https://emiratitimes.com/ :Dubai: The Emirates Group has been awarded the Platinum Impact Seal Award for 2025–2027, the UAE’s highest federal recognition for sustainable business impact, by the UAE National CSR Fund, Majra.

The Group received the honor for the second consecutive cycle, reaffirming its leadership in environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and corporate sustainability. The award was presented by His Excellency Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Majra, to Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Operations Officer, Adel Al Redha, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court.

The Platinum Impact Seal represents the UAE’s highest level of recognition for organizations demonstrating measurable achievements in sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR), governance and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UAE’s national priorities.

Commenting on the achievement, Adel Al Redha said the recognition reflects the Emirates Group’s continued commitment to advancing sustainability through practical environmental initiatives, strong governance, community support and strategic partnerships. Al Redha noted that the Group remains focused on addressing aviation’s environmental challenges while contributing to the UAE’s sustainability agenda.

The Emirates Group’s Environmental Sustainability Framework is built around three core pillars: reducing emissions, consuming responsibly, and preserving wildlife and natural habitats. Over the past year, the Group has expanded several initiatives aimed at reducing its environmental footprint across aviation and ground operations.

Under its long-running fuel efficiency program, Emirates saved more than 98,000 tons of fuel during the 2024–25 financial year, reducing carbon emissions by over 312,000 tons through measures such as optimized flight routing, pilot training and operational efficiencies.

The airline also increased its use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), procuring more than 28,000 tons during 2025–26, helping reduce emissions by over 93,000 tons. Emirates further strengthened its sustainability efforts by signing a memorandum of understanding with ENOC Group to explore expanded SAF supply at its Dubai hub.

As part of its circular economy initiatives, Emirates continued upcycling materials from its aircraft retrofit programme into limited-edition luggage and school bags through its Aircrafted KIDS initiative. Around 4,000 upcycled school bags have already been donated to children’s organisations across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The airline also expanded its inflight recycling programme, repurposing more than 88,000 kilograms of plastic service items into new onboard products.

The Group has also invested in renewable energy projects. Nearly 40,000 solar panels installed at the Emirates Engineering Centre now provide approximately 37 percent of the facility’s electricity needs, reducing annual carbon emissions by more than 13,000 tons.

Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC) commissioned a large-scale biodigester capable of processing organic waste on-site, with the system expected to prevent more than 2,000 tons of carbon emissions annually once operating at full capacity.

Meanwhile, dnata continued advancing its environmental strategy by electrifying more than 17 percent of its global ground support fleet, increasing the use of alternative fuels by 89 percent year-on-year, and expanding renewable energy across its operations. During the 2025–26 financial year, dnata generated over 5,100 MWh of electricity through onsite solar installations and sourced an additional 24,500 MWh through renewable energy tariffs. Renewable energy now accounts for 15 percent of the company’s total energy consumption, while 47 percent of waste generated across its global operations was diverted from disposal through recycling and reuse initiatives.

The award ceremony also marked the launch of the UAE Companies for Good 2031 Strategy, a national framework aimed at increasing private sector participation in the UAE’s impact economy while strengthening the country’s CSR, ESG and sustainability ecosystem.