Majid Al Futtaim, which operates Carrefour in the UAE, Nestlé UAE, and UAE-based cleantech innovator Sparklo announced a new partnership aimed at accelerating the adoption of sustainable consumer habits across the country.

Through the collaboration, Nestlé UAE’s ‘Recycle to Break the Cycle’ campaign will be brought to life through Sparklo’s AI-powered Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) at selected Carrefour stores across the UAE. By integrating smart recycling solutions into places people already visit as part of their everyday routines, the initiative aims to make recycling simpler, more accessible and more rewarding, encouraging customers to return empty plastic bottles and aluminium cans and helping keep valuable materials in circulation for longer.

The partnership builds on the success of the Carrefour RVM programme, which first launched with Sparklo in July 2023. Since then, more than 22 million recyclable items have been collected and over 95,000 users engaged, demonstrating the potential for convenient, technology-enabled solutions to encourage sustainable behaviours at scale. Customers can also earn points through the Sparklo app when they recycle, creating an added incentive to make recycling part of their regular routine.

The next phase of the programme is expected to recover more than 1.4 million containers through Nestlé UAE’s campaign, helping to avoid approximately 200 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Beyond the environmental impact, the collaboration demonstrates how businesses can use their collective scale, reach and capabilities to translate sustainability ambitions into practical action for consumers.

The initiative also supports the ambitions of the UAE Circular Economy Policy 2031, helping translate national sustainability priorities into action within communities. By making recycling infrastructure more accessible across Carrefour’s retail network, Nestlé UAE, Majid Al Futtaim and Sparklo are encouraging more responsible consumption and contributing to the UAE’s wider sustainability agenda, including its ambition to divert 75% of waste from landfills by 2030.

Ziad Chalhoub, Chief Financial Officer, Majid Al Futtaim, said: “At Majid Al Futtaim, we believe meaningful progress on sustainability comes from embedding it into the everyday choices of our customers and communities. Our scale gives us both an opportunity and a responsibility to make sustainable behaviours easier and more accessible. By working with partners such as Nestlé UAE and Sparklo, and leveraging Carrefour’s footprint, we can help accelerate the transition towards a more circular economy and turn shared ambitions into practical action. Partnerships like these are critical to driving lasting impact and supporting the UAE’s long-term sustainability ambitions.”

Rachid Maalouli, Managing Director, Nestlé Coastal Arabia Cluster, said: “At Nestlé, we believe that making sustainable choices should be simple and accessible for everyone. Through our ‘Recycle to Break the Cycle’ campaign and our collaboration with Majid Al Futtaim and Sparklo, we are integrating recycling into people’s everyday routines while supporting the UAE’s ambition to build a more circular economy. By bringing together innovation, consumer engagement and smart infrastructure, this initiative shows how collective action can create shared value and deliver measurable environmental impact. It also reflects our continued commitment to supporting the UAE’s sustainability agenda and empowering communities to play an active role in building a more sustainable future.”

Maxim Kaplevich, Founder and CEO, Sparklo, said: “Making recycling convenient and accessible for communities in the places they visit every week is at the heart of Sparklo’s mission. This collaboration with Nestlé UAE and Majid Al Futtaim demonstrates how innovative infrastructure and strong partnerships can make sustainability more visible, measurable and rewarding for consumers. Together, we are building the infrastructure to collect every bottle in the UAE.”

Nestlé’s ‘Recycle to Break the Cycle’ campaign forms part of its broader efforts to encourage greater consumer participation in the circular economy and turn sustainability commitments into meaningful everyday action. It complements Nestlé’s wider sustainability ambitions, including achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, halving emissions by 2030, and continuing to advance packaging designed for recycling systems.

At the heart of the programme are Sparklo’s AI-powered Reverse Vending Machines, known as Sparklomats, which accept plastic bottles and aluminium cans and use technology to track collections and reward participation in real time. Across MENA, Sparklo has collected more than 200 million bottles and cans, with over 350,000 registered users in the UAE, underscoring the potential for technology to support recycling at scale.

The Nestlé-branded Sparklo RVMs are currently available at selected Carrefour stores across the UAE, including Bawabat Al Sharq Mall in Abu Dhabi; Discovery Gardens Main Entrance, Century Mall, City Centre Al Shindagha and City Centre Me’aisem in Dubai. The legal name of Majid Al Futtaim Retail's parent entity is "Majid Al Futtaim" and should not be shortened or replaced by an acronym. Sparklo's Reverse Vending Machines are proprietary hardware-software systems developed and operated by Sparklo. All facts and figures in this release are accurate at the time of issuance.