Advancing its sustainability efforts, Emirates and dnata have joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), a voluntary global initiative that promotes responsible business practices and the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
dnata – or the Dubai National Air Travel Agency – is a UAE airport services provider.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “In the UAE’s Year of Sustainability, we are pleased to join the United Nations Global Compact, which is another step forward in the Emirates Group’s efforts to embed sustainable and responsible business practices across our operations.
“Emirates and dnata have always taken a balanced approach to growth. Reflecting Dubai and the UAE’s long-term vision, we are tireless in our pursuit of excellence and progress, and we embrace the values of tolerance and respect. We will continue to invest in technologies, people, and partnerships to improve our business performance, expand our positive impact on the communities we serve, and reduce our environmental impact,” he added.
As participants of the UNGC, Emirates and dnata commit to implementing the Global Compact’s Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption, and to report on its progress on these efforts annually. The Group will benefit from access to the UNGC’s extensive tools and resources to engage with its employees across the globe and improve their learning and training in Sustainability.
The Emirates Group’s ongoing environmental initiatives focus on 3 areas: emissions reduction, responsible consumption and the preservation of wildlife and habitats. In June 2022, dnata pledged €90.4m to be invested over 2 years to enhance environmental efficiency in its operations. In January, Emirates successfully operated a milestone demonstration flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in one engine, supporting collective industry efforts to enable a future of 100% SAF flying.
Emirates supports IATA’s collective industry commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, as well as ICAO’s Long-Term Aspirational Goal (LTAG) for international aviation to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The airline is reviewing opportunities and pathways that will help to achieve this goal, which include fleet renewal, operational fuel efficiency, sustainable and low carbon aviation fuels, and renewable energy.
The Group is committed to gender balance. It is a signatory to the UAE Gender Balance Council’s pledge which aims to increase female representation at middle to senior management positions by 2025; and dnata has signed up to IATA’s 25by2025 initiative to strengthen and improve female representation within its organization.
