Shaping the Future: The Growing Role of Sustainability Professionals Inside Organizations

A Strategic Partnership for Growth

Dubai Silicon Oasis, in partnership with The Surpluss, officially launched the ESG & Sustainability Cluster on 23rd April, 2025, at the DTEC Auditorium, A5 Building, Dubai Silicon Oasis. Designed specifically for SMEs, this initiative integrates circular economy principles to drive resource efficiency, operational resilience, and measurable bottom-line improvements.

The partnership empowers businesses to not only meet emerging regulatory requirements but to leverage sustainability as a core competitive advantage.

Navigating Energy Transition and Decarbonization

Yasin Kasirga, Decarbonization Leader at GE Vernova, opened the discussion by addressing the global challenge of achieving the Paris Agreement targets while maintaining economic vitality. His keynote emphasized the critical need for businesses to prioritize economically viable decarbonization strategies, helping firms strengthen their market position in a future shaped by the energy transition.

Transparent Reporting for Competitive Advantage

Johanna Salem, Associate Director of Sustainability at Dubai Holding, shared practical insights on establishing transparent climate reporting processes aligned with UAE regulations. By developing Dubai Holding’s first GHG baseline, including Scope 3 value chain emissions, Johanna demonstrated how accurate sustainability reporting can enhance regulatory compliance, bolster brand reputation, and create new value across supply chains.

Real-World Challenges and Practical Solutions

The Firestarter session, led by Baldeep Singh, Founder and CEO of Revent, provided a platform for participants to discuss the operational barriers they face in scaling sustainability initiatives. This session reinforced the importance of peer collaboration, practical problem-solving, and the need for flexible, business-centric climate solutions.

Building a Resilient Business Community

The launch of the DSO Sustainability & ESG Cluster is just the beginning. By joining the cluster, SMEs access a growing network of over 1,000 like-minded businesses committed to operational excellence, circular economy integration, and tangible carbon reduction.

At The Surpluss, we understand that sustainability is not just an environmental imperative but a business opportunity. Our platform connects companies to measurable resource efficiencies, improved KPIs, and enhanced profitability, aligning every solution with global standards such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Be Part of the Change

Businesses ready to transform their operations and lead in a new era of sustainable competitiveness are encouraged to register through The Surpluss platform and start their onboarding journey.

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Join an exclusive movement like-minded sustainability professionals and businesses who are catalyzing the circular economy in the UAE!

The Circular Economy Is Not Broken, We Just Haven’t Built the Right Systems Yet

The circular economy sounds like the perfect solution. Instead of throwing things away, we reuse them, regenerate materials, and minimize waste. But if it’s such a great idea, why is global circularity going in the wrong direction?
According to the Circularity Gap Report, the global economy was only 9.1% circular in 2018. In 2023, that dropped to 7.2%. Clearly, something’s not working.
At The Surpluss, we believe it’s not about lack of awareness or technology, it’s about how circularity is integrated (or rather, not integrated) into the real world of business, finance, and trade. So, how can we make it actually work?

1. It needs to be a financial strategy, not just a moral one

Let’s face it, most businesses still see waste as something to get rid of, not a resource to work with. But things are shifting. The EU’s new Digital Product Passport is a good example. It allows businesses to track and prove the value of materials throughout their lifecycle.
When circularity is built into procurement, legal frameworks, and internal operations, it becomes part of business strategy, not just a sustainability label.

2. We can’t just recycle, we have to rethink design

Recycling sounds good, but less than 10% of plastic waste actually gets recycled. Much of it ends up downcycled, not reused in a meaningful way.
We need to think bigger. What if products were designed from the start to be disassembled, reused, or regenerated? That’s what real circularity looks like, and with upcoming “right to repair” laws, this shift might happen sooner than we think.

3. Data is still a huge barrier

You can’t fix what you can’t see. Right now, most businesses don’t have the data to understand their material flows. That’s changing with AI, IoT, and blockchain solutions, but it’s still early days.
Appointing a Chief Circularity Officer can help organizations treat waste as a resource and unlock real value from things they previously discarded.

