×
Support Member portal
Support Member portal

Sustainability

Driving the National
Sustainability Agenda

Commitment to sustainable development is at the heart of the United Arab Emirates vision for its future

As a Government of Dubai Authority, DMCC is the world’s most interconnected free zone and the leading trade hub for commodities, proud to sustain and grow Dubai’s position as the place to be for global trade.
We understand that our role in enabling trade influences economies which puts us in a position to safeguard communities and the local environment. The multidimensional nature of DMCC's influence provides a unique opportunity to champion responsible business and positive impact.
 

DOWNLOAD SUSTAINABILITY POLICY

Executive Statement

The way we conduct our business today will have an impact on the world we live in tomorrow. As a government authority, and the world’s leading free zone, we have long recognised this and placed sustainability at the core of our strategy. We have a responsibility to support the UAE and Dubai’s economic diversification agenda while ensuring we conduct our business in a sustainable way for the benefit of all our stakeholders.
DOWNLOAD THE EXECUTIVE STATEMENT

Sustainability Strategy

Our strategy development is based on a four-phased approach launching with materiality assessment to establish the foundation in alignment with stakeholders’ needs, followed by an internal review, peer and gap analysis conducted to identify our future objectives and areas of improvement. Our purpose, values and goal serve as a basis for the strategy that is influenced by six key factors:

The UAE vision 2021 and Dubai Plan 2021 serve as a blueprint for our actions.

We commit to measure what matters so that we use the data to guide our actions, develop policies and communicate accurately.

We commit to a green atmosphere and green operations to meet customer demands and make the Master Community an eco-friendly environment through the Smart and Sustainable District Strategy.

We acknowledge that there are areas in which we may not be able to have a direct impact. However, we can encourage stakeholders within our ecosystem that do have influence.

We prioritise SDGs based on where we believe we can have the most significant impact, given our business strengths and influence.

We believe open communications and reporting reinforces integrity. As a committed member of the UNGC, we apply transparency practices across our entire organisation.

OUR VISION

OUR VISION


To consolidate Dubai’s position as the
centre of global trade

OUR VALUES

OUR VALUES


Innovation and interconnection
guided by our 5C sustainability principles

OUR MISSION

OUR MISSION


To become the indispensable partner
and preferred destination for progressive businesses

5C Sustainability Framework

Developed with our stakeholders, the sustainability framework reflects the alignment between social and environmental impact and business purpose. The framework is based on three pillars underpinned by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

CONNECT

CONNECT

CONNECT

To share a diverse set of stakeholders to grow the network and share best sustainable business practices.

CATALYSE

CATALYSE

CATALYSE

Action, build capacity, and advocate for sustainable business practices using the position of the globally recognized free zone.

COMMUNICATE

COMMUNICATE

COMMUNICATE

Through annual reporting on sustainability practices to drive thought leadership in the industry.

CAPACITY BUILD

CAPACITY BUILD

CAPACITY BUILD

By educating internal and external stakeholders to build knowledge around sustainable business practices.

CARE

CARE

CARE

By dedicating 0.5% of the company’s net profit to global projects chosen in line with specific SDGs.

Operational Excellence

Optimise organisational policies and procedures
- Procurement practices
- Human rights
- Training and development
- Wellbeing
- Gender equality
- Diversity and inclusion
- Emiratisation
- Governance
- Customer excellence
- Economic performance

Responsible Business Ecosystem

Create a resilient foundation for positive impact
- Customer privacy
- Data protection & security
- Responsible sourcing
- Innovation
- Digitalisation
- Compliance

Sustainable City

Track and improve impact locally
- Infrastructure
- Energy
- Water
- Waste management
- Green buildings
- Health & safety
- Community

SOCIAL IMPACT
Entrepreneurship
Gender Equality
Community
UNDERPINNED BY THE SDGS
Avatar

DMCC makes an impact through its commitment to the Women Empowerment Principles and identifies equality as a primary pillar for its social impact programme.

Avatar

DMCC makes an impact through escalating its community and holding suppliers to a higher standard.

Avatar

DMCC makes an impact by enhancing its community infrastructure and supporting innovation and education in African countries.

Avatar

DMCC makes an impact by improving its community as a safe and more sustainable district with a focus on smart mobility.

Avatar

DMCC makes an impact by reducing waste in JLT and integrating responsible procurement practices.

Avatar

DMCC makes an impact by setting baselines, measuring its footprint and identifying areas of improvement through strategic partnerships.

Avatar

DMCC makes an impact by advancing its regulatory compliance and legal functions with a zero tolerance policy to corruption

Avatar

DMCC makes an impact by leveraging its convening ability as a government authority, a free zone, and a Master Developer for good.

Materiality Assessment

We increased stakeholder engagement, surveys, face-to-face interviews, and interactive workshops.

Materiality assessments help organisations to prioritise sustainability topics to create maximum impact. We conducted our second materiality assessment exercise, with the results synthesised in a matrix, highlighting the importance of each topic in descending order to inform organisation’s strategy.

Climate Change and Energy
Economic Performance
Labour Practices
Talent Attraction, Development and Retention
Community and Giving
Ethical Business
Occupational Health and Safety
Waste Management
Customer Satisfaction and Engagement
Conduct Governance and Leadership
Supply Chain Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing
Water Effluents
 
Climate Change and Energy
Economic Performance
Community and Giving
Ethical Business
Customer Satisfaction and Engagement
Conduct Governance and Leadership
Labour Practices
Talent Attraction, Development and Retention
Occupational Health and Safety
Waste Management
Supply Chain Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing
Water Effluents
 
SIGNIFICANT
MID
SIGNIFICANT
HIGHLY
SIGNIFICANT
 
Increasing Influence to DMCC

Value Chain

We recognise that every dimension of our value chain has potentially negative and positive impacts. Therefore, we see it as our responsibility to share the complexity of DMCC’s ecosystem concerning its stakeholders.

