DuPAT – a new business group for the UAE’s paper and tissue industry – formed under the patronage of Dubai Chamber of Commerce, was officially launched at the recently concluded Propaper Dubai 2024.
The new group aims to promote the UAE’s $2 billion corrugated board packaging sector, besides the tissue paper industry across markets. Promotion of ‘Made in UAE’ products both locally and globally is also one of the group’s key objectives.
“The group’s mandate is to enhance the acceptance and visibility of ‘Made in UAE’ products across markets, explore potential export opportunities, and contribute to the non-oil economic diversification of the country. DuPAT will also support the industry actively adopting sustainable business practices in line with the UAE Net Zero by 2050 goal,” says DuPAT Chairman Salahuddin Sharafi.
“DuPAT has a clear vision on sustainability and it will be our responsibility to help the UAE paper industry align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by embracing circular economy initiatives to reduce carbon footprints,” adds Aejaz Ahmed Munshi, Director Membership, DuPAT.
The new group will also ensure to implement the GSO standards for tissue and paper products under the Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology (ESMA) to safeguard consumer rights and foster fair competition among stakeholders. Other major objectives include promoting FSC/PEFC certifications as part of its commitment to responsibly source forest-based raw materials, and to organize training programmes for upskilling the industry workforce.
The Middle East and Africa (MEA) paper and pulp industry is on a growth surge, poised to exceed $20 billion in the next six to seven years, with GCC countries led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE at the forefront of a demand upswing for paper packaging products fuelling the rise, industry experts said quoting independent market reports.
According to market research firm IMARC Group, the GCC paper packaging market is expected to grow from $9.1 billion in 2023 to $12.8 billion by 2032, at a CAGR of 3.8%. London-based data analytics firm GlobalData expects the MEA food market to grow at 3% CAGR during 2023-2028, increasing the prospects of paper packaging solutions.
Increasing consumer sensitivity to hygiene is also fuelling growth in the tissue sector in the MEA region, with the UAE market alone expected to grow at 1.94% CAGR for the 2024-2029 forecast period, according to German online data gathering platform Statista.
