Majid Al Futtaim shopping malls secure three more LEED Platinum
Certifications alongside COP28 initiatives
City Centre Bahrain, City Centre Deira and City Centre Muscat join Mall of the Emirates with LEED Platinum Certifications
- Sustainable initiatives alongside COP28 include Feed the Future and sustainable hoardings
City Centre Deira 1
City Centre Bahrain
City Centre Muscat
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Dubai, UAE; 7 December 2023: As the world gathers in Dubai for the COP28 climate conference, Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, has announced that three of its shopping malls in the region have been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification. This is the highest level of certification in the LEED green building rating system - the world’s most widely used green building rating system.
The LEED Platinum Certification for City Centre Bahrain (total score of 84 points), City Centre Deira (83 points), and City Centre Muscat (82 points) have been awarded for Operations and Maintenance for Existing Buildings (LEED O+M: Existing Buildings) category and bring the total number of LEED-certified Majid Al Futtaim malls in the region to 20. In addition, My City Centre Masdar has already achieved Abu Dhabi’s Estidama Three Pearl rating.
The latest LEED Platinum Certifications follow Mall of the Emirates being honored with the same award earlier this year, making it the world’s largest operational mall to receive the certification. Among the latest award winners, City Centre Deira’s status of achieving LEED Platinum certification is particularly noteworthy given its position as Majid Al Futtaim’s first shopping mall, and stands as a testament to the Group’s commitment to sustainability and efficient building management.
Several sustainable practices implemented by Majid Al Futtaim contributed to achieving LEED Platinum status for the malls. These include a clear focus on water efficiency such as the installation of high-efficiency toilet fixtures across all malls, effectively reducing water consumption, and convenient access to public transportation, leading to elevated points in the location and transportation credit.
Other industry practices implemented include effective waste management strategies such as waste reduction and segregation positively impacting the waste performance credit, efficient lighting systems, and the ongoing HVAC optimization to earn higher points in the Energy and Atmosphere category. Through the ongoing sustainability enhancements in Majid Al Futtaim’s malls, it also contributes to the long-term viability but also enriches the well-being and overall satisfaction of our customers.
Commenting on the LEED Platinum Certifications, Khalifa Bin Braik, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim – Asset Management, said: “As the UAE welcomes the world for COP28, at Majid Al Futtaim, we believe it is our duty to help protect our environment for the future. As the first company in the MENA region to adopt a group level net positive strategy and one of the first companies in the world to sign up to the World Green Building Council Net Zero Building Commitment, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. These highest-level LEED certifications reaffirm our commitment to providing a responsible and sustainable shopping experience for all our mall customers. We are confident that our efforts will guide our community, customers and business partners to eco-friendly solutions and pathways that are good for both people and the planet.”
Green Building Awards
The celebration of sustainability at Majid Al Futtaim malls during COP28 UAE builds on the group’s recent climate-friendly achievements and recognitions in global ESG best practices – including Mall of the Emirates winning the 2023 MENA Green Building Awards for the successful implementation of a Green Operations and Maintenance plan that has led to reducing waste generation and improving energy efficiency.
Feed the Future
The initiatives also draw attention to a unique food rescue programme run by Mall of the Emirates – ‘Feed the Future’ – that focuses on recovering leftover and edible food from restaurants, cafés, the Food Court, and workforce catering in the mall and repurposing it to the community. In the first two months of the pilot phase, the initiative has recovered over 2,000 meals equating to 15kg of food daily and diverted 2,050kg of CO2 from the environment.
Stemming from the success of the pilot at Mall of the Emirates, Majid Al Futtaim has decided to extend the program to three new shopping malls, anticipating a threefold increase in the number of F&B participants and a substantial scaling-up of impact.
SHORE Excellent Safety
Majid Al Futtaim has also announced its recent landmark achievement of winning four prestigious SHORE Excellent Safety certificates. The awards include the esteemed Platinum-level SHORE Excellent Safety certificate for Mall of the Emirates, and Gold-level SHORE Excellent Safety recognition for three other Majid Al Futtaim shopping malls in the UAE – City Centre Deira, City Centre Mirdif and City Centre Al Zahia.
Sustainable Hoardings
As a part of initiatives to help the industry, Mall of the Emirates will also roll out sustainable hoardings that can be fully recycled. Moving towards a greener future, the hoardings will replace gypsum with sustainable and reusable materials that are environmentally friendly and reusable.
ENDS
Media Contact:
Sarah Alsalem
+971 54 464 9772
About Majid Al Futtaim
Founded in 1992, Majid Al Futtaim is a diversified lifestyle conglomerate spanning 16 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The company employs 46,000 people representing 114 nationalities and welcomes 600 million customers to its shopping malls, communities, retail and entertainment destinations each year.
With owned assets valued at US$18 billion, Majid Al Futtaim has the highest credit rating (BBB) among privately-held corporates in the region. The company is committed to becoming Net Positive in water and carbon by 2040.
About Majid Al Futtaim Asset Management
Majid Al Futtaim owns and operates 29 shopping malls in the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, Lebanon and Oman. The portfolio includes Mall of the Emirates, Mall of Egypt, Mall of Oman, City Centre malls, My City Centre neighbourhood centres, and five joint venture community malls with the Government of Sharjah. They also operate omnichannel services including online Shoppable Mall, Digital Concierge, an AI empowered Store of the Future and the region’s first Mall of the Metaverse. All of this is powered by the UAE’s fastest growing loyalty program SHARE which offers customers a more personalised and data driven experience in the malls along with privileges like VIP Lounge access and Smart parking.
Majid Al Futtaim develops hotels that are connected, or adjacent to, shopping malls offering value, convenience and experience to guests from overseas, the region and the surrounding business community. Majid Al Futtaim owns 11 hotels in the UAE and 2 in Bahrain, all operated by international hotel brands such as Sheraton, Novotel, Ibis, Aloft, Hilton Garden Inn, Kempinski Hotel, Pullman, Le Meridien and The Westin. In 2022, Majid Al Futtaim became the first and only conglomerate in the world to be awarded the prestigious LEED Platinum certification for its portfolio of hotels.