The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has launched the ‘Green Industries’ environmental labeling program to build mutually supportive partnerships to enhance and appreciate the contribution of industrial facilities in the field of environmental protection.
The innovative program is tailored based on best international practices in the field of eco-labeling while taking into consideration the nature of the industrial sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
It encourages industrial facilities to find innovative pollution control solutions and apply best practices leading to an increase in environmental compliance levels across all sectors, by granting an ‘environmental label’ to those organizations with outstanding performance.
The program was launched during an event held at the headquarters of EAD in the Al Mamoura building by Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary-General of EAD, in the presence of Mr. Mohammed Saeed Al Nuaimi, Assistant Under-Secretary of Support Services Sector of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
Dr. Shaikha Salem al Dhaheri Secretary-General – EAD
“The launch of ‘Green Industries’ is fully aligned with the newly launched Abu Dhabi Industrial Strategy and comes under the framework of our comprehensive program to protect environmental gains in Abu Dhabi through an integrated strategy for sustainable development, the integrated management of water resources, and improvement of air quality and waste management. This multidisciplinary effort helps preserve biological diversity, increase environmental awareness and develop EAD’s institutional capabilities, as well as help contribute to the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative.”
During the event, EAD bestowed honorary recognition on selected industrial establishments for their impeccable environmental compliance with environmental laws, legislation and conditions, including the Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the world’s largest ‘premium aluminum’ producer and the biggest industrial company in the UAE outside of the oil and gas sector.
Nawah Energy Company (Nawah), the Joint Venture subsidiary of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), in charge of operating and maintaining the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, the first civil nuclear energy plant in the UAE and the Arab World, located in the Al Dhafra Region and Al Wafi Food Products Company, part of the Wafi Group of Companies, were also awarded.
The program will award facilities a Green Industries label based on environmental criteria split into four major categories. The first category is the demand-side management of resources, which looks to rationalize consumption, while considering the optimal use of energy and preservation of resources. The second category relates to pollution reduction from primary and secondary operations.
The third category involves entities, that in the view of EAD, have an impeccable history of compliance with EAD requirements. This is based on compliance scores that are included in the facility’s monitoring reports, allied with EAD environmental inspection reports.
