A symbol of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al Nahyan's vision for a greener nation, this National Day edition was launched on Thursday, 2 December.

It represents the Ghaf, the UAE's national tree, which the late Sheikh Zayed planted in the 1970s 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 land, eventually growing into a Ghaf tree that can live for the next 50 years.

"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 honoured to celebrate both its sustainability vision and one of its symbols, the Ghaf tree. [It is] an emblem of union, hope, life and stability in printing the country's first-ever plantable paper," says Mireille Puskulian, head of marketing and communications at The National.

The operation, which was supported by the Give a Ghaf tree planting programme, 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.

The competition called 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. 

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