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Sustainability NetworkDemonstrating Responsible Business Practice in the UAE

ContentsForeword

About the Publication

About the Centre for Responsible Business

About the Sustainability Network

CSR and the Four Impact Areas

Sustainability Network - Responsible Business Practices

In the Community

Al Ahli Holding Group: GBO Programme

DLA Piper: Supporting Law Students

Henkel: Partnering with Carrefour

HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd: Eco-Schools Climate initiative

Mashreq: Partnering with Injaz-UAE

RIM: BlackBerry Academic Program

In the Environment

Axiom: Carbon Footprint Reduction

Landmark Group: Reducing Energy Consumption

Summertown: Carbon Neutral by 2020

In the Marketplace

du: Smart Health

Majid Al Futtaim Properties: Tenant Star Rating System

NBAD: Ratibi Payroll Card

Nokia: Take Back Recycling Scheme

SamTech: Product Innovation

In the Workplace

ABB: CSR Scorecard

Al Ghurair: Open Communications Campaign

Consolidated Contractors Company: HSE Training Bus

Standard Chartered Bank: The Importance of UAE Nationals to

International Companies

ZAFCO: Vehicle Safety Testing for Employees

Communications & ReportingPepsiCo: SMART UTNT: Introducing a New Reporting Tool

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This book is published by Dubai Chamber Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) with contributions from members of its Sustainability Network: ABB, Al Ahli Group, Al Ghurair, Axiom, Consolidated Contractors Company, DLA Piper, du, Henkel, HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd, Landmark Group, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Mashreq, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Nokia, PepsiCo, RIM, SamTech, Standard Chartered Bank, Summertown, TNT and ZAFCO.

The publication is edited by Kate Willoughby, Dubai Chamber CRB.

All content is for informational purposes only. CRB cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omission or any liability resulting from the use or misuse of any such information.

© 2012 Dubai Chamber Centre for Responsible Business. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-9948-430-48-3

This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in whole or in part or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise without prior written permission from the Dubai Chamber Centre for Responsible Business. Quoting portions or all of this work is permissible under the following citation:CRB, 2012. Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network: Demonstrating Responsible Business Practice. Dubai Chamber Centre for Responsible Business, Dubai, UAE.

FOREWORDSustainability has definitely become a pre-requisite for any successful business. Every day, the significance of CSR, sustainability and corporate governance is fast-becoming an integral element of any company’s agenda and this is something that we at Dubai Chamber actively support.

The Sustainability Network, launched in 2010 by our Centre for Responsible Business, offers businesses in the UAE the opportunity to demonstrate CSR, sustainability and corporate governance and to network and share experiences.

Working with members and key stakeholders across the UAE, the Sustainability Network’s aim is to raise awareness, build capacity, promote and support the development and implementation of CSR, sustainability and governance practices. In less than two years over 30 members from both renowned local and international companies have joined the Sustainability Network.

The Sustainability Network members are motivated by a shared vision to influence and lead CSR, sustainability and governance in the UAE, the region and internationally. All members are involved in an ongoing creation of tools and expertise through different task groups that address sustainability challenges through collaborative action.

The Sustainability Network serves as a platform to discuss and exchange sustainability and corporate governance views and practices with members working in tandem to develop different best practice compilations, measurement and reporting tools and implementation to further engage and encourage businesses to start utilising these practices.

In our most recent CSR Survey 2012 Dubai businesses identified the main barrier to implementing CSR as their lack of knowledge about the practice. Additionally, at our most recent CSR conference Dubai Dialogue: Responsibility Matters in May 2012 delegates said presenting the business case to justify adopting CSR and governance was the most effective way for the Dubai Chamber Centre for Responsible Business to encourage CSR and governance within a company. Based on this feedback, the Centre for Responsible Business has worked with the Sustainability Network to publish this case study publication to provide businesses with insight into how to implement CSR practices in their business and to demonstrate the business case through sharing detailed benefits of CSR initiatives.

Twenty members of the Sustainability Network - major UAE and global companies - shared their CSR journeys, drawing on their practical experience of embedding responsible business practice through their organisations and providing the business community with a unique insight into how companies translate strategies into actions and the challenges involved.

It is important that we act collectively to ensure the UAE retains its position as regional leader in CSR and sustainability, and that these issues become a must for every company operating in the region and beyond. I would like to thank all members of the Sustainability Network who contributed to this publication. Sharing responsible business practice is a vital step in ensuring we all move towards creating a sustainable future.

HE Hamad BuamimDirector General, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry

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ABOUT THE PUBLICATIONThis publication is intended to provide Dubai Chamber of Commerce members and the wider UAE business community with an insight into corporate social responsibility practices in the UAE, demonstrating how a company delivers CSR initiatives and the impact it has both on the business and the wider community and environment. From research conducted by the CRB in 2012 we know 57.1% of Dubai businesses cite the lack of knowledge about CSR as a barrier to implementing CSR. This publication aims to provide businesses an insight into how and why they should implement responsible practices in their business using examples from Sustainability Network members focusing predominantly on the four key impact areas of community, environment, marketplace and workplace with additional examples on reporting and communication. A key component of being a responsible business is good corporate governance and the CRB will be producing another round of case studies on this topic, using our biannual international conference Dubai Dialogue in November to highlight excellence in Corporate Governance in the region.

ABOUT THE CENTRE FOR RESPONSIBLE BUSINESSA Dubai Chamber initiative, the Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) was formed in 2004 for promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the UAE. CRB is the longest standing centre for promoting business responsibility in the United Arab Emirates and assists members of the business community to apply responsible business practices that enhance performance and competitive advantage through:

• Raising awareness of CSR in business and with consumers;

• Encouraging businesses to implement best practice standards;

• Providing direct advice and tools to businesses to improve their CSR performance; and

• Measuring and implementation of responsible business practices in Dubai.

The CRB believes that CSR is an essential strategy that can help businesses become more competitive both locally and internationally.

Whether your company is just starting to look at CSR and sustainability issues, or you are already a CSR leader, the CRB can work closely with you to help you improve performance.

ABOUT THE SUSTAINABILITY NETWORKEstablished in 2010, the Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network serves as the focal point for the business community to share and exchange best practices in implementing CSR.

The objectives of the Sustainability Network are:

• To advance CSR/sustainability and corporate governance in the UAE.

• To promote and internalise CSR/sustainability and governance best practices and to build competitive advantages and business reputation.

• To offer businesses learning, benchmarking, and capacity building opportunities in CSR/sustainability and corporate governance.

• To develop collaborations where companies take the lead on specific CSR/sustainability and governance issues and build networks and learning resources.

• To facilitate a broader stakeholder dialogue between businesses, policy makers, investors and community partners.

The Sustainability Network works with members and key stakeholders across the UAE to raise awareness, build capacity, promote and support the development and implementation of CSR, sustainability and governance practices. Through collaborative action the network strives to lead the UAE and regional movement to mainstream responsible and sustainable business practices.

CSR AND THE FOUR IMPACT AREASThere are many ways to define CSR. CRB defines CSR as a voluntary business strategy that enhances value through active management of the Environment, Community, Workplace and Marketplace aspects of the enterprise.

As such, CSR concerns a company’s commitment to integrating social and environmental considerations into its business operations. The precise nature of these impacts will vary according to a company’s size, sector and location. Companies with well-developed CSR strategies will set clear objectives under each of the themes, which are then underpinned by a series of short, medium and long-term initiatives to help the business meet its stated objectives.

Environment Businesses have a major role to play in helping protect and enhance the environment, in line with wider goals of sustainable development. Environmental practices are defined as standards of conduct, policies and procedures governing the way a company complies with relevant legislation and seeks to reduce emissions, reduce energy usage and the consumption of materials, decrease waste, use more recycled materials and develop more environmentally friendly ways of working.

