Ecolog International

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Ecolog International
TypePrivate
FounderNazif Destani
Headquarters
Dubai
,
United Arab Emirates
Key people
Ali Vezvaei (CEO) [1]
Number of employees
12,000[2] (2020)
ParentND Group
Websiteecolog-international.com/en/

Ecolog International is a multinational company that uses technology and supply chain management to provide services for a variety of industries including energy, construction, facility management and the environment. Ecolog is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[3][4] With local presence in 5 continents, the company has operations in more than 30 countries and over 150 locations worldwide.[5]

History[]

Ecolog International was founded in 1999 by Nazif Destani after discovering German soldiers conducting a NATO engagement for the KFOR mission lacked proper laundry services. The company started with laundry services for the German forces (Bundeswehr) and expanded into a wide variety of services to government, commercial entities and non-profit organizations.[6] By 2005, the company established a headquarters in Dusseldorf, Germany, and reached €131 million in sales.[7] In 2007, Destani stepped down from managing day-to-day operations of Ecolog but maintained oversight as the chairman of the company.[8] Destani was succeeded as CEO by António Gonçalves, Paul Broekhuijesen, Adil Toubia in 2017, and, in mid 2019, by Ali Vezvaei.[9][10]

Operations[]

Ecolog International's infrastructure includes air service, logistics, fuel, water, catering, storage, construction, industrial services and facility management, disinfection and cleaning, laundry, mobile lavatories, energy supply and waste management, all of which are widely used by oil and gas and mining operations as well as government and defence contractors, humanitarian and non-governmental organizations (NGO), including the United Nations.[11][12] The company has been contracted to work with the Royal Dutch Shell, Samsung, Petronas, Weatherford International, and Qatar Gas, as well as the U.S. Army, the United Nations, the UK Ministry of Defence, the Bundeswehr, NATO and the French Army.[13][14][6][15] The company operates under the guidelines set by the ISO9001, ISO14001, and OHSAS 18001 ISO Certifications.[16] Ecolog underwent a due diligence process in 2018 and was certified by Trace International and is a supporter of the ten principles of the United Nations’ Global Compact by adopting sustainable and socially responsible policies on human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.[17]

The company has established several partnerships and portfolio expansions since mid-2019, including establishing its new Eco-Care Solution in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well Ecolog Energy Solution as its water and power divisions focused on harnessing the most abundant resources, seawater and sunshine.[18]

Corporate leadership[]

In mid-2019, oil and gas executive Ali Vezvaei joined Ecolog International as the group CEO and the CEO of the management board.[19]

Philanthropy[]

Ecolog partnered with the United States Agency for International Development Small Business Expansion Project to launch the Support Fund For Women and Youth Entrepreneurs in 2014 to create more jobs in the Polog region of North Macedonia.[20] In March 2017, the company partnered with the German Embassy to donate a variety of trees to the Center for Culture in Tetovo, Macedonia.[21] In December 2018, the company donated computers to create a computer lab at the University of Bangui in the Central African Republic.[22] Ecolog donated mobile school facilities in the Al Nasr community, Iraq, located 50 km away from Baghdad.[23]

On 26 November 2019, northwestern Albania was struck by a powerful earthquake that killed and injured many citizens. Ecolog responded by offering transportation and donating supplies to rescue workers.[24] In April 2020, the company donated thousands of electronic devices to students in various parts of North Macedonia to support distance learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[25]

Sponsorships[]

Since 2013, the company has sponsored KF Shkëndija football club in Tetovo, North Macedonia.[26] In 2016, the company took the club's home stadium, Tetovo City Stadium, under concession and renovated the stadium including adding seating and floodlights that enabled the stadium to host international matches.[27] The stadium was renamed Ecolog Arena in July 2016.

Criticisms[]

Between 2006 and 2009, Ecolog was criticized in the German press for using a laundry detergent that gave German soldier's uniforms a pink tint, allowing them to be more visible on night vision goggles, not properly treating black water and failing to properly prepare diesel fuel for adverse weather. Ecolog investigated the matter in conjunction with Germany's Ministry of Defense which concluded that the issue was a minor disruption which had been fully identified and corrected.[15][28]

In 2014, an Al Jazeera America story accused Ecolog and other contractors in Afghanistan of outsourcing hiring recruiters who charged prospective employees an agent fee to secure employment with the company. The company told reporters that such alleged practices were against company's recruitment policy and that it welcomed direct applications.[29]

In 2017, news surfaced that Ecolog drivers had been accused of taking bribes to transport civilians from the city of Bangassou after U.N. peacekeepers refused to evacuate them. According to the story, Ecolog drivers accepted up to $100 per person bribes to transport civilians from the town. As a result, officials from the MINUSCA mission sent a letter to the company asking that it steps to prevent the civilian transports in the future.[30] After an investigation conducted by the company, one driver was found to have accepted bribes to transport civilians. The driver was immediately dismissed in November 2017.[31]

