Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

Dubai Chamber of Commerce recently organised a webinar that examined several case studies and best practices in maintaining energy and water efficiency in green buildings.

The webinar, hosted by the Dubai Chamber Sustainability Network Task Force on Green Buildings, was joined by 100 participants from the business community representing various economic sectors. Sessions during the webinar addressed the status and investments in renewable energy globally and locally, while discussions shed the light on a few examples of sustainable and green buildings in the UAE.

Jennifer Ifeanyi-Okoro, Programme Officer – Technical Advisory Services at International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) presented the sustainability measures at IRENA’s headquarters building at Abu Dhabi which is one of the most sustainable buildings in the UAE. In her presentation, Jennifer discussed the current status of renewable energy globally and locally and renewable energy investments.

Samuel Njoroge, Cluster Quality Assurance Manager at JA Resorts & Hotels discussed the various energy and water efficiency measures that are currently implemented at the facilities of JA Resorts & Hotels. Samuel highlighted that JA Resorts & Hotels believes that it is very important to reduce its carbon emissions as well as its energy and water consumption and continuously aims to improve its current sustainability practices.

Saoud Al Dosari, Manager – Operations & Maintenance at Empower explained the improvisation and operational approach implemented by Empower in its plants to ensure energy and water efficiency. Saoud stressed the importance of adopting innovative measures in operating plants to ensure achieving the optimum reduction in energy and water consumption.

For his part, Dr. Belaid Rettab, Senior Director, Economic Research and Sustainable Business Development Sector, Dubai Chamber of Commerce, noted that the webinar raised awareness among businesses about the importance and benefits of enhancing energy and water efficiency in green buildings.

Dr Rettab said Dubai Chamber of Commerce is a leading example of an organisation that integrated sustainability into every feature and aspects of its LEED Platinum certified headquarters – one of the region’s most efficient buildings, which is a source of inspiration for the rest of the business community.

He added that the webinar provided an ideal platform for the Chamber and members of the task force to share knowledge and experiences in this area and guide companies that are keen to adopt energy efficient systems and practices and make sustainability a key part of their corporate culture.

Set up in 2004, the Centre for Responsible Business plays a very critical role in guiding businesses in becoming more aware of the business, social and environmental value of sustainable practices and putting in place such practices.

Meanwhile, the Middle East companies focusing on ASEAN are positive about business growth in the region. This is according to a survey1 commissioned by Standard Chartered for its “Borderless Business: Middle East-ASEAN Corridor”, a strategic report that explores high-potential opportunities for cross-border growth in this corridor. All surveyed Middle East companies expect business growth over the next 12 months, with over 80 per cent of them projecting an annual increase in both revenue (82%) and production (81%) of over 10 per cent.

Mohamed Salama, Head, Client Coverage, Head, Corporate, Commercial & Institutional Banking (CCIB), MENA, and Head, CCIB, UAE, said: “ASEAN is a fast-growing trade bloc with increasing economic and financial influence. As Middle East countries look to diversify their economies away from oil, regional businesses are exploring new avenues of investments and ASEAN has emerged as the preferred option due to multiple regional and country-level alliances. The region provides unparalleled trade and investment prospects across various sectors such as refinery and petrochemicals, real estate and infrastructure.”

He added: “ASEAN’s focus on becoming future-ready in areas such as digital and renewable energy offers Middle East companies and investment firms’ ample opportunities to invest, develop and provide solutions to meet their sustainability goals. Given our unique global footprint, Standard Chartered has the right mix of local knowledge and expertise across all ASEAN markets to better help our clients leverage these potential opportunities and strive for continued success.”

The report also revealed that access to the large and growing ASEAN consumer market (60%), access to a global market enabled by a network of Free Trade Agreements (58%) and diversification of production footprint (51%) are regarded as the most important drivers2 for expansion into the region, according to senior executives of the surveyed Middle East companies.