Majid Al Futtaim, a leading shopping mall, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, has been recognised by the Arab Organisation for Social Responsibility for its contribution towards helping Dubai along its path to become one of the top ten sustainable cities in the world by 2020.

The Arab Organisation for Social Responsibility nominated Majid Al Futtaim for implementing its five-year Sustainability and Green Building Policies, which have set the benchmark for developers not just in the UAE, but across the Middle East region, said a statement.

The company was awarded the highest honours and presented with a Golden Excellence Shield Award.
 
At the heart of Majid Al Futtaim’s expansion strategy is a commitment to enhance people’s lives through sustainable real estate.

The company has set ambitious goals for 2018 to deliver results across three key areas – developing and managing high performance assets that support prosperous communities and in doing so deliver pioneering standards across its business.
 
Implementing this innovative governance structure for sustainability supports the government’s vision and also upholds the United Nations Global Compact, to which Majid Al Futtaim became a signatory in 2013.

It has already achieved significant progress since the strategy was implemented two years ago including achieving high standards of energy efficiency by saving 6,000 tonnes of waste – equal to two Olympic size swimming pools.
 
Ibrahim Al Zubi, head of Sustainability, Majid Al Futtaim, said: “The ambition to become one of the world’s most sustainable cities by 2020 must be supported by the private sector working together in partnership with the government to execute initiatives that will help achieve this goal.

“At Majid Al Futtaim we want to lead by example by applying international best practices across our entire business operations and portfolio of brands. In doing so we hope to transform the economic and social development of Dubai and the wider Middle East region.”
 
Other areas where the company has made a significant impact across its assets include Dh1.5 million ($408,374) saved in hotels as a result of environmental investment, achieving LEED Gold certification on a third of its buildings including City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Fujairah and City Centre Beirut and contributed Dh11.7 million towards community investment. 
 
“Practically we want to develop and manage better buildings that are highly environmentally efficient to deliver social and economic benefits to our communities, customers and supply chain. By embedding sustainability in our business we increase the value of our brand, boost long-term profitability, create new business opportunities, and maintain our talented workforce,” said Al Zubi.

Pierre Moukarzel‎‏, founder and president of the Arab Organization for Social Responsibility, said: “Majid Al Futtaim’s achievements highlight the significant role that the private sector can play in developing sustainable business solutions.

“As corporate responsibility awareness grows across the Middle East region this will act as a catalyst for innovation across industries and geographies in support of important national goals.” - TradeArabia News Service