(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
United Development Company (UDC), the master developer of The Pearl and Gewan Islands, has won the 2023 SEAL Sustainability Leader Award honouring President, CEO and Member of The Board, Ibrahim Jassim Al Othman, for his role in leadership, innovation, and commitment to sustainable business practices.
Al Othman was chosen amongst 9 top executives who received the Sustainability Leader Award and was selected based on achieving ESG goals, leadership skills, and ability to attract and retain talent. By winning this award, UDC sets the highest benchmarks for environmental integration, setting the path to other organizations, to adopt and deliver long-lasting sustainable impact on the community and the world.
SEAL stands for sustainability, environmental achievement and leadership; and recognises organisations in four award categories: environmental initiative, sustainable innovation, sustainable product and sustainable service.
Additionally, UDC was selected for carrying out various initiatives aimed at protecting the environment and reducing carbon emissions at The Pearl Island, such as the employee tree planting initiative, biodiversity map, and seabin project, as well as for developing a sustainability and environmental strategy for 2022- 2026 to reduce carbon emissions, and encourage a circular economy based on reducing waste and encouraging rational water use.
It is worth noting that UDC has led several initiatives and won several awards for its sustainability endeavors and initiatives, as part of its strategic plan that prioritizes environmental governance, and in accordance with Qatar National Vision 2030, which is reflected in the Qatar's National Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
In October 2022, UDC had won two Green Apple Awards from the 'Green Apple Environment' a prominent environmental organization, in the UK. UDC won the 'best development award' for UDC was also the first listed real estate company to release its ESG report in 2022 to Qatar Stock Exchange. The report officially discloses UDC strategies and achievements in the areas of environmental governance and sustainability.
UDC launched a unique initiative earlier last year to aid the process of carbon emissions reduction through initiating a tree planting for new employees, where each tree is planted for every new employee who joins the company and successively for every five years spent at UDC.
By pulling carbon dioxide from the air and replacing it with oxygen, trees aid in the process of reducing the effects of climate change, preserving natural resources. Green spaces and tree planting create a natural barrier to noise pollution, which is important to the health and well-being of residents on The Pearl Island.
In total, 600 trees have been planted for employees, and each new employee received a certificate stating the joining date, and tree planted. Currently, The Pearl Island has about 7,700 trees that UDC recently launched the first hybrid limo service at The Pearl Island in aims of reducing carbon footprint and GHGs emissions by more than 65 percent while converting 50% of its transport from petrol to electric vehicles, promoting alternative modes of transportation such as using water taxis, electric scooters, and bicycles on dedicated routes, and offering more charging outlets for electric vehicles throughout The Pearl Island.
In August 2022, UDC Tower, the company's headquarters, received GSAS Gold Operations certification, becoming the first building on The Pearl Island to receive the highest regional sustainability rating from the Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD) for implementing sustainability best practices.
UDC Tower is the first GSAS certified project to achieve full indoor air quality compliance, giving it the qualification of a healthy building.