Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
Tadweer Group welcomed over 3,000 participants and visitors from 86 nationalities, including runners, families and supporters, to EcoRun 2026, held at Hudayriyat Island in Abu Dhabi on November 1.
The event’s first outdoor edition combined community sport with interactive experiences that connected waste reduction and responsible resource use to everyday practices, encouraging residents to support Abu Dhabi’s efforts to advance the circular economy.
The event saw strong participation across the 3km, 5km and 10km races, providing opportunities for families and athletes to take part.
Beyond the race routes, the EcoRun Village offered visitors a range of activities and interactive experiences from more than 17 partner brands, focusing on sustainability, health and wellbeing.
Sustainability informed the event’s material choices. Official Skechers T-shirts were made from recycled plastic, Masafi supplied water in bottles made from 100% recycled plastic, and finisher and podium medals were made from recycled zinc.
These choices demonstrated uses for recovered materials across both textiles and metals, helping participants recognise the value of resources beyond their first use.
Etienne Petit, Chief Executive Officer of Tadweer Group, said: “A stronger market for recovered materials depends on businesses choosing to use them and people choosing the products they become.
Tadweer Group has a role in bringing those decisions together, creating the conditions for resource recovery to deliver lasting economic value. EcoRun provides a setting for partners to put that principle into practice and bring it closer to the communities we serve.”
Abdulwahed Juma, Executive Director of Communications and Awareness at Tadweer Group, said: “For people to change how they use and dispose of materials, they need to understand what their choices make possible.
Seeing recovered materials return as useful products helps build that understanding and gives recycling a tangible purpose. Our responsibility as communicators is to make that connection relevant to daily life and build confidence that individual participation matters”.
“EcoRun allows us to reach people through something they already enjoy and value. The longer-term opportunity is to build a relationship with residents, so that caring for resources becomes a shared habit in homes and communities across Abu Dhabi, he added”.
The 3km Fun Run welcomed participants who wanted to walk, jog or run at their own pace, while the professionally timed 5km and 10km races offered a competitive challenge.
Cash prizes were awarded to the top three male and female finishers in both competitive distances, with cash prizes and giveaways valued at Dh100,000 across the event.
EcoRun forms part of Tadweer Group’s wider efforts to strengthen public understanding of waste prevention, reuse and recycling.
Through initiatives that reach residents beyond traditional awareness campaigns, the Group aims to build community participation in the recovery of valuable materials.
These initiatives complement the Group’s investment in waste management and resource recovery infrastructure and support Abu Dhabi’s ambition to divert 80% of municipal solid waste from landfill by 2031.