CommunityThe way a company interacts with the local communities in which it operates is a key element of its broader CSR strategy. The nature of these local relations need to be informed by standards of conduct, policies and procedures governing the way a company builds positive links with members of its local communities – whether these are community groups, charities, or other organisations in the social, cultural and educational arena.

There are a number of recognised ways in which a company can invest in the community including employee volunteering, payroll giving, providing pro bono services, donating goods, cause-related marketing as well as philanthropic giving.

WorkplaceCompanies have a responsibility to treat their employees well and will benefit from a happy and engaged workforce. Issues to consider with regards to employees and the workplace include diversity and inclusion, health, safety, wellbeing, training and development, work culture, employee satisfaction and engagement, talent retention, ethics, attracting and retaining staff and reputation.

Implemented correctly, responsible workplace practices will enable companies to create a competitive advantage, through the development of a culture of integrity, wellbeing, fairness and motivation of the workforce.

MarketplaceMarketplace practices are defined as standards of conduct, policies and procedures governing the way a company meets society’s needs through its provision of goods and service and its treatment of suppliers and customers.

A company should be responsible in its approach to procurement, its supply chain relations, its operating practices, its customer relations, the product/service it offers, marketing and advertising, and avoid anti-competitive behaviour.

CSR goes beyond basic legal compliance and focuses on the needs of stakeholders including shareholders, employees, suppliers, customers, and community. The value driver for CSR is enhanced competitiveness based on differentiation, cost savings, reputation, risk management, transparency and innovation.

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SUSTAINABILITY NETWORKRESPONSIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICES

COMMUNITY

ENVIRONMENT

MARKETPLACE

WORKPLACE

COMMUNICATION

Al Ahli Holding Group: GBO Programme

Al Ahli Holding Group is a dynamic group of companies that was formed over 40 years ago and has since evolved into a multi-disciplined corporation with a diverse portfolio of activities ranging from real estate to shopping malls and retail – a total of 30 dynamic and successful businesses. Al Ahli Holding Group employs 8,000 people. Although based in the United Arab Emirates with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Fujairah, representative offices are also operating in the USA, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, Africa and Korea.

Initiative

Global Business Opportunities (GBO) is a global entrepreneur training programme developed by Al Ahli Group that empowers young people to follow their dreams and become entrepreneurs in a truly global sense.

Driver for the Initiative

The programme was created to develop more young entrepreneurs in the UAE in alignment with the nation’s Emiritisation strategy.

HOW the Initiative was Run

The GBO programme first started in 2008 and is now run twice annually, each time in a different host country; past GBO’s have taken place in Argentina, Brazil, Jordan, Lebanon, and the UK.

Each GBO boot camp, over 23 days, engages 10 young people from the UAE and 20 young people from across the world. It is run over the summer months mainly for final year university students with the aim that the business they develop as part of the programme will form their full-time employment after university.

The programme helps the participants learn different aspects of starting their own business and sustaining it. They also get to visit successful businesses in the hosting country, meet with business leaders and successful entrepreneurs for inspiration and advice.

Upon completion of the programme the participants will be able to:

• Develop a successful business and marketing plan and put it into action.

• Understand the concept of a business model and finance the venture by acquiring start-up capital.

• Develop the strategy and the organisational structure of their business.

• Learn how to work in teams and how to conduct market research.

• Manage general business operations and accounting activities.

• Recruit, hire, train, manage, and motivate employees.

• Understand the proceeding for international trade.

• Understand key aspects in dealing with other cultures.

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The programme is advertised through entrepreneurial clubs and career advisors at universities in the UAE. The company has also signed partnership agreements and is collaborating with some leading universities in the UAE such as HTC, Zayed University, AUS, AUD and UAE University.

On the international level, participants are selected through educational partners from other countries such as CESA in Colombia, Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK, ESA in Lebanon and Foundation for Research & Technology in Greece to name a few.

Interested students email their CVs, and based on their qualifications, they are called for a personal (or phone) interview with the programme director after which candidates are shortlisted to take part in the programme. Some of the requirements are:

• Be a university student/graduate

• Be between 20 and 27 years of age

• Have fluent English skills (written and spoken)

• Have excellent communication skills

• Be socially active and ready to accept other cultures and religions

• Be fully committed to positively engage in the programme

• Be fully responsible and capable of representing his/her country

• Be willing to start your own business

• Be capable of working in groups

• Get a signed approval from your sponsor

Two employees work full-time to organise the two GBO programmes each year. There is an extensive partners’ network which also provides organisational support and resources for the programme based on their core competencies. For example Al Ahli Group works with universities who provide the entrepreneurship training. The programme is partly funded by the Al Ahli Holding Group and partly by the company’s partners.

The CSR Division at Al Ahli Holding Group with the support of its international partners, arrange all the programme’s logistics including travel, accommodation, transportation, education, stationary, meals and educational and social visits.

Business Benefits

• Increased brand awareness: GBO started after proposing it to Al Ahli’s partners in Argentina with 10 Emiratis and 10 Argentineans participating. The following two GBOs were the result of a huge effort to promote the programme in more countries, resulting in a larger number of participants and countries involved. Today, the company is proud to see countries approach it wanting to host the GBO after hearing about the programme or reading about it on the company’s website or in the news.

• Positive press coverage: although the firm don’t focus on PR as the main benefit from organising such a programme, GBO has generated enough media coverage to help it progress and move to new countries and continents. With an average of 10 citations per GBO, Al Ahli has been featured around 60-70 times in the media.

Social Benefits

• Output - 121 young people from nine different countries have participated in the programme.

• Impact - All participants received significant training in entrepreneurship, covering areas such as marketing, financing, and business modeling. Participants often describe the experience as the source of their future career and where they discovered new passions. New businesses have been started by many participants as a direct result of the programme with some reaching in excess of US$100,000 in first year revenue.

• Reports from the first three GBOs indicate that:

o 88% of students considered the information received to be absolutely new to them and was of great benefit.

o 100% admit they gained new skills.

o Although less than 57% started their own business after the programme, the remaining 43% admit that the programme significantly improved their working skills and self-confidence.

o 100% said they would recommend this programme to people they know.

o 100% believe that GBO was a life-changing experience for them.

Company Insight

The global nature of the programme makes it difficult for participants to start a business working from different countries. Looking back from previous competitions Al Ahli has found existing commitments, such as full-time jobs, limit capacity to start a business, therefore for 2012 it is focusing on selecting university students in their final year so they can commit to the opportunity upon graduating. To constantly improve the initiative Al Ahli produces an annual impact report which collects the feedback of participants and measures the success of their enterprise pursuits. The company found open ended questions give the most insightful feedback, which can by used for improvements as the responses are often perspectives that have not been considered previously.

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DLA Piper: Supporting Law Students

DLA Piper is a global law firm with 4,200 lawyers located in 31 countries and 77 offices throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. In the Middle East DLA Piper has a presence in ten cities and has over 150 lawyers advising clients on all aspects of business law.

Initiative

DLA Piper lawyers from Dubai and Abu Dhabi train UAE law students in international law and the art of litigation to compete at international mooting (mock trial) competitions.


In each of DLA Piper’s offices around the world, the firm makes a serious commitment to public service by dedicating its employee’s time and legal experience to projects related to education, equality and economic empowerment. In 2011, DLA Piper dedicated more than 190,000 hours of pro bono work globally, making it the largest provider of pro bono legal services in the world.

In the UAE access to international law experience is integral to the success of UAE law students seeking roles at international firms and wanting to understand the breadth and scope of the legal sector, as only Arabic law is taught during university courses.

This is why, since 2008, DLA Piper’s legal consultants in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been helping bridge this gap in the curriculum by supporting UAE University law students to compete in international mooting competitions through sponsorship and training.

Sponsorship of the UAE University law students forms part of the innovative and leading CSR programme at DLA Piper, and represents the firm’s commitment to unlocking local talent and attracting Emiratis to work in the private sector.