4. It has to be seamless for consumers

Let’s be real, most consumers aren’t going to change their habits unless it’s easy. Even the most aware shoppers default to convenience.
That’s why the best circular solutions are the invisible ones. Businesses need to build circularity into their systems, like take-back logistics, reuse programs, or packaging-free models, without relying on customers to do the heavy lifting.

5. Circularity has to work with trade and geopolitics

Circularity isn’t just an environmental issue, it’s economic. Countries like China dominate in critical materials and recycling, while the EU and US are making major policy moves to support circular trade.
Businesses should pay attention. Choosing suppliers and partners that support circularity is becoming a competitive advantage, not just a good deed.

Where do we go from here?

The circular economy won’t work if we treat it as a side project. It has to be baked into how we measure success, manage operations, and navigate global trade. That means tracking real metrics, aligning with global standards, and viewing waste as inefficiency, not inevitability.
Circularity isn’t failing because the idea is flawed. It’s failing because we haven’t built the systems to support it yet. But with the right shifts, we can move from good intentions to real-world impact.

Redefining Resources: The Key to a Sustainable and Profitable Future

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 24, 2025 (EZ Newswire) – Rana Hajirasouli, PhD, founder of The Surpluss, envisions a future where sustainability is not just an add-on but the foundation of profitable business.

Despite growing awareness, global circularity has declined from 9.1% in 2018 to just 7.2% in 2024. This decline highlights the problem: the circular economy is still treated as a secondary concern rather than an integrated business strategy. Hajirasouli argues that for circularity to scale, companies must move beyond sustainability as a moral obligation and view it as an economic advantage—driven by regulatory compliance and financial incentives.

The Business Case for Circularity

One of the biggest misconceptions about the circular economy is that it compromises profitability. In reality, waste is an untapped economic asset. “Waste is a mispriced asset. The key to closing the circularity gap is to financialize surplus materials—treating them like commodities rather than liabilities,” says Hajirasouli.

Emerging innovations like Digital Product Passports (DPPs) track materials throughout their lifecycle, creating a market for secondary resources. The European Union is already mandating DPPs for batteries by 2026, with textiles, electronics, and construction to follow by 2030. This shift will make waste a financial liability, forcing businesses to rethink their supply chains.

Additionally, global trade regulations are not aligned with circular principles. The World Trade Organization (WTO) does not categorize circular materials separately, meaning recycled and refurbished goods are often taxed higher than new products. This imbalance discourages recirculation and favors raw material extraction.

Global Competition and the Race for Circularity

For many governments, circularity is no longer just about sustainability—it’s about economic sovereignty. The EU is reshoring supply chains to reduce dependence on foreign resources, while the U.S. is investing in semiconductor recycling to strengthen domestic resilience. “By 2035, geopolitical competition may accelerate circular adoption faster than sustainability policies,” Hajirasouli predicts.

Industries like electronics, textiles, and packaging must transition toward modular design and high-value material recovery. As planned obsolescence faces bans in several regions, early adopters of circular supply chains will gain a competitive edge in global trade.

Technology and the Future of Circular Trade

By 2028, corporations may appoint Chief Circularity Officers (CCOs) to oversee resource flows in real time, leveraging:

• AI-driven material tracking
• Blockchain-backed resource passports
• Industrial IoT solutions

The Surpluss is already working to make circularity profitable through multisectoral collaboration. “Carbon markets work because carbon has a price. Circularity doesn’t yet—but when it does, the entire economic system will change,” says Hajirasouli.

Embedding Circularity Into Trade and Finance

While consumer awareness of sustainability is growing, circular products still make up only 8% of global consumption. The most successful models will be those that require minimal behavior change, such as:

• Default circular supply chains in e-commerce
• Automated take-back systems
• Subscription-based models that reduce ownership burdens

Ultimately, Hajirasouli believes circularity must be embedded into financial markets, trade agreements, and automated supply chains. “When industries cannot afford to operate without it, circularity will no longer be a ‘choice’—it will be the foundation of the global economy,” she concludes.

About The Surpluss

The Surpluss is a multi-award-winning, female-founded, B-Corp-certified climate-tech company that enables businesses and governments to trade excess materials, assets, and utilities profitably. Our intelligent B2B platform connects companies to partners who can reuse their surplus, reducing waste, improving resource efficiency, and enhancing profitability.