UAE-based Summertown Interiors has been awarded the Gold Leed for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (Leed Ebom) certification for the ongoing operations and maintenance of its headquarters located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai.

The Leed Ebom certification identifies and rewards current best practices and provides a framework for buildings to use less energy, water and natural resources; improve the indoor environment; and uncover operating inefficiencies.

The certification requires implementation of policies such as the sustainable purchasing of materials, equipment and consumables, and the extensive monitoring and tracking of operations, said a statement from the company.

As a fit-out contractor specialised in delivering green interiors, Summertown Interiors embraces sustainability in every aspect of its business.

Its integrated approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) is focused around four key principles – marketplace, environmental stewardship, workplace and the local and business community, it added.

Commenting on the achievement, Marcos Bish, the managing director, said: "We are very proud to have received this award – to be the only company in our industry according to the US Green Building Council (USGBC) among a total of 11 companies in the UAE is a huge achievement."

For Summertown Interiors, achieving this certification was the next step on its ongoing CSR journey, he stated.

"As a company that walks the talk, placing its clients, partners and the business community at the forefront of its operations, the next step for the team in achieving sustainability excellence was to go beyond their Gold Leed certification for interiors and develop an ever-evolving sustainable framework for the premises, its operations and maintenance," noted Bish.

Specifically, a number of policies were created to document the organisation’s operational procedures detailing everything from operating hours to waste management, he stated.

The team, said Bish, was then able to track and monitor the company’s activities in line with the policies, and implement measures that would enable the company to further reduce energy and water consumption, or manage business operations in a more environmentally friendly manner.

Targets were set in accordance with the Leed Ebom certification system, helping to further embed sustainability into the organisation’s internal processes, he noted.

Mario Seneviratne, the managing director, Green Technologies said: "We are honoured to have supported Summertown Interiors on their path to Leed Ebom Gold certification."

"As an SME (small and medium enterprise), it’s a fantastic feat to be one of the first companies in the region to achieve this acknowledgment – the team should be immensely proud of how far they have come since they embarked on their CSR journey," he added.-TradeArabia News Service