The launch of Elite Paper Recycling’s (ERP) “Eco Dome” on Monday marks a significant milestone in the company’s journey from a small startup to Qatar’s champion of environmental protection and sustainability.
Under the patronage of HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, The Eco Dome aims to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and environment protection, ERP Business Strategy adviser Catina Aghayan told Gulf Times yesterday. The event will be attended by VIPs, ambassadors, and other officials from the government and private sector.
Aghayan noted that the Eco Dome, which is located inside ERP’s premises in the New Industrial Area, will accommodate students, non-govermental organisations, and the public to educate them on the impact of deforestation.
She said during the tour of the dome, a video presentation will show forested and deforested environments to give people, especially the youth, a deeper understanding of how people’s actions affect the environment.
“The Eco Dome is a purely educational tool and platform. People can visit the dome to learn how to protect the environment and the need to save nature, as well as to start recycling,” she explained.
Aghayan stressed that as a startup and Qatar’s first recycling facility, ERP’s goal is to reach out to the community through different initiatives and corporate social responsibility programmes about protecting the environment. “ERP is a small company; we are a startup but we have big ambitions. The business model that we have created is a community business model and not commercially-driven.
“And this makes a huge difference, especially in Qatar, considering its main income is from the hydrocarbon industry. Ten years back, the government envisioned transforming Qatar into a knowledge-based economy, and this is what we’re doing,” she said. 
ERP Public Relations director Maryam S al-Sayed also said that the Eco Dome is able to accommodate 15 to as many as 25 persons during the tour, which, using state-of-the-art technology, educates students and the public in a fun and interesting way on the importance of recycling. 
“We already have large groups of students that are scheduled to visit the Eco Dome, which is why we are happy to send this message across, especially to the younger generation,” al-Sayed pointed out.
Aghayan said the Eco Dome is part of ERP’s campaign to raise awareness on the importance of recycling, which includes the ‘Green Diplomacy’ initiative, which is sharing best practices with different embassies, as well as to strengthen bilateral and political relations.
Part of this was the recent signing of a partnership declaration between French ambassador Franck Gellet and ERP chairman Abdulla al-Suwaidi held in a ceremony at the ambassador’s residence in Doha. During the event, al-Suwaidi said ERP is now recycling more than 3,500 tonnes of paper per month.