Rena Gafarova, executive director of the "Karvan-L" group of companies and founder of Africa-Azerbaijan Cooperation LLC, recently emphasized the importance of providing ecological clean products year-round. In her statement to Ednews, she highlighted several key initiatives and priorities aligned with Azerbaijan's economic and environmental goals.

"The transition to a 'green economy' and becoming a supplier of 'green energy' are among the priorities of economic policy of the Republic of Azerbaijan," said Gafarova. "By the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, 2024 was declared the 'Green World Solidarity Year' in Azerbaijan. In November of this year, COP29 will be held in Azerbaijan."

Gafarova pointed out the increasing pollution and waste levels worldwide, emphasizing the importance of such initiatives. "The climate and nature in which we live are being polluted day by day, the amount of waste is increasing, and all the world is deprived of oxygen and cleanliness. During COP29, Baku will become the center of the world and everyone will be interested in this conference. Of course, it will give positive contributions to economic, political, and tourism sectors of the country. More guests will visit our country during and after the event. I guess that the economy and tourism sectors will increase in Azerbaijan."

Gafarova also highlighted the significance of applying ecological, social, and corporate governance (ESG) principles. "Application of ecological, social, and corporate governance principles is considered a positive factor for business as well as contributing to the transition to a 'green economy'. ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) means environmental, social and corporate governance. In general, ESG is a set of criteria and guiding ideas that assess the impact of business on the environment and society, as well as how transparent and reliable the business operates."

Supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Azerbaijan, particularly Goal 12, which focuses on sustainable production and consumption, Gafarova stressed the importance of resource and energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and improved quality of life. "Recycling the plastic materials in the industry is related to the XII Sustainable Development Goal of the UNO. This goal is aimed to provide sustainable consumption and production samples and recycling the plastic materials is the core aspect for reducing the waste, promoting the resource efficiency and promoting the sustainable industrial processes."

For the past 15 years, "Karvan-L" group has been actively engaged in corporate social responsibility. "Waste management, plastic waste, parts of metal and metal waste, polyethylene, tree and waste, car tyres, electrical wires which have been expired, as well as technical pipes of polyethylene waste are recycled in our company. By turning the waste into finished product, we both keep the ecology clean and create job sites."

Gafarova also mentioned their efforts in organic food production. "According to the XII goal, our company is one of the companies growing the first organic food in Azerbaijan by establishing the first private industrial park 'Karvan-L Eko' producing the tomato since 2015. It grows the tomato in an organic condition in the greenhouse and in the frame of rules adopted in this field. The main goal is to provide people with ecological clean product along the whole year."