Home to a thriving economy and a wealthy population, the UAE is an excellent place to launch a business. However, not everyone creates a company here with the goal of simply making money.
Instead, many are driven by a desire to help people live more sustainably, and protect the planet for future generations.
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day 2025 is ’Accelerate Action’ – a worldwide call to take swift steps towards achieving gender equality – so we decided to highlight some of the women who have founded brave, bold and innovative sustainable businesses here in the UAE.
Jennifer Sault, Thrift for Good
Many of you will be very familiar with Dubai’s popular second-hand shop Thrift for Good. However, you might not know much about its inspiring founder, Jennifer Sault. Since her first store launched in 2020, Jennifer has ensured that all profits (roughly AED 150,000 per month) are directly donated to Gulf for Good, the non-profit organisation that funds children’s charity projects as far as Malawi, Uganda, the Philippines, Peru, Nepal, Lebanon and Palestine.
Equally passionate about sustainability as she is humanitarian work, any donated items that are not suitable for the store are given to the Dubai Flea Market, or processed through the Kiswa app to be made into carpets and furniture in India. Along with running Thrift for Good, Jennifer is also Charity Director of Gulf for Good. Heavily involved with the organisation’s fundraising adventure challenges, she has climbed Kilimanjaro, helped build classrooms in Tanzania, and continues to contribute to its many meaningful projects.
Lara Hussein and Ceylan Üren, The Waste Lab
Food waste is a huge issue across the globe. But thankfully, Dubai residents Lara and Ceylan have decided to do something about it. Both real life eco superheroes, they left their jobs at the height of the pandemic to start The Waste Lab, an award-winning business that collects food waste from hotels, restaurants, businesses and event spaces, to repurposes them into compost for local farms.
Recognised with multiple awards and named as one of the UAE Ministry of Economy’s Future100 companies in sustainability, the pair have already formed valuable partnerships with big hotel brands, and they host regular free sustainability workshops, too.
Sahar Karoubi, Bambuyu
In 2021, Iranian born Sahar Karoubi decided to quit her job in digital marketing and alongside her husband, launched a sustainable toilet paper company. Some may have thought her choice odd or risky, but she has since gone on to make Bambuyu a huge success. With 27,000 trees cut down daily around the globe to make tissue, the toilet paper industry contributes to around 15 percent of deforestation, and it contributes hugely to biodiversity loss and water pollution.
In contrast, Bambuyu’s tissues, kitchen rolls and toilet rolls are all made from bamboo, a type of grass that grows far more quickly than trees that are traditionally used. Sold in colourful and cool packaging designed by Sahar herself, every product is completely non-toxic, high quality, and designed to offer the perfect balance between sustainable and stylish.
Hanne Ripsaluoma, Dunesi
Dubai-based Hanne Ripsaluoma, originally from Finland, has a diverse background in business development across the UK, USA, Finland, and Dubai. After leaving her corporate career behind to pursue her passion for fashion, she became the Founder and Creative Director of Dunesi, a sustainable and catwalk-worthy denim brand. Hanne made the bold decision to work exclusively with existing materials, primarily preloved denim. With conventional denim production using over 7,000 liters of water per pair—equivalent to filling around three bathtubs—her focus on sustainability is more relevant than ever.
She also has a strong commitment to ethical manufacturing and fair working conditions making her creations the perfect choice for those who want to look great and feel good about their choices.
Tatianna Antonelli, Goumbook
One of the UAE’s leading environmental warriors, Tatiana founded sustainability and climate action social enterprise Goumbook all the way back in 2009. Having long been ahead of the curve when it comes to environmental action, she is one of the key forces behind Goumbook’s many impactful projects, including its tree planting campaigns, cigarette butt recycling schemes, food waste awareness drives and more. She also plays a key part in Goumbook’s MENA Oceans initiative (a campaign that aims to accelerate ocean protection action), and she was recently presented with the UAE’s Blue Visa for Global Climate Leaders in honour of the work she has done in sustainability over the past 15 years.
Soraya Sawan
Soraya Jouzy is the founder and Business Development Director of Pearl Tree – a Dubai-based company specialising in distributing high-end clean beauty, wellness products across the Middle East and Indian Ocean regions. The company, which she founded with her brother Sarry in 2017, collaborates with major hotels and spa operators to curate products and services that emphasise personalised approaches and sustainability. Under Soraya’s leadership, Pearl Tree has introduced a range of environmentally conscious products, from skincare to wellness, ensuring that each item enhances personal well-being and supports a healthier planet.
Farah Syed, Your Bagsy
Farah Syed is the Emirati founder of Your Bagsy, a groundbreaking platform that offers fashion lovers the chance to rent high-end handbags from iconic brands like Dior, Chanel, and Jacquemus. By reducing the demand for fast fashion, Your Bagsy helps to reduce waste in the fashion industry, which produces an estimated 92 million tons of textile waste every year.