Each year DLA Piper lawyers help to train law students in international law and the art of litigation and prepare them for a mock court case, in which they compete against other top international law students. The competition itself is a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before an international court of justice.

The initiative is a combination of training and sponsoring the teams to attend the moot competition. The initiative allows DLA Piper to use the skills and expertise of its lawyers to train the students, thereby not only helping the law students but also stretching and developing their own lawyers.

Mr Mohammed Khammas, CEO, Al Ahli Holding Group “Our vision is to inspire and train young Emirati’s to become entrepreneurs rather than seek employment. Taking forward the vision of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and their brothers, their Highnesses Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates, it is now our responsibility as the private sector to plant the seeds of self-dependency in our youth, encourage them to consider entrepreneurship as not only a rewarding and honourable career option, but as a means of developing our country’s economy, and a better solution to fight unemployment.”

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DLA Piper is the only law firm in the region to have a dedicated CSR Manager and this person manages the relationship with the UAE University in Al Ain. The university selects the students to attend the training sessions and compete in the international moot competitions. The CSR Manager asks for volunteers from DLA Piper’s lawyers to conduct the training. Each lawyer at DLA Piper is encouraged to give 30 hours free legal advice to not-for-profit partners each year.

Each year between five and 10 lawyers commit up to 30 hours of their time to this project. The training takes place at DLA Piper to minimise the travel time of employee volunteers and to allow the students to experience what it is like to work at an international law firm.

The initiative is backed at the highest level of the regional office with training providing by a number of partners, including Abdul Aziz Al-Yaqout, the Regional Managing Partner at DLA Piper Middle East.

A financial contribution is budgeted for each year as part of the firm’s CSR budget to sponsor the students and DLA Piper partners to travel on this initiative with Etihad Airways who donates the flights.

An annual financial contribution is made from the firm’s CSR budget to sponsor the students to attend the moot competition and DLA Piper also collaborate with their client Ethiad Airways on this initiative, who donate flights for the law students.

In previous years university law teams were sponsored and trained to participate in the Washington-based The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, the world’s largest moot court competition, now in its 53rd year.

In April 2011 and 2012, five students, participated in the internationally acclaimed Oxford-based Monroe E. Price International Media Law Moot Court Competition, focused on media law and policy.

Business Benefits

• The opportunity to engage with the oldest law school in the UAE, and the positive press coverage the mooting competition programme receives, helps to raise DLA Piper’s profile as a responsible employer in the Middle East

• The initiative widens the diversity of DLA Piper’s recruitment pool to ensure the firm has access to the best candidates for its business.

• The initiative allows the lawyers to put their skills and expertise to use in a very different environment. This allows them to develop their legal skills and as such DLA Piper includes this as a key aspect of its learning and development toolkit.

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Social Benefits

• Since 2008 up to 30 law students have benefited from the expertise of DLA Piper’s lawyers and the training in English and international law

• Students benefit from the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of what it is like to work for an international firm.

• The DLA Piper sponsorship enables the students to participate in an international competition that would have otherwise been inaccessible and also gives them the chance to meet students from all over the world and visit DLA Piper offices in Washington DC and London.

Company Insight

DLA Piper and the UAE University are proud of this long-standing initiative and believe that it is successful. The initiative has been running for over five years and the UAE University has used the model to develop relationships with other international law firms.

DLA Piper is in discussions to develop this initiative further, including hosting a series of lectures as part of the students’ curriculum/degree course. DLA Piper is also exploring similar relationships with universities in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

This initiative is a great way for the firm to engage with the prestigious law school within the UAE and to form relationships with the future legal leaders of the UAE.

Professor Jassim Ali Salem Al Shamsi, Dean of the Faculty of law at the UAE University in Al Ain “Participating in competitions such as this are a vital way to teach the students how international laws operate. It is a great way to introduce them to students from around the world and show them how international laws work in practice, essential skills for their future careers.”

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Henkel: Partnering with Carrefour

For more than 130 years, Henkel has been a leader with brands and technologies that make people’s lives easier, better and more beautiful through its three main divisions of Home Care, Cosmetics, and Adhesives.

Globally, Henkel is ranked among the Fortune Global 500 companies, with over 52,000 employees worldwide, and products such as Persil, Pritt, Loctite and Schwarzkopf in more than 125 countries.

In terms of sustainability, Henkel was listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index as the sustainability leader in the Nondurable Household Products sector. Henkel has been included in the FTSE4Good ethical index for 11 consecutive years and was named among the “world’s most ethical companies” for the fourth time in succession by Etisphere.

Initiative

Henkel partnered with Carrefour in Saudi Arabia, one of its key customers, to roll out a sustainability education drive with local consumers called “Hand in Hand for a better tomorrow”.

School children were elected as Sustainability Ambassadors to educate Carrefour consumers in the store about environment protection and how every individual can make a difference.

The insight was that by teaching the new generation, Henkel was investing in the community’s future generation and the consumers in Carrefour would be more inclined to notice and pay attention to what a school child had to say.

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As a company committed to being a leader in sustainability, Henkel continually looks for ways to engage consumers on sustainability issues. Henkel saw an opportunity for its DAC (household cleaning) brand to partner with Carrefour in Saudi Arabia to engage with customers to increase awareness about the environment.

One of the key elements of the DAC brand strategy is sustainability and community wellbeing. The relevance of this campaign to the strategy was the perfect fit.


The DAC brand team worked with the sustainability team to develop the project idea. They then approached Carrefour in Saudi Arabia to propose the partnership idea. Carrefour came on board after internal alignment and the activity ran a few months later.

The time from conception to implementation was six months, including the time of approaching Carrefour, aligning internally and contacting schools. The initiative was run in a total of six Carrefour’s in Saudi Arabia, with a number of children allocated to each store. A total of 40 children participated over the two week period of the campaign.

Henkel sent letters out to schools and they forwarded the letters to their parents, who in turn volunteered their children’s time for the project. Invitations were also sent out to schools and parents inviting them to visit the outlet nearest to them in order to learn more about the environment.

The school children were elected as Sustainability Ambassadors and Henkel then worked with the schools to educate the children on the four main pillars of the company’s environment protection plan:

1. Water

2. Energy

3. Plastic

4. Phosphate

The children were in store for two and half hours in the evenings to educate Carrefour consumers about environment protection and how every individual can make a difference. The children were dressed in green t-shirts, handing out leaflets printed on recycled paper to support what they were conveying to the consumer.

There was also one official promoter at each participating store to provide more support, handing out leaflets on DAC products and Carrefour’s eco-friendly bags as good will, to influence the consumer to reduce their use of plastic bags.

DAC and Carrefour co-branded appreciation certificates were also given to the students that participated as a sign of appreciation for their contribution and achievement.

Business Benefits

• Henkel has strengthened its relationship with a key customer and has since worked with Carrefour again on a plastics recycling campaign. Henkel is looking forward to a continuous partnership.

• Henkel benefited from increased brand profile through press coverage in Saudi Arabia.

• Henkel Saudi Arabia benefited from improved brand reputation by winning the CHEP Middle East Industry Awards 2011 for Sustainability, in recognition for this sustainability project in collaboration with Carrefour.

Social/Environmental Benefits

• Forty children were trained about environmental protection thereby increased awareness of the environment in the next generation.

• Thousands of customers were also engaged and educated about environmental protection.

• At the same time, 12,500 eco-friendly bags were given to customers, which in turn will decrease the number of plastic bags used.

Company Insight

The campaign was successful as the consumers were more intrigued and open to understanding when the children were speaking to them, in a culture where sustainability is not an important daily concern. Therefore by educating the future generation, they also in turn educate the older generation. Henkel is looking for ways to run this in other markets in the future. The challenge Henkel continues to face is permanently changing the mindset of the consumers to a more environmentally conscious one.

