Successful pilot prevented waste of 500,000+ single-use cups; multi-year agreement to scale solution across all events at Etihad Park, Yas Marina Circuit and Etihad Arena
Abu Dhabi, UAE, January, 2026: Ethara, the region’s leading live events and entertainment company, and their joint venture venue operation partner OVG Middle East, have announced a new partnership with Again, Please, the UAE-based reusable foodware packaging system by Polygreen, marking a significant milestone in sustainable event management across the region.
Ethara successfully piloted Again, Please reusable foodware 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, which drew 339,000 attendees to the circuit and the after-race concerts.
The pilot program introduced Again, Please reusable cups at F&B vendors across both venues, complemented by dedicated collection points and an incentive scheme to drive participation. The pilot tested the operational, logistical, and consumer experience aspects of reusable cup systems at scale and demonstrated strong viability in high-footfall events.
The results were compelling: over 500,000 single-use plastic cups were prevented from entering the waste stream, with an impressive 82% return rate via collection points. Made from durable polypropylene, Again, Please cups can be washed and reused up to 200 times before being recycled.
Building on this success, Ethara and Again, Please signed a multi-year agreement to provide reusable cups at all events hosted at Ethara and OVG Middle East-operated venues, including Etihad Park, Yas Marina Circuit, and Etihad Arena.
The partnership, supported by Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, is the regional first and marks significant progress in Ethara’s sustainability strategy, which focuses on reducing environmental impact across events and venue operations while delivering world-class experiences for guests.
Hesham Al Jneibi, Executive Director of Event Operations at Ethara, said, “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 will drive positive behavioural change across our communities and the events industry.”
As a partner enabling the ecosystem, Again, Please is responsible for the end-to-end reusable model, including asset management, collection infrastructure, reverse logistics, industrial washing, and redistribution – ensuring a fully circular system tailored for large-scale venues and events. Again, Please is the first company in the UAE to provide an End-To-End reverse logistics solution for reusable foodware.
Theodossios Kassapantoniou, General Manager at Again, Please, said, “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 such as Etihad Park, Yas Marina Circuit, and Etihad Arena. Together, we are showing what is possible when ambition, infrastructure, and collaboration come together.”
