Twenty-eight companies in UAE pledge to reduce carbon emissions

Move comes at National Climate Ambition Dialogue as efforts to tackle climate change intensify ahead of Cop28

Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, at the National Climate Ambition Dialogue. Photo: Ministry of Climate Change and Environment

Twenty-eight companies in the UAE’s industrial sector have pledged to try to reduce carbon emissions and adopt more sustainable ways of operating, it was announced on Tuesday.

The move came at the 10th National Climate Ambition Dialogue, overseen by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.

The dialogue is a series of industry-specific assemblies aimed at raising ambition in the UAE’s goal of becoming net zero by 2050, which means not adding to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

It comes with only six months to go before the UAE hosts Cop28, the UN climate summit.

Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and Minister of State for Food Security, told those attending that the pledge by the companies was important in light of UAE efforts to reach net zero and in trying to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C on pre-industrial levels as mandated under the 2015 Paris agreement.

"The industrial sector is responsible for a large proportion of carbon emissions in the UAE and the world, and we need to work now to find practical solutions to reduce these emissions,” said Ms Al Mheiri.

"The UAE believes in the urgency of working to limit the global temperature rise to less than 1.5°C to avoid the consequences of climate change and its effects on human life. Therefore, the UAE was the first country in the Middle East to sign the Paris climate agreement and provide nationally determined contributions to reduce carbon emissions."

These companies are the sixth cohort to sign up to the “climate-responsible companies pledge" that is part of the dialogue and brings the total of signatories to 90 across various sectors.

Businesses pledge support

The 28 companies are: Zeroe Software Solutions; Dakerechsand; Eltizam Asset Management Group; ESG Integrate; FTI Consulting; Rak White Cement; Accor; Accuracy; Authentik Spoon; Because You Care; CCI France UAE; CMA/CGM; Eny; Gems; Inspexion; Lactalis; Legrand; Sanofi; Schneider Electric; Sodexo; TTI; Sopexa; RNZ Group; Tally Co; Maison Duffour; Keolis; Egis; and Iffco.

The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology; UAE Space Agency; Fujairah Environment Authority; Dibba Al Fujairah Municipality; Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi; Dubai Municipality; Ras Al Khaimah Municipality; and Emirates Steel Arkan, in addition to representation from 150 of the largest manufacturing companies in the country.

“As the largest publicly traded steel and building materials manufacturer in the UAE and a signatory of the UAE climate-responsible companies pledge, we are proud to be driving our industry's decarbonisation efforts at a scale that is supporting the nation's strategic initiative to realise net zero by 2050,” said Saeed Al Remeithi, group chief executive of Emirates Steel Arkan, which co-hosted Monday’s event.

Emirates Steel Arkan also signed an agreement at the event with assurance and risk management company DNV to boost co-operation on sustainable financing for decarbonisation and energy transformation.

There were also discussions on finance, hydrogen, recycling and the circular economy, and technology such as carbon capture.