The Problem

Climate Change is one of the most pivotal issues of our time and we are at a critical point. All across the world there are changes to our weather patterns that threaten food production, is leading to alarming rises in sea levels that pose the risk of life threatening and disastrous floods as well as soil erosion due to climate-induced flooding.  It is without doubt clear that immediate attention and a multi-faceted approach is required by us all to ensure that we safeguard our environment and work towards reducing the impact that these changes will have in the future.

Greenhouse gases occur naturally and are essential to the survival of humans and millions of other living things, by keeping some of the sun’s warmth from reflecting back into space and making Earth livable. However, after a more than a century and a half of industrialization, deforestation and large scale agriculture, quantities of green house gases in the atmosphere have risen to record levels not seen in three million years. As populations, economies and standards of living grow, so does the cumulative level of green house gases (“GHG”s) emissions.

What We’re Doing

Sahara Group is committed to being an active participant in the multi-stakeholder mix challenged with tackling the menace of climate change and creating new and innovative partnerships with a focus on the protection of our environment. The UN’s  Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 tasks us with taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts in a variety of ways.

To kick off our environmental sustainability effort our “Green Life” initiative has been birthed to house the various actions to be taken by Sahara Group in the fight to combat the menace of global warming. It will commence with our Recycling initiative to be launched on Thursday 27th June.

Driving Greener Communities Through Recycling

Over the last decade, recycling has emerged as one of the most important weapons in the fight against global warming and climate change. Recycling saves energy, reduces deforestation, minimizes greenhouse gas emissions from landfills, and encourages the production of more energy efficient products. By stopping destructive habits and adopting green practises, such as reducing the amount of products you use, reusing products instead of tossing them away, and recycling waste products in your home and workplace, you can help reduce climate change.

Why Recycling Is an Effective Weapon against Climate Change

Recycling is simple and requires minimal effort and time, yet it has a huge impact. Recycling eliminates the need for new raw materials to make new products. For instance, recycling one ton of paper saves 19 trees from being cut. Tree preservation in turn leads to the protection of water catchment areas and promotes the capture of carbon dioxide, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and global warming.

Recycling also reduces energy consumption. The process of extracting new materials would not only result in greenhouse gas emissions, but also consume more energy compared to processing recycled materials. For instance, the production of recycled paper requires 65% less energy than the production of fresh paper from raw materials and uses 80% less water than using raw materials.