Ecolog International


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. With local presence in 5 continents, the company has operations in more than 30 countries and over 150 locations worldwide.

History

Ecolog International was founded in 1998 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 and expanded into a wide variety of services to government, commercial entities and non-profit organizations. By 2005, the company established a headquarters in Dusseldorf, Germany, and reached €131 million in sales. In 2007, Destani stepped down from managing day-to-day operations of Ecolog but maintained oversight as the chairman of the company. Destani was succeeded as CEO by António Gonçalves, Paul Broekhuijesen, Adil Toubia in 2017, and, in mid 2019, by Ali Vezvaei.

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, including the United Nations. 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. The company operates under the guidelines set by the ISO9001, ISO14001, and OHSAS 18001 ISO Certifications. 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.
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.

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.

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 Macedonia. In March 2017, the company partnered with the German Embassy to donate a variety of trees to the Center for Culture in Tetovo, Macedonia. In December 2018, the company donated computers to create a computer lab at the University of Bangui in the Central African Republic. Ecolog donated mobile school facilities in the Al Nasr community, Iraq, located 50km away from Baghdad.
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. 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.

Sponsorships

Since 2013, the company has been the sponsor of the KF Shkëndija football club based in Tetovo, North Macedonia. In 2016, the company took the home stadium for the football club under concession, and planned to invest to renovate the stadium and bring it up to date.

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.
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.
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. 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.
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.

Awards and recognition

In 2019, the company publicized its Communication on Progress of its commitments to the UN Global Compact. The company received a gold award from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents in 2017 and 2018 for its safety and security protocols.