ADNEC hosts Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group’s second quarterly meeting and fifth anniversary celebrations

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) today hosted today the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group’s (ADSG) second quarterly meeting and lunch at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre to mark the organisation’s fifth anniversary celebrations. 

This ADSG Quarterly Meeting forms part of a series of events and activities for members to share best practices, raise awareness on sustainability, and promote the adoption of sustainability management practices. 

The second Quarterly Meeting included two sessions. The first session focused on knowledge sharing on sustainability reporting while the second session examined the Group’s operational aspects and provided an update on the progress against strategic goals and flagship programmes that the ADSG and its members are working towards. 

Khaled Alsafi Al Hashmi, Chief Operating Officer at ADNEC, said: “As an effective member of ADSG since 2012, we are delighted to host the organisation’s quarterly meeting and fifth anniversary celebrations. Since inception, ADSG has championed sustainable practices across Abu Dhabi, encouraging a shared sense of responsibility and collaboration in achieving the emirate’s long term economic, social and environmental sustainability goals. 

“At ADNEC, we have consistently demonstrated our commitment to endorsing an environmentally conscious approach. Likewise, we have developed a sustainability framework to include the flagship programmes introduced by ADSG. Our sustainability initiatives are well aligned with these programmes. We are equally keen to extend this culture of sustainability to our suppliers and contractors.” 

Al Hashmi added: “In our priority to positively impact the environment, we continuously identify and adopt cutting-edge technologies and processes. We are proud of our accomplishments thus far and look forward to making a significant contribution to the growth of sustainable practices in Abu Dhabi.” 

Among ADNEC’s noted sustainable features include the use of bio-fuel throughout its facility, as well as the generation of power from solar panels located in car parking areas A and B that cover a total area of 3,300 square metres. The power generated from these panels is used to heat water and the power elevators at the Aloft hotel – located within the ADNEC campus – with the remaining 111 kilowatts retained to meet the energy needs of the three-storey car park. 

In addition, ADNEC has made significant headway in its recycling efforts. The company recently recorded a 12 per cent increase in the total waste recycled, which translates into 181,898 kilograms of waste diverted from landfill annually. The rise was achieved through extending the range of waste segregation categories to include glass, printer cartridges and battery waste. Waste bins were also placed at convenient intervals to facilitate the separation process. 

The ADSG, which was established on 30 June 2008, is proud to have grown from 15 founding members to its current strength of 42 members. The Group has seen year-on-year growth in sustainability reporting with over 35 organisations and more than 100 practitioners having received sustainability management and reporting training. This has resulted in over 40 reports being issued to date. Members including Family Development Foundation, Musanada, Emirates Foundation, Rotana, WRDC and TAQA are set to release their reports shortly.