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HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd: Eco-Schools Climate initiative

Headquartered in London, HSBC is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world, with over 300,000 employees spanning an international network of around 7,500 offices in 87 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. HSBC has been present in the Middle East since 1959, when it acquired The British Bank of the Middle East. The bank’s unique relationship with the Middle East dates back more than a century.

Today, HSBC provides a full range of personal financial, commercial, investment, Islamic and private banking services to customers in 12 countries throughout the region.

Initiative

HSBC Eco-Schools Climate initiative, a global environmental education programme.


The United Arab Emirates faces a multitude of challenges surrounding climate change, resource conservation and environmental protection. Some of these are a result of the harsh climate and others the result of a lack of awareness of sustainable practices by citizens and residents. According to the WWF’s Living Planet Report 2012, our humanity’s demand exceeds our planet’s capacity to sustain us. The UAE also has consistently been ranked as having one of the largest carbon footprints globally, and although there are programs in place to help combat the issue, more needed to be done.

Education and environmental awareness are core pillars of HSBC’s approach to sustainability. Combining these two, we were convinced that we could play a strong role in using our global reach to help bring an environmental education program to the various markets we operate in. The HSBC Eco-Schools Climate initiative is an exciting, highly credible, global education programme which aims to reach 1 million students over the course of 3 years and engage over 1000 volunteers. This program spans 18 countries, including the UAE.

Partnering with EWS-WWF and the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), Eco Schools is a highly informative and participatory education programme endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The UAE Ministry of Education have also endorsed this initiative and is a project partner.


Designed to engage and excite 5 to 18-year-olds across 20 UAE private and government schools, the initiative helps children gain an understanding of the serious nature of climate change globally including the UAE and take action to reduce carbon emissions of their school. This program aims to fill gaps in environmental education and provide a platform for inter-school discussion and collaboration. The HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative is being implemented by EWS-WWF in both public and private schools in the UAE with the endorsement of the Ministry of Education and support from HSBC volunteers. The initiative was introduced in 20 schools in October 2010 through a training workshop for the teacher coordinators facilitated by local HSBC trainers. Every participating school was given a CD containing all necessary documents for implementing the programme in their schools. All material was provided in English and Arabic.

HSBC volunteers were allocated schools taking into consideration the proximity to their office location. Every volunteer was given a Volunteer Manual containing basic information about the initiative and how they could contribute to its implementation in the schools. Teacher coordinators then took forward the information and ideas gathered from the workshop to their schools, and encouraged students to take the lead in adapting the seven-steps of the Eco-Schools process in their schools. Volunteers are asked to ‘adopt’ a school and assist in this process, conduct environmental audits and work towards developing an ‘Eco Code’.

The Eco-Code is a mission statement for the school and is reflective of the Eco-Action Plan and curriculum. It demonstrates, in a clear and imaginative way, the school’s commitment to improving its environmental performance.

The steps which the volunteers, schools and students take together are as follows:

1. Form an Eco Committee

2. Conduct an Environmental Review

3. Develop an Action Plan

A performance assessment was carried out in all the 20 Eco Schools from May – June 2011. A report carrying observations and recommendations for improvement was then provided to all the assessed schools. Measuring and monitoring is an integral part of the Eco-Schools programme, providing schools with all the evidence they need to showcase their environmental success. In fact, Eco-Schools can fit into virtually all aspects of the curriculum and help to make learning, both inside and outside the classroom, fun and engaging.

Eco-Schools can apply for seed-funding for implementing climate actions and micro projects within the Initiative. This funding is available for the schools which are a part of the program and the actions should involve HSBC volunteers and be student-led. Another unique aspect of the programme is that schools across the 18 countries participating in the HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative, can share practices and exchange ideas through the website. A National Eco-Code (art competition around the theme of the various Eco Codes) competition was organised for the 20 participating schools in both Junior and Senior categories, and winners were announced at an event held in Dubai in June 2012. The National winners were eligible to compete at the international level.

In 2012, 5 schools that had been a part of the Eco School journey were awarded the Green Flag, which symbolises excellence in the field of environmental activity. These schools had implemented the 7 steps and had successfully integrated environmental standards and practices into their schools. The HSBC Eco-schools Climate initiative has helped HSBC continue its long standing commitment to both education and the environment. The initiative has encouraged pupils to make a difference at the local level and inspire and nurture respect for the environment for generations to come.

Business Benefits

• This programme builds on HSBC’s long standing commitment to environmental education through collaboration with FEE’s Eco-Schools awards scheme – the world’s largest environmental education programme for children.

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• The initiative has helped HSBC strengthen its relationship with the government through engagement of local and national government authorities in assisting schools to become more sustainable. As a part of Eco Schools, HSBC held a teachers training workshop on tips and tricks to implement energy saving measures and how to raise awareness amongst the students for the long-term. This training included speakers from DEWA, various renewable energy suppliers and other government entities.

• The Eco Schools programme has significant staff engagement as HSBC employees gave over 300 hours to this project over the course of 2011 in the UAE. According to HSBC’s internal volunteer survey, 75% of volunteers who gave time to the Eco Schools campaign were very satisfied with the programme. That being said, the most valuable takeaway for most volunteers was how to communicate around the issue of conservation and eco efficiency with their children, or with children in the community. It allowed them an insight into small measures that can be taken to make a larger impact. It has indirectly increased levels of engagement with employees bringing their children to participate and one volunteer also writing about the programme and its benefits on her personal blog.

• HSBC has received positive media coverage for this programme, both in Arabic and English media, helping build the brand and profile of the company.

Social/Environmental Benefits

The HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative has served as a platform for schools to initiate community driven activities both within their school and outside. Eco-Schools have initiated programmes involving organisations, government entities and other NGOs from the UAE. Networking between schools, both local and international, has given students new perspectives while looking at managing sustainability issues. Adapting the Eco-Schools process has resulted in reduced consumption of energy and water in many schools. Schools are also taking great efforts in lowering their waste production and HSBC also shared their methods of waste management with the schools.

Interesting recycling initiatives have been introduced by Eco-Schools, clearly indicating innovative thought processes among students in managing waste and conservation of resources. These initiatives include flushing mechanisms, turning off unneeded lights, introducing clothing recycling bins and leading eco committees within their schools.

Company Insight

The HSBC Eco Schools Initiative is a tri-party partnership and at times can be challenging as it’s about ensuring all parties work well together. An example of a recent challenge is that for many of the volunteers, the location of certain schools is difficult for them to get to. Therefore, in the second year of implementing the program, HSBC added an element of remote volunteering where volunteers were advising the eco committees via phone or video conferencing. This dramatically increased the number of employees who were involved and more importantly it also allowed HSBC to contribute quality time to the schools. Lesson learnt - nothing should be set in stone. Innovation is the key to a successful employee volunteering program and key to its evolution.

HSBC plan to continue this program due to the positive feedback from all parties and will look at ways to expand it. A partnership is definitely the company’s preferred avenue of implementing such projects as each party brings valuable feedback and experience to the table. HSBC try to leverage their capacity in providing well trained and professional volunteers and in turn, the EWS-WWF brings with them years of environmental education knowledge and a good relationship with the Ministry of Education.

HSBC Eco-Schools employee volunteer “Eco-Schools has been a wonderful way to connect to our community. Through working with children and young adults, we’ve been able to impact impressionable minds and at the same time work with schools to work on making their buildings and operation more sustainable. Seeing the way children soak up information and can so quickly apply it in their daily lives is a testament to the practical design of the programme. I would highly recommend HSBC Eco-Schools and look forward to working with more schools in the near future.”

Mashreq: Partnering with Injaz-UAE

Mashreq is the second oldest private financial institution in the UAE with operations in 12 countries. This home grown financial company was started in 1967 and in the past 45 years has been a pioneer in innovating banking solutions and reaching out to more than 300,000 retail and corporate customers in the MENA region.

