AL GHURAIR INVESTMENT ANNOUNCES ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY PLANS FOR THE GROUP

Dubai - MENA Herald: Commemorating World Environment Day 2016, Al Ghurair Investment today announced its environmental and sustainability plan for the next three years during the event held at Al Ghurair Rayhaan Rotana Hotel. The event discussed the Group’s different activities, best practices and challenges in helping reduce its carbon footprint and how it is working towards making its business more sustainable and environment friendly across the UAE and GCC.
Speaking at the event were Mr. Sultan Al Ghurair, CEO of Al Ghurair Properties, Mr. Badr Al Ghurair, CEO of Al Ghurair Construction, Mr. Djamal Djouhri, CEO of Al Ghurair Resources, and Mr. Timur Ilgaz, General Manager of Al Ghurair Rayhaan Rotana.
The new plans are following the National Initiative launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, for building a “green economy for sustainable development”. The Group’s plans will also follow UAE Vision 2021 focusing on improving the quality of air, preserving water resources, increasing the contribution of clean energy and implementing green growth plans.
Adil Toubia, Al Ghurair Investment Group CEO commented: “The Group is keen to follow in the footsteps of the UAE leaders and their vision to ensure sustainable development while preserving the environment and reducing carbon footprint. The UAE Government wants to ensure sustainable development while preserving the environment, and to achieve a perfect balance between economic and social development. That is why we are working to ensure that we abide with the guidelines set by our government and leaders to achieve these goals.”
Al Ghurair Investment is continuously working to develop and maintain the Group’s Environment and Sustainability projects through a number of activities carried about by the Group companies in order to achieve maximum sustainability and minimum carbon footprint across all its businesses.
“When Expo 2020 comes around, Dubai aims to become one of the top ten sustainable cities in the world, mainly though implementing the green building regulations. As one of the oldest and biggest business Groups in the UAE and region, we are committed to help realize this objective for both our current and future generations,” added Toubia.
The latest initiatives include the development of a new co-generation plant by Al Ghurair Resources that is set to make a huge impact and will further the company’s commitment to sustainability in its business and a significant reduction on carbon footprint. Al Ghurair Properties is also working on replacing all its lighting and cooling systems to reduce energy consumption in the Rayhaan Rotana Hotel, Al Ghurair Center, buildings and corporate offices, thus reducing its carbon footprint.
Al Ghurair Construction is also working on developing 98 skywalks in King Abdullah Financial District in Saudi Arabia. Inter connecting sky bridges provide the building occupants and pedestrians an alternative to using vehicles as a way of transport in the urban fabric. In extreme climate environments the added advantages of linked networks are immediately apparent.
Al Ghurair Investment is a member of the Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network and has led several initiatives and campaigns that aim to reduce the environmental impact by businesses operating in Dubai. The Group led the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” campaign for three years in a row now and has successfully organized an annual CEO Dialogue to discuss sustainability issues in coordination and partnership with Dubai Chamber and Dubai Municipality in addition to several of the country’s top private sector organizations.