INTELLIGENT GREEN TECHNOLOG
Innovation
at the core.
Middle East drives
sustainability with
real-time business
applications
Sustainability and profitability go hand in hand, says Gergi
Abboud, Managing Director of the Gulf, North Africa, Levant,
and Pakistan at SAP.
Gergi Abboud is the Managing Director of the Gulf, North Africa, Levant, and Pakistan at SAP.
Flexible, scalable, ultra high performance fi bre optic systems from Excel
Enbeam from Excel introduces unrivalled levels of innovation to fi bre optic product design and
functionality in the LAN and DC environment. The new HD Uniboot range of cables for example
are ideal for patching applications where space is at a premium, but loss of features is not an option.
2mm micro duplex cables Uniboot low loss LC connectors with ability to switch polarity in the fi eld
and bend insensitive glass mean you can have innovation as standard by choosing Enbeam.
DISCOVER ENBEAM:
excel-networking.com
T
he Middle East is at the forefront
of environmental sustainability
innovations, with organisations
leading the trend that sustainability and
profitability go hand in hand.
Digital transformation is critical to
enabling sustainability, saving energy costs
and resources, enhancing enterprise and
product safety, and benefiting workers,
communities and the environment.
Real-time business applications are
the foundation for enterprise-wide
sustainability, allowing organisations to
set goals and objectives, measure and
communicate performance, and reduce
data collection and errors.
Boardroom drives sustainable
business processes
Before embarking on a sustainability
strategy, Middle East organisations need
to rethink how sustainability affects the
entire business, starting from the top–
down with the boardroom rather than
sustainability departments.
Chief sustainability officers can embed
sustainability across the entire enterprise.
Sustainability officers are often sponsored
by chief financial officers, to quantify
how sustainability will influence balance
sheets across habitat preservation, factory
safety or energy usage, or access to
renewable energy decades down the line.
Every year, the chief financial officer and
chief sustainability officer should review
progress numerous times.
While sustainability requires strong
leadership, it cannot be mandated only
from the top. Middle East organisations
need the support of all employees. One
recent survey found that in companies with
strong sustainability programmes, morale
was 55 per cent better, public image was
43 per cent stronger and employee loyalty
was 38 per cent higher than those without
sustainability programmes.
The Human Resources department
needs to change sustainable behaviour
with a compelling ‘change story’, clear
targets and metrics, easy-to-use tools
and processes for employees; strong role
models and employee incentives.
Employees need agency over their
sustainability practices. On an individual
level, employees should be able to
access a dashboard on the company’s
environmental and social performance,
and statistics about their personal impact
through driving company cars or using
electronic equipment.
Middle East organisations are
increasingly and transparently putting
social and environmental goals and results
on the same page as financial data for
investor relations. This approach makes
sustainability a priority, and drives internal
and external accountability.
As important as developing
sustainability agendas, Middle East
organisations need to communicate their
commitment to sustainability to their
partner and customer ecosystem. By
uniting the chief sustainability officer with
the chief marketing officer, brands can tell
a simple, consistent and omni-channel
story about how sustainability benefits
customers. Brands should also take a strong
point of view and drive the conversation.
In addition to quantifying and
improving their yearly environmental
impact, ambitious organisations should
41