Initiative

Since its inception, Mashreq has been actively involved in social and community centric initiatives to contribute to the society they operate in. Be it in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait or Egypt, Mashreq prides itself in demonstrating socially responsible actions which positively impact the community. Mashreq’s corporate social responsibility philosophy is “the integration of stakeholders’ and customer’s society, community and environment into a company’s business operations.”

Mashreq has made special headway in the education segment through initiatives collaborating with educational bodies such as the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), creating interactive workshops at schools, colleges and universities across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah on the importance of securing better financial status, empowering young entrepreneurs in building and nurturing their new found businesses, and providing scholarships to deserving students facing financial difficulties.


Being a financial institution, Mashreq understands the importance of creating a knowledge-sharing platform where Mashreq can impart business skills and financial literacy to the younger generation to better equip them for the future, such as the fundamentals of banking.

Through interactive sessions, Mashreq encourages youngsters to explore the corporate world and imparts financial advice for budding entrepreneurs to get an overview on managing their finances as they operate their startups


The Mashreq Corporate Communications Team met INJAZ-UAE in October 2011 and outlined a plan and selected programmes that most suited the bank’s vision and CSR objectives, focusing on youth education.

INJAZ – UAE, a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide, is an educational non-profit organisation that is a partnership between the business community, educators and volunteers — all working together to inspire young people to dream big and reach their full potential. It works to connect corporate volunteers with students to mentor them on entrepreneurial, work-readiness, and financial literacy skills. Mashreq partnered with INJAZ-UAE focusing on two of its programmes; the JA Job Shadow Day, and the Innovation Day Camp (I-Camp).

The JA Job Shadow Day programme: The JA Job Shadow Day introduces students to careers through one-day, on-site mentoring experiences at corporations. It’s an authentic real-world experience for the students, enhanced with two preparatory meetings. It’s a programme that meets the needs of a diverse group of students by providing an experiential learning session in work-readiness education and career planning.

At Mashreq, students were exposed to the corporate culture of the bank, as well as the career options and skills required to enter the banking sector. These students were invited to Mashreq various offices and branches, whereby each was assigned

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to one Mashreq employee for four hours. They learned the basic transferable skills from the Mashreq mentors, as students understood his/her job profile, how he/she conducts business on any given regular day along with understanding the basic operations of the bank.

Both students and volunteers had a preparatory session arranged to brief them about the expectations from the Job Shadow Day and their roles. Each Mashreq host gives an evaluation of the mentee to assess their potential for an internship. At the end of the visit each student receives a participation certificate along with a small memento from Mashreq. Students are given an overview of the various departments, cross group functions like Operations, HR, Legal, Call Centre, Marketing, Branch operations, Sales, Compliance and many more segments.

The INJAZ UAE Innovation Day Camp (I-Camp): This is an exciting one-day workshop that challenges students to find innovative solutions to a real business challenge using creativity and teamwork. Students experience leadership, critical thinking, and presentation skills and learn about business start-ups in a fun way. They also have the opportunity to meet corporate volunteer mentors who help them expand their horizons and direct their team towards an entrepreneurial future. Workshops were held at the participating schools, colleges and universities to 50 plus students per session, who were divided into teams to be matched to a single volunteer. Each Mashreq volunteer assigned mentored and guided his/her team through a series of INJAZ exercises and activities that helped instill key entrepreneurial concepts and skills, while encouraging students personal development.

Each session ideally required 8-10 Mashreq volunteers along with a Mashreq employee who acted as a judge for the final activity. The Mashreq volunteers were called in a half hour briefing before the workshop to discuss the workshop flow and outcomes.

Between October 2011 and June 2012 Mashreq hosted 16 Job Shadow Days and helped INJAZ UAE deliver 9 Innovation Day Camps. This ensured Mashreq’s position as the top volunteer provider to INJAZ UAE students for the academic year 2011-2012, with the bank contributing 224 volunteers and 1,305 hours of service, equating to approximately AED 100,000 in cash equivalent.

Business Benefits

• As this was a pilot activity to reach out to the younger generation to impart knowledge, the terms of measurement were linked to raising brand awareness and creating a positive perception in the minds of youth.

• The number of 224 employees volunteering exceeded expectations and demonstrated that employees are keen to give something back to the community which in turn increased employee pride in working for Mashreq.

• Mashreq’s involvement with the Innovation Camp was profiled in the National newspaper and through other positive PR which further helped build the brand and profile of the bank as a responsible business and a contributor to the community it operates in.

Social Benefit

• Nearly 843 school and university students have benefited from these programmes. These students are now better equipped to handle their finances and more confident to face a safer financial future created by them.

Company Insight

The foresight to engage with INJAZ-UAE in making a difference within the younger generation was a very successful and enriching experience for Mashreq. The collective enthusiasm as a company to provide corporate volunteers for these programmes exceeded its initial reservations and it are now totally committed to supporting INJAZ in every possible way. And as a result of this successful programme partnership and its impact from its early beginnings Mashreq entered into a partnership with INJAZ UAE, sponsoring activities for 2012.

After reviewing the bank’s capabilities in terms of providing more corporate volunteers, the company will re-look at some of the other programmes Injaz would like to partner with in addition to the programmes already adopted.

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RIM: BlackBerry Academic Program

Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionised the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day.

Initiative

RIM have developed the BlackBerry Academic Program (BAP) which is a global programme any education institute can register for online and then download all the teaching materials they need to run the courses RIM provide. It is the central element of RIM’s support for global education with over 670 participating institutions in more than 113 countries. http://us.blackberry.com/ataglance/academic/

The programme supports students in gaining further knowledge of concepts related to mobile computing such as networks, spectrum, efficient use of battery life and mobile application development. Its aim is to bring new opportunities and industry relevant mobile computing curriculum that will prepare students for the wireless world.


In the current economic marketplace there is a strong demand for professionals with mobile technology skills. Research has shown there is a significant risk of lack of qualified information and communication technology (ICT) professionals to meet the global demand in the future. RIM wants to ensure that students are offered the opportunity to build up the relevant skills that will help them in gaining employment in their future careers. Fostering innovation is at the heart of everything RIM does as an organisation and the company wants to inspire today’s youth to develop passion and relevant skills for growing industries such as theirs.


To run the programme RIM has built an online site that is available globally to academic institutions where they can become part of BAP and access the resources that are available to them through the programme. In creating the global offering RIM has provided employee time to build the course curriculum and teaching materials. There is a University Relations team based in RIM’s HQ in Canada that runs the programme.

Universities across the world can register online and then download all the teaching materials they need to run the courses RIM provides. They are modular so an institution can choose how they fit it into their courses. By participating in BAP, universities have access to materials to train students in the essentials of mobile application development on the BlackBerry platform as well as the administration and support of BlackBerry technologies in an enterprise environment. When an institution joins BAP, RIM provides them with learning materials, devices, software and other resources that reflect the most current technological trends. BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets are provided to facilitate a vital hands-on learning experience.

• Employee time to manage the programme and provide point of contact for interested institutions

• Free of charge BlackBerry hardware to provide hands on experiences for students

Sulaf Saleh Al-Zu’bi, CEO- INJAZ UAE “It gives me great pride to collaborate with Mashreq. This is something that started very organically and we were able to grow it into something bigger and better. We cultivated great relationships with their team. They were focused, dedicated, and sincere – always ready to help, benefiting our students immensely. Our relationship delivered programmes that met our mutual goals, engaged volunteers at all levels, and had exceptional management support – just the right ingredients for a successful partnership.”

