Dubai Investments, a leading, diversified investment conglomerate listed on the Dubai Financial Market, said it has significantly reduced its carbon footprint at the group level as well as subsidiaries, through a wide array of eco-friendly initiatives in the last 20 years.

These include the launch of a number of pioneering technology, concepts and processes to conserve energy and lower greenhouse gas emissions, implementing energy-efficient solutions and cutting energy consumption in the offices besides supporting environmental causes in the wider community, it stated.

In a major recognition of its eco-friendly strategy, Dubai Investments’ glass subsidiary Emirates Float Glass [EFG] was conferred the Emirates Appreciation for Environment award by UAE Ministry of Environment and Water recently, in collaboration with Zayed International Foundation for Environment.
The move comes in line with Dubai Investments' commitment to ensuring a sustainable future, said
Khalid Bin Kalban, the managing director & chief executive of Dubai Investments, after receiving the award from Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, at a glittering ceremony in Dubai.

"Dubai Investments has remained steadfast on conducting its business in a sustainable manner, aligning it with its corporate strategy, growth opportunities and long-term value creation, and passing on a sustainable and healthy environment to the future generations. At the heart of the sustainability mandate is the creation of inclusive communities that promote well-being and socio-economic development," he added.

According to him, the company’s CSR and sustainability goals are in line with Dubai government’s strategy to become one of the top 10 sustainable cities in the world by 2020.

“Dubai Investments has a strong role to play in partnership with the Government to execute initiatives that will help achieve the overall sustainability goals. We want to apply international best practices across our business operations to help this cause,” remarked Kalban.

Some of the Dubai Investments environmental initiatives include the launch of the coloured solar panel technology, the first-of-its-kind in the world, through its joint venture Emirates Insolaire; the launch of a new district cooling concept with its JV Emirates District Cooling LLC [Emicool] in 2003; and the ISO 14064-1: 2006 certification in 2013 for its HQ Building, DI House.

To reinforce the eco-friendly mandate, Dubai Investments also initiated a unique Green Race in 2014 for its employees, to encourage them to conserve energy at their homes. The Green Race monitors the utility bills on a regular basis through installation of specific energy saving devices, he explained.

Dubai Investments also recycles print cartridges, electronic waste, newspapers and stationery on an ongoing basis by partnering with relevant organisations to mitigate the environmental damage besides supporting various environmental initiatives, including recycling and clean-up campaigns, from time to time, he noted.

Similarly, its wholly-owned subsidiary Dubai Investments Park [DIP] – the largest integrated commercial, industrial & residential community in the Middle East, has helped reduce over 1.25 million tonnes of carbon dioxide through its energy-efficient sustainability programme over the last decade.-TradeArabia News Service