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Sustainability scorecard provides a baseline on the Group's economic, environmental and social impact
40% of turnover spent on local suppliers
Target of 3.5 to 5% reduction in energy consumption
Employee engagement rate of 95%, with an attrition rate lower than UAE average
Target of 10% increase in office-based female employees
Targeted Emiratisation recruitment programme
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Al Naboodah Group Enterprises (ANGE) today published a sustainability report for 2016, outlining for the first time its Group-wide commitment to responsible and sustainable corporate practices.
The report – benchmarked against Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Guidelines – highlights the significant contribution the Group made to sustainable practices and its alignment with the pillars of the UAE’s Vision 2021.
Abdullah Mohammed Juma Al Naboodah, Chairman, Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Holding LLC, said the report reflects the Group’s economic, environmental and social impact.
“The Al Naboodah brand touches the lives of almost every resident and visitor to the UAE. As an employer of 16,000 people and an economic driver of projects across the UAE, we have a responsibility to embed sustainability in everything we do to support our vision to be an employer and business partner of choice,” Mr Al Naboodah said.
The report includes data across the following areas:
Reinvesting in the UAE
In 2016, ANGE spent over 40% of its entire turnover on local suppliers through the company’s ‘UAE first’ procurement programme.
To encourage wider adoption of sustainable practices, ANGE will implement procurement processes that engage suppliers to measure their own sustainability performances against the same high standards set by ANGE.
Targeted Emiratisation recruitment programme
ANGE has recently launched an internship programme for UAE nationals. Working closely with Absher and Tanmia, the company intends to host over 200 Emirati interns during the course of 2017 that will be exposed to multiple areas of the private sector business.
Health and safety
In 2016, the Group reduced the Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) from 0.15 to 0.14 in its construction business, with zero workplace related fatalities reported.
Furthermore, ANGE was recognised for its commitment to health and safety, winning the MEP Health and Safety Initiative of the Year Award 2016 (Trans Gulf - MEP ME industry awards) and Best Health, Safety and Environment contractor 2016 from Dubai Airports.
On worker welfare, approximately 14,000 employees live in ANGE worker accommodation, 70 percent of which is owned by the company. Worker welfare is safeguarded through initiatives such as free medical check-ups and day outings to other Emirates, on-site gym access, education centres, sporting leagues, games evenings and much more.
Environment
ANGE’s water recycling plant capacity at its National Plant facility is 2,000 litres per hour. In 2017, ANGE will target a 3.5 to 5 percent reduction in energy consumption and a 1 percent water usage reduction and 5 percent water loss reduction across the Group.
Community programmes
In 2016, ANGE partnered with community programmes to provide support for their causes.
This included: facilitating funding to pay for 10 smile operations via the Operation Smile charity; partnering with theStepping Stones organisation who help youths with special needs obtain work experience; conducting a blood donor drive where employees donated 229 pints of blood to the Dubai Blood Donation Centre; and participating with Dubai Municipality’s and Dubai Airport’s clean-up the world days.
Employee satisfaction
ANGE’s overall employee engagement rate in a recent survey was 95 percent with a response rate of 81 percent, demonstrating a highly engaged workforce compared to globally recognised employee satisfaction rankings. This positive result is reflected in an employee turnover rate of 13 percent, which compares favourably with a UAE average of over 30 percent.
Gender diversity
A 2017 gender diversification programme has been established targeting a 10 percent increase in female employees in non-labour businesses.
To encourage diversity and inclusion, ANGE has established a female leadership and development programme to empower women in the workplace by providing workshops and mentoring programmes.
To complement this, ANGE will participate in the Women in Construction Week event and introduce a Gender Pathways programme to identify career framework opportunities for promotion of women into senior roles in the business.
Career development & learning
In 2016, employees participated in more than 150 training courses. Furthermore, the Al Naboodah Construction Group Trade School received Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) accreditation making it one of only four trade schools across the GCC to have achieved this status.
Mr Al Naboodah said the 2016 sustainability report has set a baseline on corporate governance and responsibility for the organisation to report against annually.
“While we have made significant progress, we are only just embarking on our sustainability journey. Next year, we will continue on our journey to be fully GRI compliant and will continue to go above and beyond regulatory compliance to ensure that the Al Naboodah brand is synonymous with the UAE’s growth and innovation agenda and also reflect the world’s leading sustainable practices,” Mr Al Naboodah said.
The 2016 Al Naboodah Group Enterprises sustainability report can be downloaded here http://www.alnaboodah.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/sustainability-en.pdf
© Press Release 2017
