Category Archives: Business

Reading a P&L in a Sustainability Business

By | | ,
Leave a comment

An environmental enterprise is usually judged on one set of numbers and funded on a completely different one. Tonnes diverted from landfill, hectares restored, households connected, jobs created for women in a governorate where there were none: that is the reporting that wins the next grant and fills the annual review. The profit and loss statement is prepared quietly by an accountant, filed, and read by almost nobody inside the organisation. The result is a familiar pattern across the region. Organisations that are doing genuinely good work, with impact figures that hold up to scrutiny, discover in their fourth or … Continue reading →

How To Check An Environmental Claim Before You Repeat It

By | | ,
Leave a comment

A company announces that a product is carbon neutral, that a facility runs on renewable energy, or that a target has been met three years early. The announcement travels, gets quoted in presentations, and ends up in a student’s dissertation as a fact. Somewhere along that chain, usually right at the start, nobody checked. Checking is more possible than it used to be. Regulators in several markets now police environmental claims directly, and a large amount of the underlying data is public, free and well documented. What follows is the practical version, aimed at anyone who writes, teaches or advises … Continue reading →

Carbon Offsetting in Practice: Why the Quality and Mix of Carbon Projects Matter

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

Carbon offsetting is often reduced to a simple calculation: estimate emissions, purchase an equivalent number of carbon credits, and claim that the impact has been addressed. In practice, the decision is much more complicated. A tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent may look identical in a spreadsheet, but the project behind that tonne can be very different. Some projects prevent emissions, some reduce them, and others remove carbon from the atmosphere. Storage may last for very different periods, and the risks associated with each project can vary substantially. For individuals and businesses trying to make more responsible climate decisions, the important … Continue reading →

Circular Economy in GCC: Potential, Prospects and Challenges

By | | , ,
1 Comment

The concept of a circular economy has been gaining a lot of momentum on the agenda of many countries in recent years. In its core, it describes an economic model which opposes the current so-called linear economy, where output is produced, used and disposed at the end of its lifespan. In contrast, circular economy advocates suggest a model in which raw materials used during the life cycle of a good are completely reintegrated into the production process. Circular economy, therefore, means more than just to recycle your old appliances, but includes considerations about how to redefine products and services in … Continue reading →

CSR Perspectives for the Middle East

By | | , ,
4 Comments

Corporate Social Responsibility has moved beyond philanthropy, and is rapidly undergoing integration into the company’s core business strategy. However, in the Middle East, we can find companies that are still perceiving CSR as philanthropy and yet to view it as a “core business strategy “. Is it because of the culture and religion that we should give to the poor (Zakat or charity) so they consider it as their CSR? Should it be obligatory so companies will start thinking about CSR more strategically? Over the past few years, the interest has literally exploded in regional media and business community with … Continue reading →

Building Consumer Trust: Why Responsible Businesses Should Take Online Feedback Seriously

By | | ,
Leave a comment

In an era where environmental sustainability, equity, and ethical corporate governance heavily influence consumer purchasing decisions and brand loyalty, public trust has become a company’s most vital commercial currency. Modern conscious consumers no longer judge organizations solely by their promotional products or polished marketing campaigns. Instead, they closely examine how transparently a brand operates, how ethically it treats workers, and how respectfully it engages with the broader global community. Consequently, online customer feedback is no longer just a superficial digital marketing metric for social media managers to monitor in passing. For responsible and forward-thinking enterprises, customer feedback serves as a … Continue reading →

How AI is Helping Sustainable Businesses Build Smarter Go-to-Market Strategies

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

A sustainable business today may already boast of having a powerful green solution, yet they still struggle to reach its target customers. In the same way, according to the International Energy Agency, clean energy investment continues to grow worldwide, yet companies still face challenges turning their innovative projects along this line into market adoption. So instead of relying on broad campaigns now, you can use artificial intelligence to understand demand, identify promising markets, and build go-to-market (GTM) strategies that create measurable environmental and business impact to keep up. AI Turns Environmental Data Into Better Market Decisions Many sustainable businesses often … Continue reading →

Green SMEs in Middle East: Key Challenges

By | | , ,
1 Comment

With ‘green’ being the buzzword across all industries, greening of the business sector and development of green skills has assumed greater importance all over the world, and Middle East is no exception. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in eco-design, green architecture, renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainability are spearheading the transition to green economy across a wide range of industries. Green SME sector in the Middle East has been growing steadily, albeit at a slower pace than anticipated.   Regulations One of the major obstacles in the progress of green SMEs in the Middle East the has been poorly-designed regulation. … Continue reading →

How to Write a Sustainability Report That Doesn’t Sound Like Every Other Company

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

Every sustainability report reads the same. Same buzzwords. Same stock photos of wind turbines. Same vague promises about “driving positive change” and “empowering communities.” If your company’s report reads like every other PDF gathering dust in a downloads folder, you’re not just boring your stakeholders. You’re wasting a real chance to build trust. Good sustainability report writing isn’t about copying the format everyone else uses. It’s about making choices that reflect what your company actually does, in language that sounds like a human wrote it. This guide walks you through how to approach sustainability report writing so your document stands … Continue reading →

How PPAs are Helping Businesses Fulfil Their Environmental Pledges

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

In recent years, businesses around the world have been making significant strides towards sustainability and reducing their environmental impact. One crucial tool that has emerged to support these efforts is the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). PPAs have become increasingly important for businesses looking to fulfil their environmental pledges by procuring renewable energy. In this blog post, we will explore what a PPA is, delve into the concept of virtual PPAs, and discuss how these agreements are helping businesses make a positive environmental impact. What are PPAs and Virtual PPAs A Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is a contract between an energy … Continue reading →

الاقتصاد الاخضر في الأردن..حاجة وخيار استراتيجي

By | | , ,
1 Comment

أثار الركود المالي العالمي نقاشا جادا بين العديد من البلدان حول الكشف عن أسباب الفشل وابتكار حلول معقولة. لقد بات البحث عن نمو اقتصادي “تحولي” أمرا مألوفا جدا في الوقت الحاضر، حيث الطاقة النظيفة والاستثمارات الخضراء تتصدران الواجهة كحل لمستقبل أفضل. وفي البلدان التي توجد في قلب التغيير بالعالم العربي، جلب “الربيع” الشهير نكهة مختلفة إلى التغيير والإصلاح المنشودين. ففي الأردن، يشكل الاهتمام بقضية الاستدامة (سواء بيئية أو اجتماعية) حاجة وأيضا خيارا استراتيجيا. ولأن الموارد الطبيعية محدودة جدا والطلب متزايد، فإن استجابة الدولة لاحتياجات المواطنين والبيئة ليست مجرد التزام سياسي، بل علامة فارقة لم تستغل بعد من شأنها أن تجعل … Continue reading →

Greenwashing Unveiled: Deception in the Name of Sustainability

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

Greenwashing, the practice of misleading consumers through deceptive environmental claims, has become alarmingly prevalent in today’s marketplace. With companies eager to capitalise on the growing demand for sustainable products and services, they often resort to misleading tactics that undermine genuine sustainability efforts. As companies continue to employ vague and misleading labels, it is essential for the media to maintain its commitment to investigative reporting and consumer education. By providing accurate and reliable information, media outlets can empower consumers to make informed choices and encourage companies to adopt genuine sustainable practices. Continued media efforts are crucial in ensuring that greenwashing is … Continue reading →