By A Sustainable Workshop alliance by Avid Learning at Dubai Design Week 2025
It’s possible to embrace sustainability in everyday life in an effortless and economical way. For years, Avid Learning has been advocating this belief, by supporting sustainability workshops and related discussions. At the recently concluded Dubai Design Week 2025, in a lively workshop conducted by The B.E. Story in partnership with Avid Learning Middle East, participants discovered ways to transform household food waste to chemical free bio-enzyme induced natural cleaners and dyes. An extension of the cultural arm of the Essar group, Avid Learning ME, is a family-owned conglomerate, headquartered in India.
The immersive lab-style Living Pigments , held at Maker Space in Dubai Design District, was led by Sumithra SV, an eco-lifestyle innovator and founder of The B.E. Story. Each participant learnt to ferment their own natural bio-enzyme solution by mixing dates, fruit and vegetable peels with the right ratio of water. The bio enzymes can be used to make natural cleaners and insect repellents and when mixed with essential oils, they can be used for skin care as well. During this ecologically creative workshop, participants also got a hands-on experience on testing natural dyes on handmade paper.
“Avid Learning has continuously supported sustainability both in India and in Dubai. We are thrilled to have collaborated with Sumithra SV on the Living Pigments workshop exploring a sustainable way of life through this interactive event. This workshop was a powerful way to stay true to our mission to harness creativity, collaboration and conscious innovation for learning,” said Madhu Ruia, Founder of Avid Learning.
Eco-friendly Programmes and Talks
Through its flagship initiative ‘Sustainability Now’, launched in 2020, Avid Learning has been sensitizing the public about environmental conservation. At the centre of the series are thematized and targeted discussions geared towards urging audiences to become changemakers and custodians building a greener future for the planet. As part of Sustainability Now, over 120 changemakers have presented over 90 plus programmes on themes as diverse as conscious clothing, technology for greener living, future of food and wildlife conservation. In Dubai Avid has been part of several discussions and workshops including the World Environment Day panel and sustainability-focused programmes at COP28 in the UAE, at SIKKA Art and Design festival. “Sustainability has always been one of the core pillars of our organization. Through our Sustainability Now programmes we encourage the audience to become conscious changemakers,” shared Ruia. “The Koli dance of indigenous Indian fishermen at COP28, the Coral Women Workshop at SIKKA Design festival in 2023 on marine conservation, panel discussions with conservationists and garden composting workshops to promote waste management in eco-friendly ways taught to over 600 students in the UAE are some of the ways in which we have fostered an eco-conscious mindset in this region.”
Earlier this year Avid Learning facilitated a panel discussion on bio-diversity and climate change at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, India. The session explored strategies for inclusive leadership and cross-sector collaboration to shape an integrated approach towards protecting our natural habitats. At the National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai too, the organisation in early 2025, hosted a thought-provoking exchange on water conservation celebrating the World Water Day.
The Sustainability Now initiative has also extended to include film screenings such as the Wildlife and Environment Mini Film Festival held at the Royal Opera House in Mumbai featuring films that raise environmental consciousness. “We believe that knowledge thrives where creativity and curiosity meet, a space where ideas evolve through dialogue, design and discovery. It reaffirms our mission to build cultural bridges and spark sustainable thinking. Reliving this belief at the Design Week truly felt inspirational and transformative,” said Ruia.
Inside Dubai Design Week
Community initiatives are integral to driving changes at the grassroot level. At the bio enzyme workshop as well, participants who came from all walks of life, had key takeaways from the interactive sessions. “Even as they learnt to make their own natural cleansers, they also tested the natural dyes, and explored the possibilities of organic matter turning into pigments. Many of them were curious and excited to see the way living pigments change colour with each stroke on paper making an artwork truly dynamic,” shared Sumithra SV, workshop facilitator and founder of The B.E. Story.
The 11th edition of the Dubai Design Week was an astounding celebration of creativity and community. The festival brought over 1,000 participants from more than 50 nationalities in a striking confluence of design, fashion, sustainability, art and architecture. Among the most outstanding installations included, Stories of the Isle and Inlet by Bahraini studio Maraj, a layered textile project centred around Nabih Saleh, a small island in the nation. Also, The Space Within, ARDH Collective, a structure made from DuneCrete, a low carbon concentrate developed from Al Ain desert sand, Chatai (Nikken Sekkei- Sobokuya), a handcrafted Japanese tea space and Woven Forest by Design Lab, a quiet sanctuary created from sustainable materials.
“Witnessing these installations at the Design Week, led me to find parallels with our own approach at Avid, where we have been promoting material innovation, sustainability with deep cultural reverence rooted in ecology and heritage, along with hands-on experiential learning. Being part of this forward-thinking fair has motivated us to keep amplifying regional voices in the green discourse,” reflected Ruia.