Page 43 - Respond 2018 Magazine

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Shifting to a green

economy – it’s all about

striking a balance

By Raji Hattar, Chief Sustainability Officer at Aramex

Over the past ten years, we have seen a change in the way corporates view sustainability.
In the old days, corporate activism was traditionally seen as a way to give back to the
local community or support environmentally friendly initiatives. Organizing philanthropic
activities such as employee volunteering programmes or donating to charities, broadly
captured how these companies approached corporate activism. But with business dynamics
changing, and some companies beginning to look for new ways of enhancing performance,
corporate activism is taking on a different role within these companies. Rather than being
seen as only geared towards environmental and community development, corporate
activism is becoming viewed as a strategic investment for business development.

What has facilitated this shift? In my opinion, there are specifications in 2011, making it mandatory for any
four main drivers. new government building to abide by these codes.
The government also recently announced its plans for
First, staying in business. Regulations are raising a new federal environmental legislation, allowing the
the bar when it comes to environmental protection, Ministry of Environment and Water to directly impose
and companies must find solutions to reduce their penalties on polluters and implement recycling and
carbon footprint if they want to stay in business. In waste reforms. Therefore, for corporates to stay in
the United Arab Emirates, for example, Abu Dhabi business, they must become more environmentally
introduced new laws in 2009 requiring all new building friendly. This is a trend that will only continue to grow
developments to adhere to green building codes. as governments around the world introduce more
Dubai Municipality also introduced its green buildings environment-based laws.

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