Emirates Group wins UAE’s top sustainability seal again after major green push

Dubai: Emirates Group has received the UAE’s highest federal recognition for sustainable business impact for the second consecutive cycle, after a year in which the aviation group expanded fuel-saving measures, sustainable aviation fuel purchases, solar energy projects and recycling initiatives across its operations.

The group was awarded the Platinum Impact Seal for 2025-2027 by the UAE National CSR Fund, Majra. The award was presented by Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Majra, to Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Operations Officer.

The Platinum Impact Seal is the UAE’s highest federal recognition for organisations that demonstrate measurable impact across environmental, social and governance practices. Majra’s assessment looks at CSR initiatives, sustainability practices, governance, overall impact, and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and UAE national priorities.

Emirates said its environmental sustainability framework is built around reducing emissions, consuming responsibly, and preserving wildlife and habitats. The airline’s Green Ops programme, first established in 2016, continued to reduce fuel use through pilot training, data analytics, optimised flight routings and lower engine taxiing.

In 2024-25, those measures saved more than 98,000 tonnes of fuel and reduced carbon emissions by over 312,000 tonnes, while maintaining safety standards.

The airline also procured more than 28,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel in 2025-26, reducing emissions by more than 93,000 tonnes. It has also signed an agreement with ENOC Group to explore joint initiatives for SAF supply at its Dubai hub.

Emirates has also moved ahead with clean energy and recycling projects. In October 2024, it partnered with Etihad Clean Energy Development to install nearly 40,000 solar panels at Emirates Engineering Centre, supplying 37% of the facility’s energy and reducing annual CO₂e emissions by more than 13,000 tonnes.

The airline has continued its closed-loop recycling initiative for inflight meal service items, repurposing more than 88,000 kilograms of damaged or unserviceable items into new products for use onboard.

Materials from the airline’s retrofit programme have also been upcycled into limited-edition luggage pieces, with proceeds supporting the Emirates Airline Foundation. Through the Aircrafted KIDS programme launched in 2025, Emirates has donated around 4,000 upcycled school bags to children’s organisations across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

dnata is replacing diesel-powered ground support equipment with hybrid, electric and future hydrogen-powered alternatives. More than 17% of its global fleet is now electrified following investments made in recent years.

The aviation services company also increased global consumption of alternative fuels by 89% year-on-year in 2025-26, including biodiesel, hydrotreated vegetable oil and other lower-carbon fuels. In Dubai, dnata transitioned all non-electric airside vehicles to biodiesel in 2024, cutting CO₂-equivalent emissions by more than 3,500 tonnes annually.

Renewable energy also accounted for 15% of dnata’s total energy consumption in 2025-26. Its onsite solar systems generated 5,126 MWh of electricity, while a further 24,564 MWh was sourced through renewable energy tariffs globally.

Emirates Flight Catering, the world’s largest flight catering facility, has commissioned a large-scale biodigester for on-site processing of organic waste. At full capacity, the biodigester is expected to avoid more than 2,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

dnata also diverted 47% of waste from disposal across its global operations in 2025-26, reflecting a wider push to reduce material consumption, increase recycling and reuse resources across its network.