Business Benefits

• The programme increases RIM’s potential talent pool in the future and helps the company build the brand and become known as an employer of choice

• There is the potential for local content developed in the UAE through skilled students

• RIM improves its brand reputation through external press coverage showcasing RIM as a responsible business supporting education

• It is an opportunity to build a local leadership position in education and thereby build RIM’s reputation with key influencers

Social Benefits

• 14 universities are currently utilising the curriculum in the UAE and it aids their students with their career preparation enabling them to gain knowledge and skills in high-demand topics that will appeal to future employers

• The programme provides opportunities for academic institutions to connect and share best practice on a global level

• It increases industry relevant skilled students which in turn benefits the local industry and economy

Company Insight

RIM strives to ensure content is relevant and provides up-to-date teaching materials in the ever changing mobile technology landscape and that it is utilised by as many students and universities as possible. In the UAE RIM is striving to understand local needs and find ways to engage with local academic institutions to encourage them to utilise the programme and realise the benefits for their students. Registration to the programme is one aspect RIM uses to measure success, however long-term RIM wishes to see successful applications being created by UAE students that provide local content and relevance in the UAE.

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Axiom: Carbon Footprint ReductionAxiom is the Middle East’s largest wireless retailer with over 550 retail outlets and retail points and is the primary authorised retailer and distributor of leading international brands, including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG, Samsung, BlackBerry, Motorola, Apple and Thuraya. In addition to mobile retail and distribution, Axiom is also a strategic partner of telecom service provider du in the UAE and Mobily in Saudi Arabia. Axiom specialises in wireless communication products.

Initiative

Axiom Telecom has taken a strong stance against global warming and environmental degradation by incorporating corporate social responsibility initiatives into every aspect its operations. One main area the company is focusing on is reducing its carbon footprint and saving energy.


From a social growth and economic development perspective, Axiom acknowledges its impact and responsibilities throughout the value chain: in its sourcing, employee well‐being, business partnerships, recycling, community involvement, and communications. Improving efficiency at all levels of the organisation can result in lower energy costs, reduce demand on capacity-constrained electrical utility systems and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.


To achieve this goal, Service City (Axiom’s service centre) developed a company-wide carbon emissions reduction strategy. It decided to focus on those activities that it could directly control and measure to target for efficiency study:

• facility/operations energy usage (electricity and water)

• flights usage (business travel)

• vehicle usage (fuel consumption) and

• materials usage (paper and toner).

Once the carbon impact of these activities was identified, initiatives were undertaken to promote conservation and cut down on waste. Key activities in the roll out were:

• Recycling initiatives: Service City has followed the reduce, reuse, recycle principles since 2004, and the initiatives are very well received by its employees and visitors. Individual bins were provided for recycling and employees were engaged in the activities. This significantly increased Service City’s recycling rate year-on-year. Employees play a vital role in the segregation of recyclable materials and they also support the recycling drive by bringing recyclable materials from home. Recyclable materials are collected by certified companies twice in a year.

• Employees were trained to switch off lights, air conditioning and office equipment in the premises at the end of each work day.

• Conference calls and web messaging were used instead of travel.

• Customers e-mailed repair reports instead of printing hard copies

Sandeep Saihgal, Managing Director, Middle East at RIM “We are proud to be introducing tools and resources to universities that will support the future generation of mobile software developers in the region.”

Key factors considered in the roll out were:

• Getting the support of senior management within the organisation was crucial to ensure the success of the initiatives.

• Documenting the experience of employees and visitors in the building through surveys and taking steps to address reasonable grievances was very helpful in maintaining the morale of employees and making them feel part of the ongoing initiative.

• While considering the changes in the lighting modifications, it was very important to ensure that the lighting levels were maintained as per national/international lighting standards so that measures did not result in negative productivity impacts.

Business Benefits

• CSR helps Axiom ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

• Significant cost savings were achieved through behavioral changes and 3R programmes. Results monitored at Service City operations included:

o 10% reduction in electricity consumption against the target of 10%.

o 9% reduction in water consumption against the target of 10%.

o 94% results in the Nokia Take Back policy contribution (Material Return Centre) against the target of 95%.

o Stationery and paper consumption reduced compared to previous years, with initiatives taken to further reduce purchases as well as the consumption.

Environmental Benefits

• Water savings: 17,318 gallons of water saved in 2010.

• Electricity savings: 10,816 KWh of electricity saved in 2010.

• Paper and toner consumption: paper consumption was decreased by 68% in 2010 from 2009 levels. Axiom also sent 4,388 kg of paper for recycling, which helped save the equivalent of 75 trees

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Company Insight

Convincing staff and stakeholders about the benefits, implications and higher cost efficiency from organisational activities in CSR was a challenge at the initial stage. Teamwork along with top management support has helped Axiom develop its CSR strategy.

A benchmark study was done for CSR initiatives and a five year plan with 25 objectives and 100 commitments in place to take the CSR culture to the next level within the group. Internal trainings and CSR workshops provided to employees helped spread the awareness on CSR benefits and programmes.

The ‘Kaizen portal’ is tool used by employees to post their suggestions with regard to any improvements. Axiom constantly improves its initiatives through the employee involvement index, appreciations during performance review, rewards and recognitions programmes etc.

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Axiom CSR Committee “Through the combination of operational changes, corporate policies, training and the deployment of appropriate technology, Service City was able, by 2010, to reduce its carbon footprint by approximately 21% off its 2007 level and is aiming for an additional 5% cut by the end of 2011. We know that reducing carbon emissions and taking steps towards environmental sustainability today means a greener tomorrow for us and our future generations. Axiom Telecom is committed to these initiatives; we will continue our efforts, always setting higher targets for ourselves over the years.”

Landmark Group: Reducing Energy ConsumptionFounded in 1973 in Bahrain, the Landmark Group has successfully grown into one of the largest and most successful retail organisations in the Middle East and India. An international diversified retail and hospitality conglomerate that encourages entrepreneurship to consistently deliver exceptional value, the Group operates over 1,200 outlets encompassing over 18 million square feet across the GCC, India, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan, Kenya, Libya, Nigeria and Pakistan. The Group employs over 40,000 people.

Initiative

The Group’s IT team undertook a project to reduce the energy demands of the data centre through server consolidation and introducing data centre efficient cooling.


The Group realises that the environment is very important and in urgent need of attention. In an effort to do its bit, Landmark Group has adopted various eco-friendly initiatives at its stores and offices, to face the growing challenges to protect the environment in the retail industry.

Its IT team saw many opportunities for improved environmental performance too within their department and undertook the data centre project to achieve the following:

• Reduce the carbon footprint of the data centre

• Enhance server power efficiency

• Lower the energy cost of the data centre

• Improve IT service delivery


The Group’s IT team started planning the project early 2010 and by May that year the work started in full swing. It progressed from testing to the production deployment phase and was completed in September 2011.

A team of dedicated employees and external consultants worked on the project for 12-14 months and the overall cost to the business was approximately USD $ 485,000. he team undertook a series of evaluations including capacity planning, platform selection, data centre re-engineering, server consolidation and deployment of virtual servers.

The data centre re-engineering process involved moving away from precision cooling systems to a hot aisle/cold aisle model that helps contain heat and reduces energy consumption. Virtualisation is another area which has directly contributed to enhancing the server’s energy efficiency.

More than 120 physical servers, in different environment, were consolidated and virtualised to five physical servers thus saving approximately 90 KVA of power, 6 square meters space (5-6 rack space) and 242 network ports (6 x 48 port switches) and 245,736 BTU of heat.

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Business Benefits

• Energy saving which has led to reduced operating costs of 25-30%.

• Improved IT service delivery - server virtualisation has bought down the entire hardware environment provisioning from months to a few hours. The new environment is scalable and very efficient.

• Increased and improved public profile through positive press coverage from winning awards such as the Green IT Project 2011 from Network World Middle East Awards, which helps build the brand reputation. Vipen Sethi (CEO) and Kirit Shah (CIO) with the Green IT Project award (see picture below).

• The consolidation of servers has also cut manual processes and as a result, productivity in the IT team has increased. Technicians now have more time for higher value proactive work to improve the company’s competitiveness and help realise its business objectives.

Environmental Benefits

• Data centre power, space and cooling efficiency led to an overall reduction in energy consumption of approximately 25-30%.

