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Abu Dhabi to introduce new ‘green’ driving licence packages

The feature will display the amount of carbon emitted during the entire process of obtaining a driving licence, from opening of file to taking a class

Fancy having a ‘green’ driving licence and becoming a responsible resident? Abu Dhabi-headquartered Emirates Driving Company (EDC) and Dubai-based climate-tech startup CarbonSifr, have inked a memorandum of understanding to introduce a unique ‘green driving licence package’ as part of their commitment to carbon neutrality.

As per agreement with the EDC, the climate-tech solution will display the amount of carbon emitted during the entire process of obtaining a driving licence, from the opening of a file to taking driving classes.

CarbonSifr, through its tech solutions, helps businesses measure their carbon footprints and provides them with AI-powered recommendations and options to reduce and remove their emissions. Its tech solutions are integrated into businesses’ web touchpoints and platforms used by customers, which communicate details on carbon footprints and offer an option to make the purchase climate-friendly by paying some extra bucks. The additional money, payable by the customer or the company, or both, will be channelled to an environmental project like planting mangroves or carbon capture, etc.

Onur Elgun, co-founder and CEO, CarbonSifr, said the startup helps businesses engage customers in the climate action journey.

“With EDC, when you apply for a driving licence, we calculate the total emissions (of the vehicles) throughout the process, from application to driving the car during the practice sessions. We communicate it to the end users, who will have the option to make their driving licence green. And then we connect this with high-quality carbon removal projects in the UAE and the region,” Elgun told Khaleej Times during the National Dialogue for Climate Ambition.

“With EDC, we focus on their customer touchpoints on the web or offline. So, when someone comes for a service to EDC, we calculate the emissions of that specific service and give options, both to EDC and to the customers to make the transaction green,” Elgun said.

Marking the Year of Sustainability and ahead of hosting the COP28UAE, most local entities and organisations are accelerating climate action.

Khaled Al Shamili, chief executive officer, EDC, noted: “With sustainability now firmly embedded in our business model, EDC had laid the foundation to become a regional sustainability champion in the coming years. As a next step, we hope to become one of the first corporations to commit to a science-based target in support of the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative.”

CarbonSifr tech solution can be used to know the emissions of a taxi trip or while ordering food too. The calculations on emissions are based on the type of vehicle and the distance travelled. Accordingly, the tech solution will show the cost of removing carbon footprints by adding it to the final bill.

Currently, CarbonSifr is focusing on sectors and services like mobility, hospitality, real estate, e-commerce, food and grocery delivery, shipping, and tourism, with more in the pipeline.

He underlined that the startup is aiming to turn every purchase into an opportunity for climate action.

“We encourage businesses to take climate action. We give consumers, who are environmentally conscious but may have no option to take a tangible action, a chance to contribute. Also, companies can match the contributions of the customer. So we make it completely green at the click of a button. And then we provide a ‘thank you’ note that can be shared on social media. So people can talk about the action they’ve taken. Our objective is to bring climate action into the lives of normal people on a day-to-day basis.”

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