Since 2009, 65% of du's customers have opted to save the planet with paperless e-billing

Achieving a more sustainable future is in all of our best interests, and is the responsibility of all. Ever conscious of its potential to have an impact on the local community, UAE's telecom service provider "du"  is delivering on its promise by announcing that 65% of its customers have opted for paperless e-billing, since the system launched in 2009. du introduced its e-billing system with the aim to cut back on the amount of paper used, and to reduce carbon emissions – thereby helping to preserve the environment.

e-billing creates a win-win situation for everyone involved: customers get their bills faster and more conveniently, and du cuts back on paper usage. The biggest winner is, of course, the environment.

Last year alone 'du'  managed to cut down our consumer printables by 58% to 1.76 million papers from 4.21 million papers in 2011, and 'du'   is constantly working to improve this figure by inspiring more of it's customers and colleagues to adopt greener habits.

These efforts towards becoming more sustainable are in line with the UAE's long-term national initiative to build a green economy, under the slogan 'A green economy for sustainable development'.

du practices several methods of reducing stationary consumption and waste. A reporting mechanism in the company's managed printer services ensures that every page used is counted. In 2012, du reduced its printer cartridge consumption by 43%, and recycled 322 cartridges.

On top of this, all carrier bags and leaflets used in du's Shops are made from recycled and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified.

Last year, du's sustainability efforts led to recycling 185 tonnes of paper, cardboard and plastic. This covers:
• 90.93 tonnes of paper waste being recycled.
• 43.67 tonnes of cardboard.
• 40.71 tonnes of plastics and scratch cards.