Refill, Reuse, Reimagine: GE Festival's Collaboration With No More Bottles

How a community-led partnership at GE Festival 2025 demonstrated the power of simple actions in driving large-scale environmental impact

Published: Tue 9 Dec 2025, 4:03 PM

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Businesses and organisations worldwide are being challenged to rethink responsible resource use, reduce waste and create meaningful environmental impact. While Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting continues to guide this shift, many organisations are proactively addressing the environmental consequences of waste.

A recent collaboration between the Ismaili Community and No More Bottles (NMB) at the Global Encounters (GE) Festival 2025 showcased how collective action can deliver measurable change. Thousands gathered at Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Sports City for a week-long celebration of art, culture and community - an ideal platform to promote sustainability in practice.

Alida Saleh, vice lead sustainability, GE Festival, said:“The 2025 Global Encounters (GE) Festival's sustainability goal was to raise awareness and design an international gathering that prioritised environmental responsibility and minimised the Festival's collective footprint. By integrating sustainability into the Festival, we were able to lead by example, inspire action across the Community, and contribute to a more sustainable future.”

In alignment with this ethos, the Community opted for No More Bottles' hydration walls - offering still and sparkling water. These stations dispensed more than 41,000 litres, helping avoid the use of approximately 82,000 plastic bottles. The initiative proved that small changes, when scaled, create significant impact. Thousands of attendees experienced firsthand how easy it is to refill rather than discard, contributing collectively to a greener future.

NMB continues to support companies, organisations and communities in taking tangible steps towards sustainability. With ESG reporting becoming increasingly central to corporate accountability, businesses are expected to show measurable progress rather than rely on pledges alone. NMB's solutions directly feed into this need.

Established with the mission to eliminate single-use plastics, NMB delivers innovative, mains-fed water dispensers and hydration solutions across the UAE. By replacing disposable bottles with filtered water systems, organisations benefit from reduced waste, cost savings and clear, trackable ESG data. NMB systems can even record the number of single-use bottles avoided - an ideal tool for sustainability reports.

The events industry, once associated with large amounts of waste, is now reimagining what responsible experiences can look like. For eight years, NMB has been part of this transformation by providing sustainable hydration alternatives that remove the need for plastic bottles.

Shahaz Nanji, director F&B, GE Festival, added:“As a Community, we engage with the initiatives of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) to champion global sustainability through education and collaborative efforts. We were delighted to partner with No More Bottles in setting up multiple hydration stations across Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Sports City for the GE Festival 2025, which strongly aligned with our ethos.”

For NMB, the GE Festival was more than a project - it was proof that sustainability and exceptional experiences can coexist. When people encounter NMB dispensers - at an office, a concert or a sports event - it often sparks a shift in thinking. They realise how effortless it is to refill, and that awareness carries into their everyday lives. From an office saving 900 bottles to an event saving 80,000, every effort contributes to a larger movement.

At No More Bottles, sustainability is viewed as an ongoing journey built on consistent progress. With simple, practical solutions and the growing influence of ESG frameworks, organisations can measure, demonstrate and celebrate environmental impact. Events amplify what is possible, and visible alternatives - like refill stations - encourage change at both individual and community levels.

One message remains clear: every refill counts.

No More Bottles can help you start your sustainable journey.

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