The Emirates Environmental Group announced the creation of the Emirates Hospitality Sustainability Alliance to bring together UAE hospitality organisations for coordinated action on environmental priorities. Launched at an event in Sharjah, the alliance establishes a platform where participants can share knowledge, adopt best practices and jointly tackle issues ranging from energy and water consumption to food waste and supply chain management. According to the group, the initiative encourages sustainability to become embedded in everyday operations, decision making and organisational culture rather than remaining confined to individual projects.
Dr Habiba Al Mar’ashi, co-founder and chairperson of the Emirates Environmental Group, spoke at the launch about the significance of collective effort. “Today represents much more than the launch of a new Alliance. It marks the beginning of a collective journey for the UAE hospitality sector – one that brings together ambition, collaboration, accountability and measurable action,” she said. Al Mar’ashi added that while many organisations already perform valuable work, the alliance will connect those efforts to enable the industry to advance together.
The hospitality sector exerts considerable environmental pressure in the UAE amid continued tourism growth. The Ne’ma national initiative estimates that Dh6 billion of food is wasted annually across the country. Each person in the UAE wastes an average of 224 kilogrammes of food per year, according to the Food Sustainability Index, a rate almost double the figures recorded in Europe and North America.
A World Travel and Tourism Council assessment placed travel and tourism freshwater consumption in the UAE at 67.8 cubic metres per thousand USD of GDP, well above the economy-wide average of 10.3 cubic metres. Low-carbon sources accounted for less than 1 per cent of the sector’s energy consumption in the latest available data. These benchmarks have increased calls for collaborative frameworks to enhance efficiency and lower overall impacts.
The alliance will roll out a series of programmes to help participants strengthen their sustainability results, beginning with plans for a dedicated standard tailored to hospitality needs. This standard is scheduled for introduction at a later stage and will support consistent measurement and improvement. The Emirates Environmental Group described the launch as the first step in a sustained process that builds shared accountability across the sector.
Several major UAE hotel operators have pursued independent environmental certifications and waste reduction schemes in recent years, providing a foundation for the new alliance. The effort complements the activities of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, which maintains active engagement in the UAE through regional advisers and training programmes. The Emirates Environmental Group indicated that measurable gains in resource conservation and waste prevention will determine the ultimate success of the initiative.
