News DeskAbu Dhabi, UAE – Ethara, the region’s leading live events and entertainment company, together with its joint venture venue operation partner OVG Middle East, has announced a multi-year partnership with Again, Please, a UAE-based reusable foodware packaging system by Polygreen, in a major step toward sustainable event management in the region.
The partnership follows a successful pilot conducted during November and December 2025 across seven high-profile concerts and live events at Etihad Park and Yas Marina Circuit, including the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Grand Prix weekend alone attracted 339,000 attendees, alongside large after-race concert audiences.
As part of the pilot, reusable cups were introduced at food and beverage vendors across both venues, supported by clearly marked collection points and an incentive scheme to encourage returns. The initiative tested the operational, logistical, and consumer experience feasibility of reusable systems at scale, demonstrating strong performance in high-footfall environments.
The results exceeded expectations, with more than 500,000 single-use plastic cups prevented from entering the waste stream and an 82 per cent return rate achieved. Manufactured from durable polypropylene, the Again, Please cups can be washed and reused up to 200 times before being recycled.
Building on this success, Ethara and Again, Please have formalised a multi-year agreement to deploy reusable cups at all events hosted across Ethara and OVG Middle East-operated venues, including Etihad Park, Yas Marina Circuit, and Etihad Arena. Supported by Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, the initiative is the first of its kind in the region and represents a significant milestone in large-scale circular economy adoption within the events sector.
Hesham Al Jneibi, Executive Director of Event Operations at Ethara, said the partnership aligns with the company’s long-term sustainability goals. “Our venues host the region’s landmark events, festivals, and A-list concerts attended by hundreds of thousands of people. Partnering with Again, Please and introducing sustainable circular solutions at such a scale will have a meaningful impact and drive positive behavioural change across our communities and the events industry,” he said.
Again, Please will deliver the full end-to-end reusable ecosystem, including asset management, collection infrastructure, reverse logistics, industrial washing, and redistribution. The company is the first in the UAE to offer a complete reverse logistics solution for reusable foodware tailored to large-scale venues.
Theodossios Kassapantoniou, General Manager at Again, Please, highlighted the broader implications of the initiative. “Live events present one of the biggest opportunities to eliminate single-use waste at scale. Our partnership with Ethara demonstrates how reusable systems can work seamlessly even in complex, high-volume environments,” he said. “Together, we are showing what is possible when ambition, infrastructure, and collaboration come together.”
The partnership positions Abu Dhabi at the forefront of sustainable live event operations in the Middle East, setting a new benchmark for environmental responsibility across the regional entertainment industry.
