Food waste, landfill capacity, and the resulting GHG emissions are major issues facing many Canadian cities. We spoke to Zack H. Abdi, Managing Director, Provectus Enterprising Inc. & Provectus Middle East, to learn more about the company’s plans to promote and contribute to a circular economy that addresses waste and climate change.
Describe your core offering(s). How is your organization contributing to a cleaner, greener future?
The Provectus approach helps contribute to a circular economy, food security, and the food supply chain while addressing landfill diversion, lowering water footprints, and curbing the impacts of greenhouse gases. Our Zed Machine is a low-energy dehydration system that recycles food waste streams. The outputs are pathogen-free water, and 20% dry biomass that can be recycled to amend soil, and ideal as poultry and fish feed.
Other than coffee, what gets you out of bed in the morning? How does this work connect with your core beliefs and values?
Climate change is impacting everyone, and future generations will face brunt of it. I’m motivated by solutions that are easily scaled and that can empower everyone – from big corporations to common people – to make a difference. A solution like our Zed Machine can work for high-rise condos, farms, hotels, restaurants, and beyond. It can help us all tackle food waste and its impacts.
Tell us about a recent win (or wins) or your organization.
Provectus is participating at Green Expo in Mexico this September. We’ll also participate at WETEX in Dubai. Both locations are facing huge water shortage situations, and Mexico is the fifth-largest food producer in the world. Our solution not only prevents food waste from creating further stress on landfills and emitting large volumes of methane; it also captures the water in food waste, ensuring that it can be recycled on site. This helps create a circular economy that addresses issues related to urbanization.
We are also invited to participate at the upcoming Smart Cities Forum in Barcelona, where we will showcase how our waste-to-resources solution can be part of a closed-loop economy.
What’s next for your organization?
We are expanding our business coast to coast, and especially interested in supporting the growth of the circular economy in rural and Indigenous communities, many of which face a lack of effective waste management services that can lead to other issues. We want to show what’s possible from “farm to plate” and “plate to farm.”
Finally, what’s on your team’s wish list for Ontario’s cleantech sector?
We’d like to see strong and immediate mandates to curb GHG impact, as well as educational and religious intervention to help people of all walks of life participate in a circular economy and create legacy. We need to raise awareness of climate change from kindergarten to industry. We need to continue to see support for innovation that propels sustainability, including solutions that decentralize waste streams and reduce carbon emissions. As well, we need answers about how a meaningful circular economy can create jobs for local workforces and rural and Indigenous communities.
Get to know #ONcleantech! Each month, OCTIA will profile a different member company or organization. Want more Ontario clean technology content? Subscribe to our newsletter.