• The overall carbon footprint of Landmark’s IT function and data centre has decreased significantly.

Company Insight

The company found it a challenge to consolidate over 100 servers to five physical servers without disrupting the work flow of employees and it said it was difficult working with limited space and power availability for production data centre re-engineering, but both these difficulties were overcome by efficient project planning and the project was still delivered on time and within the estimated cost.

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Vipen Sethi, CEO, Landmark Group “To ensure that the Group’s IT infrastructure is in sync with the company’s aggressive growth strategy, the IT team embarked on the server virtualisation journey. We started in 2010 with a pilot of virtualising 10 servers to two servers. Today we have consolidated and virtualised over 120 servers to five physical servers, providing a very efficient environment with options to scale up the provisioning while ensuring optimum resource utilisation.”

Summertown: Carbon Neutral by 2020Summertown was established in 1997 and offers superior quality interior solutions as a fit out contractor, a complete turnkey provider, and joinery works, employing around 300 staff across its three entities in the UAE.

Initiative

To identify a ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goal’ for Summertown that would become a core focus for the company, its business objectives and become ingrained in the culture of its employees. Summertown set itself the objective of becoming carbon neutral by 2020.

Driver for the initiative

The BHAG had to identify something that Summertown could be the best in the world at, something it was passionate about, and something that could drive its economic engine. The company also wanted to ensure that it was reducing its carbon footprint, and not just offsetting its carbon emissions through the purchase of carbon credits. Primarily to manage this, Summertown assessed three key areas:

‘Three R’s

• Reduce (this includes waste on site, office waste, energy and water usage)

• Recycle (includes waste on site, office waste and waste via 3rd parties)

• Re-use (includes reuse of construction site materials, office materials and factory materials such as waste wood)

Summertown has experience in delivering green interior projects having become the first UAE fit out contractor in the UAE to occupy LEED Gold certified interiors. Deeply passionate about being green, Summertown has defined sustainability as one of its core values. Summertown also feels that by greening its own business it allows it to position itself as a true expert within the interiors field, enabling it to demonstrate to other companies the benefits of being greener – including operational savings on water, lighting and energy usage as well as contributing to environmental benefits.


It was decided that carrying out Summertown’s BHAG needed a strong committee of individuals from across the three entities and from various departments and seniority levels to ensure that the company would get the buy in from all employees. A total of nine volunteers were selected – based on their current years of service and previous engagement of the company’s attitude to actively pursue green issues. Once the company’s green champions had been identified, the core pillars that form the basis of the business were each assessed:

• People

• Clients

• Operations

• Suppliers

• Measurement

Using these pillars as a starting point, the Eco Leaders committee identified a number of green goals and objectives that the committee could spearhead to enable Summertown to achieve its BHAG. Summertown’s management integrated the sustainability goals into its corporate objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) were assigned to employees so that their achievements directly impact rewards.

For example – one initiative, to improve environmental awareness among Summertown’s stakeholders, is its ‘Green in Action’ workshop programme. The workshops organised by Summertown’s Eco-Leaders committee invite senior decision makers and executives from the industry to discuss ways in which they can reduce their company’s carbon footprint, share tips to be more environmentally responsible and learn from case studies. The target to run six workshops during the course of the year was achieved with Summertown welcoming attendees from the architecture and design community, project and cost management firms, and corporate real estate and sustainability representatives from end user clients.

Community-related initiatives are also an important part of the committee’s strategy to build awareness about sustainability in the workplace.

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• Delivering 30% more fresh air than ASHRAE standards was achieved in their own office interior project. Studies have shown that improved air quality leads to increased wellbeing of employees.

• A decrease in waste has been achieved through the introduction of a waste management programme where the company looks to ensure that they re-use or recycle as much site waste as possible.

• Summertown has also supported local community initiatives to help raise awareness and funds for those who support the greener lifestyle.

Company Insight

Success is very dependent on buy in from all employees. Although a challenge at first, the first year results have shown that Summertown has made an enormous amount of progress. The company is now finding that more staff want to become more involved and make a greater contribution.

The creation of a brand identity for the Eco Leaders committee ensures that the committee’s activities are getting the recognition, both internally and externally.

Summertown recognises that the 2020 plan is a moving target and it will be developed and refined at regular intervals as the company grows, learns from experience, and develops the knowledge and skills of its employees who are directly involved in delivering the plan. It is just as important for companies in the private sector to integrate sustainability into their business strategies as it is for government entities. However, a company cannot fully achieve its sustainable goals if they do not secure their employees’ commitment to these and develop an environmentally-conscious culture both within and outside of the workplace.

During the last year Summertown participated in International No Car Day, an initiative that encourages people to ditch their cars and use alternative forms of transport for one day.

The company also actively supports community initiatives such as Take My Junk, a non-profit group that collects unwanted items from homes and offices and redistributes to needier communities.

In addition, 43 team members and their families came together to take part in the 10km and 3km Standard Chartered runs in association with the Dubai Marathon in January 2012. Summertown matched all entry fees and the money raised was donated to Mawaheb by the Beautiful People – an art studio in Dubai for young adults with special needs, who through their work promote the understanding and importance of protecting our environment.

Summertown is on track to achieve its goal. In the 12 months since the internal task group was formed the company has achieved 26% of the deliverables outlined in its initial nine year plan.

Business Benefits

• Summertown has made operational savings by reducing its water and electricity consumption as a result of making its own office interiors green. For example, lighting in a conventional building on average uses 20-25 watts/sq metre. Yet Summertown modified its offices to use just 7 watts/sq metre. In reality even less is used, as the lights are rarely switched on. Instead the office maximises the use of natural daylight by positioning workstations to take advantage of this.

• By focusing on its BHAG, Summertown is able to deliver improved levels of customer service and strengthen its relationship with clients and partners. Firstly, the experience gained in converting its own office has helped the company to learn firsthand, which means they are often considered the best partner for delivering a green project by clients. Secondly, the initiative is driving project cost savings for clients. For example, by following its waste management programme, materials are being reused wherever possible, which saves the client money.

• Summertown is seen by clients and industry partners to be ‘walking the talk’, not just ‘talking the walk’. As a result Summertown has contributed to several media articles and participated in a number of seminars and conferences to talk about its experiences, increasing brand awareness for the company.

• A recent employee’s survey found that 95% of Summertown’s office staff are proud that their company is implementing sustainable business practices.

Social/Environment Benefits

• A significant drop in water and electricity consumption has resulted in reducing Summertown’s environmental impact, with a total of 32% reduction in water consumption and 54.98% in lighting energy.

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Marcos Bish, Summertown’s MD and Eco Leaders 2020 Chairman “As a green fit-out partner, the Eco-Leaders committee forms an integral part of our CSR strategy. The UAE’s Vision 2021 aims to further the position of the country as a sustainable nation and our goal to become carbon-neutral is in accordance with this. We have now completed one full year of the green committee, achieving 14 of the 16 goals that we set ourselves for year one. There is a long way to go, but we have a clear plan and we are measuring as we go, so that we can take corrective action if necessary. We feel that our BHAG, of becoming carbon neutral by 2020, is absolutely achievable. We are learning ourselves and from others as we progress and we’re now seeing more and more organisations adopt a similar approach which is very encouraging.”

du: Smart Healthdu opened for business in 2006. du offers mobile and fixed telephony, broadband connectivity and IPTV services to individuals, homes and businesses. The company also provides carrier services for businesses and satellite up/downlink services for TV broadcasters. By October 2011 nearly 6 million people and over 40,000 businesses have chosen to use du services and become its customers.

As a rapidly-growing enterprise du has over 2,000 staff working to enhance and expand the bouquet of service offerings. du employees come from over 60 countries which mirrors the rich cultural diversity of the nation, while being able to serve the customers in a variety of languages.

