In celebration of the UAE’s 50^th anniversary, and in an effort to encourage a more sustainable UAE following the vision of its founders, The National and Havas Middle East have conceptualized and printed the country’s first ‘plantable’ paper, #TheNationalGhafPaper. A symbol of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al Nahyan’s vision for a greener nation, this National Day edition, launched on December 2, represents the ghaf, the UAE’s national tree which the late Sheikh Zayed planted in the 70s to ‘greenify’ the desert.

Made entirely of seed paper, vegetable oil, and ghaf tree seeds, the special edition paper is completely biodegradable and is meant to be planted in the UAE’s prosperous land, eventually growing into a ghaf tree that can live for the next 50 years.

The special operation, supported by the Give a Ghaf tree-planting program, offered The National’s social audience in the UAE the chance to own one of only 50 ghaf papers through a competition on Instagram @TheNationalNews.com, calling for UAE residents to share their stories of how the UAE helped them grow their dreams.

The National’s competition invited potential winners to sow the seeds of the next 50 years by planting the paper, putting down roots to thrive no matter the conditions, and in that, following in the footsteps of the nation’s father’s great vision.

“The UAE has welcomed us all with open arms and supported our dreams of a better tomorrow. On the nation’s Golden Jubilee, we at The National are honored to celebrate both its sustainability vision and one of its symbols, the ghaf tree, an emblem of union, hope, life, and stability, by printing the country’s first-ever plantable paper,” Mireille Puskulian, Head of Marketing and Communications at The National, said in a statement.