UAE

Rana Hajirasouli: Giving Surplus a Second Life

Rana Hajirasouli's The Surpluss helps companies pass on unused stock and materials instead of sending them to landfill.

Desert dunes meeting the Arabian Gulf from above

Rana Hajirasouli is the founder of The Surpluss, a Dubai platform where companies trade or donate surplus stock, space and materials instead of throwing them away.

What they do

She founded The Surpluss in Dubai in 2021. Businesses use it to pass on what they no longer need, and in a single year the platform diverted more than 1 million kilograms of waste from landfill. She is also a doctoral researcher in industrial sustainability at the University of Cambridge and attended One Young World 2023 as a BP Net Zero scholar.

Why it matters

Waste that never reaches landfill can still help people. Through its circular giving work with Dubai Holding, The Surpluss supports more than 20,000 low-income people in the UAE. It works with more than 25 businesses and organisations, and was runner-up in Dubai Holding’s Innovate for Tomorrow 2024.

How to get involved

The platform is aimed at businesses. If your company has leftover stock, materials or space, The Surpluss is set up to help you pass it on. It is a simple idea worth sharing with whoever handles procurement or facilities at your workplace, because one company’s leftovers can be another’s raw material.

Checked on 8 November 2026, details can change.

Official site: The Surpluss

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Frequently asked questions

What is The Surpluss?

A Dubai platform, founded in 2021 by Rana Hajirasouli, where companies trade or donate surplus stock, space and materials instead of sending them to landfill.

How much waste has The Surpluss diverted?

More than 1 million kilograms of waste in a single year, according to The National in 2023.

Does The Surpluss help people in need?

Yes. Its circular giving work with Dubai Holding supports more than 20,000 low-income people in the UAE.

Sources

  1. The National: UAE net zero champion looks to reduce UK waste (Oct 2023)
  2. Gulf News: How Dubai resident is transforming excess into equal access for thousands in UAE (Nov 2025)

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