Initiative

In 2011 du launched a portfolio of mobile health services collectively known as Smart Health. The current portfolio includes Health Text, a bouquet of SMS-based content services to encourage people to stay healthy and live well; Health Link, a strategic initiative to deliver remote monitoring solutions for the management of chronic diseases; and the latest service a 24-7 Physician Help Line in strategic partnership with Mobile Doctors 24-7. This portfolio collectively fulfils du’s brand promise of adding life to life.


du’s goal is to innovate and deliver valuable services to all their customers and as a community-conscious company, du is committed to the health and well-being of all UAE residents. The company realised one of the most effective ways to match its goal and community commitment, was through strategic investments in mobile health that can reduce the growing burden of healthcare costs and capacity on society and government and so du created Smart Health.

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du and Mobile Doctors believe that every individual and family deserves to have immediate and unlimited access to quality physicians and healthcare services regardless of patient location or time of the day. The service provides access to immediate telephone based health advice, needed home visits and monitoring of health condition by professionals with decades of clinical experience via a technology-enabled patient-centric approach to needed healthcare. At affordable rates and user friendly packages - anyone, anywhere can now have access to a qualified physician and get access and information for any health condition. This endeavour brings to life the vision of a healthy nation as laid out by the leadership of the UAE.

du has strategically chosen to participate in this critical development area by leveraging its core telecom assets in a meaningful manner to help reduce the ever growing burden of high cost healthcare on society. The investment and commercial benefit of this service emphasise du’s commitment to make a difference through this value added service to the public.


du conducted market research that indicated there was a demand for services that allow people to have access to healthcare services anytime anywhere. du recognised the need for a means to get in touch with quality healthcare providers in the country and build a culture and network of caring, qualified professionals who follow up and see the people through their immediate health need.

Once this unique concept was recognised, it was a matter of planning and implementing over a period of one year, to launch this service. du worked closely in partnership with Mobile Doctors to ensure that all facets of the service were benchmarked and met with the country’s highest standards in terms of healthcare delivery, certification and regulatory requirements.

The 24-7 Physician Helpline service was then deployed on du’s state of the art Hosted IP Contact Centre technology, using the toll free 800 numbers and du’s network assets. Additionally, all facilities and staff within the Mobile Doctors 24-7 organisation had to meet the strict guidelines of the Dubai Healthcare City, and all necessary insurance and regulatory standards were adhered to.

Furthermore, it required the development of a preferred healthcare provider network that allows patients to get access to the best healthcare that is available in the UAE, when needed. This, together with a healthy working relationship with all regulatory bodies, including the Ministry of Health and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, has seen this project reach its current state.

The service is available in Arabic, English and Hindi.

Business Benefits

• Meeting 24-7 customer expectations: du’s brand promise of adding life to life is accomplished by the Smart Health portfolio and the Physician Helpline, and is aligned with the need to reach out to the community to provide sustainably responsible business initiatives.

• Building customer loyalty: du can now connect customers to healthcare services that are essential to their continued well-being, giving customers peace of mind through access to quality medical information and services, whenever they need it. Patient satisfaction surveys conducted have shown a high level of acceptance and reliability on the service with a number of repeat callers and satisfied users.

• Increasing brand reputation: in June 2012 du won The M+Health Award for the Best Health Care Initiative by a Telecom Provider at 2012 Hospital Build and Infrastructure Awards.

• Developing new customers and partnerships: today this service is in demand by insurance companies who see the value of high cost savings that can help them bring the cost of healthcare down for members and corporate payers.

Social Benefit

• Such mobile health services provide a significant benefit to the general public and the healthcare system in the country. To date, 78% of the caller’s health problems were resolved by the 24-7 Physician Helpline service without having to go to a physician or emergency department. Typical reasons why people use the service include common conditions like pediatric, fever, cold, respiratory, sore throat, asthma, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal, back and joint pains and obstetrics/gynaecology related reasons.

Company Insight

Looking back there were many challenges but that is what makes this offering and the rest of the Smart Health Portfolio stand out. This service offers a much needed service to the general public to connect people with quality healthcare. Providing a 24-7 physician provided helpline is a unique idea for the country and should be a pathway for people to obtain better healthcare and remain healthy. What has been accomplished is through persistence, thorough understanding of the healthcare ecosystem and support from all stakeholders to make this possible.

Aligning all stakeholders was a challenge, working with regulatory bodies and building a relationship took time. Augmenting this service and launching others required having a finger on the pulse of the market, an analysis of people’s behaviour and taking action on feedback provided. du is continuing to build confidence that the service is complimentary to the existing healthcare infrastructure in the country and is a reliable gateway to obtaining access to quality healthcare as needed, when needed. du is constantly trying to improve the Smart Health portfolio - the ultimate goal is to leverage its innovative technology and future investments and align it with the effective delivery of healthcare in a credible, safe and effective manner.

The sustainability of this project depends on regulatory support, adoption by residents, and usage by the healthcare providers. Together with forward thinking insurance and corporate employers who believe in the wellness of their employees and members, du is confident that such services will be an effective hub in the healthcare ecosystem over the long term. It will require judicious investments, careful selection of products and sensitivity to the social healthcare agenda that the leaders of this country have defined.

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Majid Al Futtaim Properties: Tenant Star Rating SystemMajid Al Futtaim Properties is leading developer of shopping malls together with hotels and mixed-use community projects in the MENA region. It currently owns and operates 11 world-class shopping malls welcoming over 140 million customers a year. Three of the company’s flagship projects are in Dubai - Mall of the Emirates, Deira City Centre and Mirdif City Centre.

Initiative

Majid Al Futtaim Properties created a Tenant Sustainable fit-out guide - Star Rating Evaluation System to engage retailers to undertake sustainable fit outs within Majid Al Futtaim Properties malls. The aim is that Majid Al Futtaim Properties and the tenant work together towards mitigating their impact on the environment and significantly reduce the eco-impact of the retail sector.


Shopping Malls are at the core of Majid Al Futtaim Properties’ business growth strategy going forward. Because of their nature, these malls have a major impact on the environment through substantial construction; with over 140 million customers a year; and their use, employing over 15,000 people within them. Accordingly, the company’s CSR policy has been developed to ensure it demonstrates leadership in the shopping mall sector across the region and to minimise any negative impacts associated with big shopping malls. Majid Al Futtaim Properties board and management team initiated the Majid Al Futtaim Properties CSR Policy which provides a framework in which it operates so as to achieve the required balance and against which progress can be measured. A 2010-11 target was set to increase the number of lease renewals with green clauses, therefore a programme implementing an awareness of sustainable fit outs needed to be communicated to the tenants.


The Tenant Sustainable Fit Out Guide came out of Majid Al Futtaim Properties’ annual energy conference for employees from across the company and key supply chain stakeholders. This initiative was then developed in conjunction with the Majid Al Futtaim Properties Retail Design and Delivery team and sustainability consultant Jones Lang La Salle. The process took approximately one year to develop by initially engaging with the tenants to assess their company’s interest in CSR activities overall and then their commitment to undertake a star rated fit out. The team then used the LEED Certification framework (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) from the United States Green Building Council, which evaluates the environment performance of a building, to restructure the rating system into smaller achievable targets which make up the five stars. This means that Majid Al Futtaim Properties assesses the tenant’s fit out design against a number of green criteria including water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovations in operations and disabled access. This programme was endorsed by the CEO who requested a minimum two star rating to be achieved by all tenants. As the star rating system is based on LEED for commercial fit out standards, when a tenant achieves the fifth star it means the fit out is LEED rated.The assessment of the star rating system has now formed part of the Retail Design and Delivery teams’ role and is fixed within their KPI’s.

Business Benefits

• Tenants are one of the main focus areas in Majid Al Futtaim Properties CSR policy. The initiative promotes regular dialogue with each tenant and provides support to help them improve their environmental footprint; this in turns helps occupancy rates. This is important as mall occupancy is the core strategic asset category for Majid Al Futtaim Pro

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