastes can be upgraded into something artistic and have real usage were discussed during the workshop.
During the session, students learned how to give life to used plastic bottles by turning them into plant pots. Students enjoyed creating a pot from the plastic, designing the water bottle, and adding soil and a plant to it. After the workshop, students hung the plants on a designated wall on campus.
In December 2022, AUM has been ranked as the most Sustainable and Green University in Kuwait for the third year running, by UI GreenMetric World University Rankings 2022. Compared to the previous year, AUM advanced 31 places to #237 worldwide, and made it to the Top 5 Most Sustainable and Green Universities in the Gulf and #16 in the Arab countries.The UI GreenMetric ranks universities around the world based on their commitment and actions toward sustainability as per the following distinct categories: Setting and Infrastructure, Energy and Climate Change, Waste, Water, Transportation, and Education and Research.
The theme of UI GreenMetric World University Rankings 2022 focused on “Collective Actions for Transforming Sustainable Universities in the Post-Pandemic Time”. Being recognized as one of the most sustainable universities in the region reflects AUM’s commitment to greening its campus, equipping students with business ethics, and engaging with the sustainable development goals through education, research, and social responsibility initiatives.
Student projects on SDG12. Responsible Consumption and Production in collaboration with industry
Catalytic cracking of used lubricant oil in Kuwait: sustainable waste management (in collaboration with Kuwait Lube Oil Company and Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research)
Innovation Framework in Supply Chain Sustainability (in collaboration with Kuwait Flour Mills and Bakeries Company)
Application of Assembly Line Balancing Rules in a Local Factory (in collaboration with AlHassawi Factory)
1st place winner of IEOM Supply Chain and Logistics Competition at International Conference and competition participation, 13th International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IEOM) in Manila, Philippines, March 6-9, 2023: The study targeted three soft drink companies in Kuwait, to successfully identify sustainability problems relating to the three pillars of sustainability in the companies’ supply chains. To illustrate the benefit of the sustainability initiatives, a multiple regression model was built by collecting data from the Refinitiv database. The regression results showed that there is a U-shaped relationship between the firm value and environmental sustainability performance.
Two achievements in AUM Startup Challenge 2022 reducing plastic and rubber
Seaweed Bioplastic - First Place in AUM Startup Challenge 2022 and among Finalists in Babson Student Global Challenge 2022: The idea consists of opening a factory that produces degradable and consumable bioplastic made from seaweed
Team members: Mohammad AlKharashi and Mohammad Al Mansour
Re-Rub - Third Place in AUM Startup Challenge 2022: Since Kuwait has one of the largest tire yards in the world, the project aims to use recycled tires materials, which are rubber and steel to produce home furniture.Team members: Omar Bassel Abu Orf, Hanen Awad, and Sana Tabashir
Thereafter, Seaweed team participated in Babson build UG 1-week program experience from 11-15 of July 2022 at Babson college, Boston. The students were congratulated for their performance during the Babson Student Global Challenge and received their certificates as Finalists of the competition.
Waste management is one of the research sub-themes at AUM:
Journal articles