Kuwait: Zain announced its sponsorship of the smart net-zero bus stop project in collaboration with the Australian University (AU). The project, innovated by a group of students to facilitate transportation from and to campus, was designed to have net zero emissions by using renewable energy to power its facilities, achieving a positive social impact and serving sustainable goals at the same time.

Zain joined the project’s inauguration ceremony, attended by President of the Australian University Professor Isam Zabalawi, Zain Kuwait Corporate Affairs and Relations Officer Waleed Al Khashti, Assistant to the President for Support Services Sager Al Sharhan, Dean of the College of Engineering Dr. Mohammed Abdulniby, as well as AU officials and Zain Kuwait’s Corporate Sustainability team.

The company’s support to this aspiring student project in collaboration with AU embodies their joint vision to support effective and practical sustainable solutions, encourage creative young Kuwaiti engineers, and foster innovation to tackle infrastructure challenges related to climate change.

A group of students from AU’s College of Engineering designed and executed the smart net-zero bus stop as a graduation project, winning last year’s Civil Engineering category in the Exhibition of Engineering Students’ Graduation Projects. The bus stop aims to make it easy for students to move from and to campus and encourages them to adopt public transportation to reduce the negative impact on environmental sustainability.

The bus stop was built from a modified and enhanced shipping container, supported with modern insulating materials. It was also supplied with solar panels to power its facilities independently using renewable energy so that is achieves net zero emissions. Ultimately, the initiative embodies the intersection of innovation and sustainability in infrastructure projects.

The bus stop offers students a cooled, comfortable space while waiting, where they can also charge their smartphones using the built-in USB ports. The generated solar power also feeds the integrated LED lights that automatically turn on at night.

Zain’s support to this project reflects its eagerness to foster creativity and innovation in the community by empowering aspiring student projects under its Corporate Sustainability and Social Responsibility strategy. The company puts the support of education at the forefront of its priorities, and continues to collaborate with academic institutions, universities, schools, and colleges to invest in education and the next generation of Kuwait’s leaders.

Zain is committed to building a comprehensive program that adapts the company's operational processes to align with its sustainable development goals. The company has made addressing climate change one of the pillars of its corporate sustainability strategy and is dedicated to reducing its overall energy consumption and emissions across its entire value chain, enhancing the environmental performance of its workplaces, and promoting environmental care.

Zain has established short and medium-term targets to lower its entire carbon footprint and aims to achieve net zero by 2050 to minimize its negative environmental effects. The company continues to conduct extensive research on cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and renewable energy to reduce the ICT sector’s carbon footprint.