Istanbul Group of Companies (also incorporates Al Kashif Group) was established in the Year 1995 with the aim of providing sustainable environmental development by recovery and processing of recyclables and reducing the waste going to the landfill. With over 25 years of presence in the market, the company handles collection of all recyclable materials from the waste stream such as plastic, paper, card board, wood, ferrous, non-ferrous metals, aluminium and other inert recyclable materials in an environmentally friendly manner for further processing into reusable components for sustainable development.

The Group CEO of Istanbul Group of Companies and Al Kashif Group, Kashif Javed Anjum says his mission is to maximise resource value, while minimising environmental impact so that both the economy and the environment can thrive successfully. The pandemic has given them an excellent opportunity to transition from designing workplaces for efficiency to designing for effectiveness, inclusion, resilience and sustainability, he adds.

The CEO talks about his experience and the latest developments at his company as well as plans for the future.

Please tell us briefly about your experience in this sector. What generated your interest in this industry and how has your journey been so far?

Well, initially I didn’t know much about recycling and I wasn’t accustomed to recyclable materials. I saw my father undertaking the collection of recyclables from the waste stream and converting it into a profitable business. That is the time I learnt that recycling is not just a matter of recovering recyclable materials; it’s a total economic system. This triggered my interest to venture into the recycling business.

What started off as a collection and trading of recyclables like paper, cardboard, plastic, ferrous and non-ferrous metals from landfills, transfer station, MRFs and commercial entities about 25 years ago, has diversified into processing of recyclables by developing stateof-the-art downstream industries for post-consumer utilisation of recovered materials. To name a few: Plastic recycling – conversion of waste plastics to granules and bio fuel; Wood waste recycling – conversion of wood waste to coloured mulch for landscaping; Aluminium recycling – melted at high temperature and remolded into cans; Mattress recycling – metals, fabric, plastics recovered and recycled; Inert waste recycling – tyres, battery, textile recycling; Food waste recycling – conversion to compost and reclaimed water; Ferrous and non-ferrous metals recycling; Construction and demolition waste recycling.

What do you love most about your job and what is the most challenging aspect?

 The most adorable aspect of our business is that the recycling industry has created jobs and helped our local economy, besides saving energy and reducing landfill waste. But the most challenging aspect is the effect of multiple factors on the sector, resulting in market uncertainty in terms of price, etc.

What are the major challenges or problems faced in waste recycling industry? What can be done to improve the processes for better results?

The recycling industry has drawn more attention due to the growing awareness of pollution and climate change. There are several challenges faced by the industry like:

Working conditions require constant attention as poorly trained and managed employees can cause problems. A reputable labour team supplier should always clearly explain job expectations and actually manage workers. Excessive downtime is another issue that could affect productivity. Employee morale and time management are important and each employee should be accountable for their time. Language and cultural issues also pose challenges. There are people from different cultures speaking multiple languages and there is a need to have operations managers who can speak their language. Lack of expertise in the sector is another aspect as nothing beats hands-on recycling industry experience. A good operations manager needs to know how machinery works and has to respect the workforce and deal effectively with the people with personal and work related problems.

There is the challenge of overcoming poor quality recyclables. Having operations managers on site and well trained employees will help maintain overall productivity.

What kind of support do you provide to potential customers, also ensuring business success?

The future of a business lies in the number of loyal customers we have, the capacity and competence of the employees, the investment strategy and the business structure. One of the major goals of Istanbul Group of Companies is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources. One of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to offer nothing short of excellent and result oriented services at pocket friendly rate to all our clients. Istanbul Group of Companies has put in place the right foundation, structures and processes to ensure that our staff welfare is well taken care of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and retraining of our workforce is at the top burner.

 What are your key achievements and goals in terms of growing the business and supporting customers and the industry’s growth?

 Istanbul Group of Companies has identified the provision of appropriate guidance or tools to select the most appropriate systems to ensure environmental targets are met with the least possible health and safety risk of systems for collection, transfer, treatment and processing.

Our core strength lies in the power of our team, our workforce. We have a team that are considered experts in the industry. They have excellent qualifications and experience in the sector. Aside from the synergy that exists in our carefully selected workforce and our strong online presence, we have the ability to compete on effective cost controls, access to multi-skilled and flexible workforce. Furthermore, Istanbul Group is well positioned in a business district with the right demography which can attract loads of clients.

The Managing Director of Istanbul Group of Companies, Afrasayab Muhammad Javed Anjum comments that the Group has put in place the right foundation, structures and processes to ensure that our staff welfare is well taken care of and our business achieves greater heights. “We hope to merge or acquire other smaller recycling firms and expand our services beyond recycling and include new waste collection systems, material recovery facility and refuse derived fuel plants and waste processing equipment on the shores of the UAE and other countries for sustainable environmental development for us today and for future generations.”

Istanbul Group of Companies, Sharjah, UAE

Tel: +971 6 534 7330 +971 50 626 8221; Email: info@istanbulgroup-me.com, Kashif@istanbulgroup-me.com Web: www.istanbulgroup-me.com