Majid Al Futtaim honours mall tenants for environmental commitment

Majid Al Futtaim recently recognised its tenants’ environmental efforts and commitment to sustainability with its prestigious Green Star Awards. The Green Star Awards ceremony, which was held at City Centre Deira’s vibrant ‘INDOORS’ pop-up space, was conceived to encourage all mall tenants to follow Green Star sustainability rating standards.

The programme is part of Majid Al Futtaim’s Net Positive commitment, which aims to significantly reduce the company’s water consumption and carbon emissions, resulting in a positive corporate footprint by 2040. A total of 638 stores, belonging to 254 parent companies, have been rated 3-star or above. Tenants from Mall of the Emirates, City Centres in the UAE and Matajer malls in Sharjah received trophies and certificates of recognition.

Majid Al Futtaim’s Green Star Rating system is a pioneering initiative, which assesses tenants’ sustainability policies and certain environmental and social aspects relevant to their fit-outs and operation. The initial assessment addresses stores’ volatile organic compound (VOC) emission levels of fit-out material, efficiency of lighting and water features. Tenants then receive a score depending on their answers and are allocated a green star rating from 1 to 5.

“Our goal is to make a lasting positive impact on society and lead by example in sustainable business practices. The Green Star Rating system provides an incentive to our partners to adopt environment-friendly processes that ensure the continued use of natural and non-renewal resources judiciously and encourages them to innovate and apply renewable sources of energy to their operations,” says Ibrahim Al-Zu’bi, chief sustainability officer at Majid Al Futtaim-Holding.

“The Green Star programme is testament to the strong partnership we have with our tenants. Our partners play an indispensable role in helping us achieve our Net Positive ambitious goal and set an example as pioneers in sustainable business practice,” adds Mansoor Sharaf, managing director for Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Shopping Malls (UAE, Bahrain & Oman).

Green Star is modelled on the US ‘Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’ standards (LEED), the points-based rating standard that concerns the design, construction, operation and maintenance of green buildings, homes and neighbourhoods.

The categories in the Green Star Sustainability Rating System include Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Waste Management, Community Investment and Innovation and Design Process.