During Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Abu Dhabi, 01 February 2023 – The National Food Loss and Waste Initiative “ne’ma” and “Aldar” signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week to mutually cooperate to tackle the issue of food loss and food waste in the UAE, and to contribute to achieving the National Food Security Agenda.
The MoU was signed in the presence of H.E. Mariam Mohammed Saeed Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment; and was signed by H.E. Ahmed Al Shamsi, CEO of the Emirates Foundation, the key partner of ne’ma initiative, and Talal Al Dhiyebi, Group Chief Executive Officer at Aldar.
The signing ceremony took place at the Aldar pavilion at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in the presence of representatives from both ne’ma and Aldar.
ne’ma actively participated in several activities organized during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the global platform that brings together senior officials and decision-makers, major business executives, NGOs, and global experts from around the world to discuss environmental issues and policies to face global challenges.
ne’ma was launched in February 2022 as the national umbrella to tackle food loss and waste, following a call to action by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President, to address the improvidence in food and to develop a social norm that builds on the UAE’s culture and values of responsible and sustainable consumption.
It was established in collaboration between the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and Emirates Foundation, which is mandated to consolidate and align national efforts to curb food loss and waste across the food value chain to meet the UAE’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 12:3 which aims to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030.
Commenting on the MoU, H.E. Mariam Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, stressed on the “significance of the MoU signed by ne’ma and Aldar, bolstering joint efforts to reduce food loss and waste through the cooperation of all national stakeholders.”
H.E. stressed the high cost of food waste on the environment, on human health, and on food security in general, reiterating that “we want to get people to think and reflect on their behavior around food to cherish this resource which we are privileged and blessed to have access to here in the UAE,” adding that more than 800 million people around the world suffer from hunger and that food waste is a collective global challenge.
“Therefore, we all have a role to take simple steps we can make into our daily routine that can reduce food waste and in return the negative impacts of climate change on our planet,” H.E. concluded.
The MoU provides that both parties shall facilitate and implement innovative solutions that can be scaled to introduce positive and sustainable change to reducing food waste, and design collaborative initiatives and projects across the food value chain with stakeholders from Aldar’s diverse business sectors to achieve the food waste reduction goals
As part of the MoU, Aldar undertakes to support ne’ma pilot projects through Aldar schools, communities, hotels, and malls on Yas Island, raising awareness about the importance of reducing and segregating food waste and shifting people’s behaviors to more sustainable consumption habits.
Commenting on the MoU, Talal Al Dhiyebi, Group Chief Executive Officer at Aldar, said, “Our partnership with ne’ma is another opportunity for Aldar to contribute to a national sustainability priority and aligns perfectly with the principles of our recently launched net zero commitment. Food waste is a significant challenge and with assets across hospitality, retail, education, commercial, and residential we believe that this partnership will enable Aldar and our stakeholders to significantly reduce food waste that ends up in the landfill.”
Both entities will work together in the coming weeks to better define pilot projects that will be launched to raise awareness in the community and encourage behavioral change in food consumption and waste management habits, create a shift in social norms, and promote good stewardship of national resources.
With its own 2030 and 2050 goals of reaching Net Zero across its operations, Aldar is setting the benchmark for national real estate players in terms of sustainability and commitment to combat climate change. The company’s plan is to become Net Zero across its Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions by 2050. Aldar has also set science-aligned 2030 interim targets, which will see it achieve Net Zero in its Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions and deliver a 45% reduction in the intensity of its Scope 3 GHG emissions relative to the company’s 2021 baseline.
Globally, it is estimated that one-third of the food produced (about 1.3 billion tonnes) is either lost at the various stages of production, processing, distribution, and retail or else wasted by food service providers and households. The impact of this ominous reality on the environment is quite hefty as wasted food that ends up in landfills accounts for 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
“We want to shape and spread an engaging and enticing vision for the future, making it a win for all sectors to practice food waste reduction,” said H.E. Ahmed Al Shamsi, CEO of the Emirates Foundation.
