The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) has begun distributing approximately 100,000 paper bags free of charge to bakeries and food businesses in Aqaba, Jordan, as the city works to reduce its reliance on plastic carrier bags.

The campaign is being implemented with the Aqaba Chamber of Commerce under the “Towards a Plastic-Free Aqaba” initiative.

Rather than sourcing the bags from outside the region, ASEZA is purchasing them from a local community-based manufacturing operation, linking the plastic-reduction program with support for local employment and production.

Local Factory Produces 100,000 Paper Bags

The bags are manufactured by the Alternatives Paper Bags Factory in Aqaba Industrial City.

The facility is operated by the Bayt Al-Ward Women’s Association, and ASEZA has provided support to the operation while purchasing the paper bags being distributed to businesses this year.

The arrangement gives the environmental initiative a second objective beyond replacing plastic bags.

It creates demand for locally manufactured paper packaging while supporting a community-based enterprise.

For Aqaba’s bakeries and food businesses, the initial transition is being subsidized because the approximately 100,000 bags are being provided without charge during the first year.

Businesses Expected to Contribute From Next Year

ASEZA does not intend the free distribution model to continue indefinitely.

Taghreed Maaytah, director of ASEZA’s Environment Protection and Sustainability Directorate, said the first-year program is designed to encourage businesses to begin using more sustainable packaging alternatives.

The authority plans to continue the initiative next year, but participating bakeries and food establishments will then be expected to make a nominal contribution toward the cost of the paper bags.

The model is intended to gradually shift the program from a fully subsidized introduction toward greater private-sector participation.

That transition will be important to determining whether paper bags become a sustained packaging option for participating businesses rather than a temporary replacement supported solely by public funding.

Aqaba Targets Reduced Reliance on Plastic Bags

The campaign forms part of ASEZA’s wider effort to reduce plastic use within Aqaba.

Food businesses and bakeries represent a practical target because carrier and takeaway bags are high-volume, short-life packaging products that can quickly enter municipal waste streams.

Paper can provide an alternative in suitable applications, although the overall environmental performance of any packaging format also depends on factors including material sourcing, manufacturing, reuse, collection and end-of-life management.

ASEZA’s approach combines the packaging change with local production rather than treating material substitution as a standalone measure.

The first year will effectively provide businesses with an opportunity to introduce the paper bags without initially absorbing the full purchasing cost.

Wadi Rum Program Adds Environmental Education

Separately, ASEZA’s Wadi Rum Directorate has launched the “Bayraq Shaddad Al-Rakayeb” program involving 30 local students.

The program focuses on environmental awareness, conservation and Wadi Rum’s natural and cultural heritage.

Participants will receive training and take part in practical activities covering protection of natural resources, preservation of tourism assets and understanding of the area’s cultural identity and Bedouin heritage.

Wadi Rum Director Saleh Al-Nuaimat said the initiative is intended to strengthen students’ responsibility toward their communities and deepen their connection with the area’s landscape and heritage.

The program also aims to strengthen cooperation among schools, local communities and organizations involved in tourism, youth development and nature conservation.

Together with the paper-bag campaign in Aqaba, the initiatives show ASEZA combining waste reduction, local manufacturing and environmental education rather than focusing on a single environmental measure.

For the packaging sector, the 100,000-bag distribution program is particularly notable as a small-scale example of how public procurement can be used to introduce alternative packaging while simultaneously creating demand for locally manufactured paper products.

Last Updated on 28/08/2026 by Jota Machinery