The latest celebrity trend of renting luxury handbags, instead of buying them, is a fun and easy way to extend the life of your accessories. Let’s face it, mere mortals probably can’t afford to drop thousands on a designer bag anyway, so why not rent one for a fraction of the cost? Not only does it save you money and space, but it guarantees you always have a fresh, stylish bag to rock. By embracing this circular model for Your Bagsy, Farah is championing a greener, more conscious approach to luxury, so you can stay fabulous without harming the planet.
Pamela El Khoury, Diamìnd
Pamela El Khoury, founder of lab-grown diamond brand Diamìnd, is shaking up the local jewellery scene with her commitment to sustainable fine jewels. These diamonds – that are graded and certified by the same laboratories that assess mined diamonds – mirror exactly the brilliance and quality of traditional diamonds, but are created through environmentally friendly processes, ensuring a conflict-free and planet-friendly alternative.
Unlike traditional diamonds, which have been linked to funding violent conflicts and degradation of our planet, Pamela’s lab-grown creations provide a more ethical choice.The recently launched Celestial Collection, in collaboration with Hannah Rasekh, offers a stunning selection of fine jewellery pieces that can be worn in multiple ways, making them the fine jewelry equivalent of a capsule wardrobe. Whether worn alone for an understated look or stacked for a bold statement, each piece provides consumers with beautiful, responsibly-sourced jewel without the compromise.
Gergana Abdulrahman, WILK FABRIK
The creative founder of sustainable fashion platform Wild Fabrik Gergana has managed to grow her brand into something far bigger than just a place to shop gorgeous eco-friendly and ethical fashion collections. Along with making regular appearances at markets across the UAE, she also hosts regular panel discussions and community events, while the brand’s partnerships with Emirates Nature – WWF and Azraq has allowed her to do their bit to promote eco-friendly practices, and directly contribute to environmental conservation.
As if that wasn’t enough, Gergana has also launched WILD TALKS, a monthly podcast series that covers pressing sustainability topics. Make sure you give it a try next time you’re searching for some good listening material.
Nadia Al Shimmari, Hello&GoodBuy
Dubai beats Abu Dhabi in terms of thrift shop numbers, but Nadia Al Shimmari has long been on a mission to change this. Since launching her pre-loved luxury clothing and accessory shop in the capital in 2022, Hello&GoodBuy has grown into a movement in itself, and a community of like-minded community activists. Along with encouraging residents to donate items, shop second hand, and prevent more waste from being thrown into our landfills, Nadia and her team organise Hello&GoodBuy beach cleanups, fashion shows, and other eco-conscious events.
Committed to encouraging green habits in all areas of life, Hello&GoodBuy is also a deforestation partner of the One Tree Planted initiative, a scheme that sees one tree planted for every item sold from its online store or in-person shopping experiences.
Grace Karim and Somia Anwar, Bookends
Choosing second-hand books over new ones is far better for the environment, not to mention much cheaper, too. Offering books for as little as AED 10, Grace Karim and Somia Anwar started Bookends simply because they simply wanted to get more kids (and adults) reading in the UAE. In April 2024, they thought their venture had come to an end when the Dubai floods destroyed their store and over 14,000 of their books. But, since then, they have bounced back stronger than ever, largely thanks to the overwhelming love and support they received from the community.
Built on resilience and a love for reading, the pair continue to host workshops, storytelling sessions, book launches and much more at their branch in Dubai Silicon Oasis, and provide a welcoming space where everyone can discover the joys of reading, and connect with fellow book lovers.
Mihaela Ungureanu, EDOS swimwear
Mihaela Ungureanu is the founder of EDOS Swimwear, a brand that’s as eco-conscious as it is stylish. Inspired by the endless beauty of nature and sunshine, EDOS offers feminine, timeless, and versatile swimwear designed to take you from day to night. Not only does the brand source premium materials from Italy and manufacture its products in Portugal, but Mihaela also goes the extra mile by using ECONYL®, a fabric made from discarded fishing nets, giving new life to materials that would otherwise harm the ocean.
With a commitment to sustainability, EDOS ensures high-quality, ethical production practices. Available in sizes XS to L (with plans to expand), Mihaela’s vision is simple: empower women to feel confident and chic while rocking swimwear that’s both beautiful and planet-friendly.
Anthea Ayache, The Ethicalist
Well, we know she’s founder of this magazine but it didn’t seem right to miss her out given all she’s doing to raise awareness about sustainable living right here on our doorstep.
Anthea Ayache is the founder of The Ethicalist, the region’s only sustainable lifestyle magazine. Launched digitally in 2022 and in print in 2024, her publication focuses on advocating for a luxury lifestyle – well we are in the UAE after all – with a low carbon footprint. With a background in humanitarian and conservation journalism spanning over a decade, Anthea built the publication from the ground up, highlighting her resilience and passion for environmental causes. Through her magazine, she aims to educate and empower the public, pushing for meaningful conversations about conservation, sustainability, and ethical consumerism in a region where eco-conscious living is gaining momentum.