In May 2018, several items were discovered in a truck in Ippy, Central African Republic, which was servicing the United Nations peacekeeping mission under Ecolog's contract. Ecolog investigated the incident in conjunction with United Nations officials, with the conclusion that Ecolog was not involved and the trafficking act was committed unilaterally by third-party subcontractor's drivers in their own capacity.[32]

Awards and recognition[]

In 2019, the company publicized its Communication on Progress of its commitments to the UN Global Compact.[33][34] The company received a gold award from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in 2017 and 2018 for its safety and security protocols. It was also recognised by RoSPA with the gold award in 2020.[35][36]

References[]

  1. ^ "New CEO Joins Management Board at Ecolog". Africa News.
  2. ^ "Ecolog". Army Technology.
  3. ^ "Falklands' Meat Company Enters Contract to Supply Defense Facilities at MPC/MPA". MP. April 11, 2018.
  4. ^ Abdelhamid, Aisha (January 7, 2015). "Cleaning Up NATO's Hazardous Waste in Afghanistan". Inspired Economist.
  5. ^ "Ecolog International and Dynology Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to expand cooperation in defense and energy sectors". CNBC Africa. 26 August 2019.
  6. ^ a b Onkelbach, Hans (May 15, 2014). "Ariel für die Bundeswehr in Afghanistan" (in German). RP Online.
  7. ^ "ECOLOG DEUTSCHLAND GMBH, DÜSSELDORF" (in German). North Data.
  8. ^ "Ecolog's Battle-hardened Labour Fource". Intelligence Online. May 3, 2014.
  9. ^ "Ecolog Appoints Adil Toubia as Vice Chairman, CEO". Arab News. July 24, 2017.
  10. ^ "New CEO Joins Management Board at Ecolog". CNBC Africa.
  11. ^ "Ecolog International FZE". LobbyFacts.eu. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  12. ^ "Ecolog International and Treox Join Forces to Enhance Ecolog's Disinfection Solution 4.0 in Combating COVID-19 Pandemic". Seeking Alpha.
  13. ^ "Falklands' meat company enters contract to supply defense facilities at MPC/MPA".
  14. ^ "Profile". Ecolog International.
  15. ^ a b Funk, Viktor (March 6, 2010). "Bundeswehr ist unser liebster Kunde" (in German). FR.de.
  16. ^ "Ecolog International FZE (Ecolog)". LobbyingFacts.
  17. ^ "Ecolog International has completed TRACEcertification". Ecolog.
  18. ^ "Ecolog International and Centre for Organic Electronics at the University of Newcastle-Australia Signed a Strategic Memorandum of Understanding to Commercialize Printed Solar – A Revolutionary Low-cost, Ultra-lightweight and Highly Portable Solar Energy Solution". Solar Quarter. 13 April 2020.
  19. ^ "New CEO Joins Management Board at ECOLOG". Zawya.
  20. ^ "USAID and Ecolog Launch Support Fund For Women and Youth Entrepreneurs". USAID. 28 March 2014.
  21. ^ "Ecolog International me filantrop Lazim Destanin dhe ambasaden Gjermane i japin ajër te pastër Tetovës". Zëri. 21 March 2017.
  22. ^ "Ecolog International engagé avec la création du Laboratoire informatique de l'université de Bangui". Africa News.
  23. ^ "Ecolog continues its CSR commitment and assists Al Nasr community in Iraq with mobile teaching facilities". Ecolog. 17 January 2019.
  24. ^ ""Ecolog" me urgjencë dërgon ndihmat e para në Shqipëri, në gatishmëri për ndihma tjera". Iliria News Agency. 27 November 2019.
  25. ^ "Ecolog International Donates Technical Devices During COVID-19 Challenging Times to Children With Limited Access to Digital Resources". Yahoo.
  26. ^ ""Ecolog" shpëton Shkëndijën, tha PO" (in Albanian). Asport. July 31, 2013. Archived from the original on August 2, 2013.
  27. ^ "Destani merr dy stadiumet e Tetovës ku pritet të investojë 8 milionë euro" (in Albanian). lajmi.net. July 19, 2016.
  28. ^ "Bundeswehr-Dienstleister Ecolog wegen sicherheitsrelevanter Fehler in der Kritik". Wirtschafts Woche. 6 March 2010.
  29. ^ Black, Samuel (March 7, 2014). "After 12 Years of War, Labor Abuses Rampant on US Bases in Afghanistan". Aljazeera America.
  30. ^ "In C. African Republic, UN Contractors Bribed to Aid Muslims". Chicago Tribune. 28 October 2017.
  31. ^ "Driver fired in Central African Republic bribery case". National Post. 7 November 2017.
  32. ^ "UN contractor 'satisfied' after exoneration in C Africa incident". Africa News.
  33. ^ "Ecolog International". United Nations.
  34. ^ "Communication on Progress". United Nations Global Compact.
  35. ^ "Ecolog wins second RoSPA Gold Award for Safety". Ecolog. 10 September 2018.
  36. ^ Winners in 2020

External links[]

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