“We plan to look at ways of integrating technology and innovation to enhance efficiency and bring about cost savings as a result of food waste reduction, as well as explore policy areas that can create an enabling environment that positively impacts the food waste ecosystem,” Al Shamsi added.
H.E. concluded that “We are glad to work together with Aldar, the national partner, to achieve ne’ma’s goal of reducing food waste by 50% by 2030, and we think that this partnership will hopefully usher the way for other national partnerships.”
The MoU is expected to open the way for other partnerships between ne’ma and other major stakeholders within an aligned national endeavor to achieve ne’ma’s objective of 50% food waste reduction by 2030.
About Emirates Foundation
Emirates Foundation was launched on 12 April 2005 as an initiative of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. It is chaired by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Emirates Foundation is a national organization set up to facilitate public-private funded initiatives to unite social responsibility across the UAE, by implementing research-based programs that meet the country’s needs towards sustainable community development.
The Foundation works with public and private sector partners to meet national goals, respond to society’s most pressing challenges and in the development of national competencies through digital smart platforms and defined through data-driven social needs.
About ne’ma
ne’ma the National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, is a reflection of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vision and call for action to address over-consumption and building a UAE-wide social norm around responsible and sustainable consumption, bringing back UAE’s rooted traditional values of social responsibility and good stewardship of national resources.
ne’ma is a collaboration between the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Emirates Foundation and the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court, that will promote and align shared action by key national stakeholders including government, private sector, NGOs and communities to address food loss and waste across the whole value chain, from production to consumption, covering farms, producers, distributors, retailers, restaurants and households with the aim to tackle current behaviors and attitudes to build new national social norms around responsible consumption that contribute to food loss and waste reduction
About Aldar
Aldar Properties PJSC is the leading real estate developer and manager in the UAE with a diversified and sustainable operating model centered around two core businesses: Aldar Development and Aldar Investment.
Aldar Development is a master developer of integrated, liveable, and thriving communities across Abu Dhabi’s most desirable destinations, including Yas Island, Saadiyat Island, Al Raha, and Reem Island. It is responsible for developing Aldar’s c. 69 million sqm land bank and includes three businesses: Aldar Projects, which manages Aldar’s fee-based development management business including government housing and infrastructure projects; Aldar Ventures, which incubates and nurtures new business opportunities and innovation areas; and Aldar Egypt, the platform focused on developing mixed-use communities in Egypt.
Aldar Investment houses Aldar’s core asset management business comprising over AED 30 billion portfolio of investment grade and income-generating real estate assets diversified across retail, residential, commercial, hospitality, and logistics segments. Aldar Logistics owns a 70% stake in Abu Dhabi Business Hub which owns a strategically located warehousing, industrial, and office complex in Industrial City Abu Dhabi with a total net lettable area of c. 166,000 sqm. Aldar Investment also manages three core platforms: Aldar Education, Aldar Estates, and Aldar Hospitality and Leisure. Aldar Education includes Aldar’s entire educational portfolio, with almost 33,000 students across 28 operated and managed schools, and a growing network of 3,000 educators from over 100 nationalities, offering a wide range of curriculum and ancillary services such as a Teacher Training Academy. Aldar Estates consolidates Aldar’s Retail Operations alongside existing Residential and Commercial real estate operations within Provis and will further include Community Management under one integrated property management platform. Aldar Hospitality and Leisure looks after Aldar’s portfolio of hotel and leisure assets, which are anchored around Yas Island and Saadiyat, in addition to Ras Al Khaimah. It includes Aldar’s portfolio of 13 hotels, comprising over 4,250 hotel keys and managing operations across golf courses, beach clubs, and marinas.
Aldar’s shares are traded on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (Stock quote: ALDAR:UH), and is a profitable, cash-generative business that provides recurring revenues, and benefits from a diverse and supportive shareholder base. Aldar operates according to high standards of corporate governance and is committed to operating a long-term and sustainable business in order to provide ongoing value for its shareholders.
Aldar is driven by a vision to be a leading real estate developer and manager in the region by playing a key role in the development of quality, comfortable, desirable destinations that people can live in, work at and visit.