Build Markets
& Facilitate Trade
icon1
Tea & Coffee
Packaging
Blending
Storage
Roasting
Transportation
Commercial Space
Learning Hub
icon2
Diamonds
Dubai
Diamond
Exchange
Governance
Tender facilities
Industry advocacy
Mediation
Kimberley
Process
Export/import of rough diamonds
icon3
Financial Services
DMCC Tradeflow
Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange
Shariah Asset Management
icon4
Gold
Gold accreditation standards
DMCC Vault
UAE Gold Bullion Coins
Create Safe &
Prosperous Communities
icon5
Property
Portfolio
Uptown
One JLT
Jewellery &
Gemplex
Office solutions
Retail
Plots of land
Warehouse solutions
icon6
Management
& Regulation
Regulatory framework
Health & Safety
Security
Energy, Waste and Water
Transportation
icon7
Engagement
Events
Parks and recreation
Festivals
Volunteering
Register &
License Companies
icon8
Services
Setting up
Registration
Visa handing
Insurance
Audit
Banking
icon9
Supporting
Ecosystem
Networking
Training
Mediation
Compliance
Regulation
Help centre
Register & License Companies
icn1
Tea & Coffee
Packaging Blending
Storage
Roasting
Transportation
Commercial Space
Learning Hub
icn2
Financial Services
DMCC Tradeflow
Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange
Shariah Asset Management
icn3
Diamonds
Export/import of
rough diamonds
Kimberley
Process
Governance
Tender facilities
Industry advocacy
Mediation
Dubai
Diamond
Exchange
icn4
Gold
Gold accreditation standards
DMCC Vault
UAE Gold Bullion Coins
Register &
License Companies
icn8
Services
Setting up
Registration
Visa handing
Insurance
Audit
Banking
icn9
Supporting
Ecosystem
Networking
Training
Mediation
Compliance
Regulation
Help centre
Create Safe &
Prosperous Communities
icn5
Property
Portfolio
Uptown
One JLT
Jewellery & Gemplex
Office solutions
Retail
Plots of land
Warehouse solutions
icn6
Management
& Regulation
Regulatory framework
Health & Safety
Security
Energy, Waste and Water
Transportation
icn7
Engagement
Events
Parks and recreation
Festivals
Volunteering

Sustainable City

Our environmental conservation efforts are directly in line with the Dubai Plan 2021 that prioritises the city’s resources, including sustainable use of energy, green infrastructure, and providing residents with a clean and healthy environment.

Energy, Water and Waste Management


Energy, Water and Waste Management

DMCC adopted company-wide sustainability guidelines for the effective management of energy, water, and waste and released a sustainability policy statement supported by the sustainability management programme. We constantly track the data on our community and own assets through a digital platform, set objectives and KPIs to help track our progress and improve on monthly basis.

DMCC’s Smart and Sustainable District


DMCC’s Smart and Sustainable District

Improvements in mobility and green building standards are critical material topics for us and are managed through KPIs distinguished by our sustainability scorecard, processes under DMCC’s sustainability guidelines and objectives under the ‘Smart and Sustainable District Strategy’.

Health and Safety


Health and Safety

DMCC prescribes to international standards like the British Safety Council and the implementation of Nebosh training to mitigate risks and prevent critical hazards.

Responsible Business Ecosystem

We are aware of our sphere of influence, and the impact we have on the lives and livelihoods of stakeholders. Therefore, we uphold the highest standards of ethical management to create a resilient foundation for positive impact. Our foundation is based on our task force members, internal policies, and guidelines. We continuously ensure our standards are improved and aligned with legal updates, and international governing bodies. We take care of our ecosystem through knowledge sharing, periodic inspections, and open communication.
 

COMPLIANCE

Effective compliance is intrinsic to our anticorruption efforts in line with our commitment to the United Nations Global Compact. Our compliance efforts extend to member companies. We assess both internal business risks and identify mitigation factors that can reduce them.

DIGITAL SECURITY

DMCC constantly adopts innovative technology tools to enhance internal security and safety of our customer’s data in line with GDPR.

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN

We understand that our responsibility to protect these fundamental rights goes beyond our operations and that we must also look at our supply chain. We acknowledge the importance and impact of our internal procurement. Additionally, as facilitators of trade, our customers and partners look to us for supply chain best practices and guidelines.

Operational Excellence

Our governance structure is designed to achieve optimal organisational policies and procedures to create an environment where our employees and customers can thrive. Our relationship with stakeholders is a priority, and we recognise that their success leads to ours.
We prioritise customer service, the development and well-being of people, diversity and inclusion, and economic prosperity. Improving DMCC’s operations results in the highest quality of service for our stakeholders.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors appointed pursuant to a decree of His Highness the Ruler of Dubai is comprised of a chairman, a vice chairman, and a number of experienced and specialised members who undertake the general supervision of the DMCC.

Audit

Audit

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee comprised of the Executive Chairman and CEO, COO, CFO and Executive Directors of departments of DMCC. The body is administered by the relevant regulation issued by the Board of Directors wherein the rights, duties, and terms of employment of the employees of the DMCC Executive Committee is determined.

SDG Steering Committee

To underpin its sustainability vision and bolster sustainability governance, DMCC appointed a corporate-level committee in 2018 to oversee and monitor the progress of DMCC’s commitments and develop a corporate-wide sustainability strategy. The SDG Steering Committee includes a number of members of the Executive Committee and senior management.

CUSTOMER SUCCESS

Our customers come first and hence we put emphasis on our operational excellence to ensure the customer is protected and interactions are seamless. We do this by providing world-class customer service, products and digital tools for managing businesses of our members.

ETHICAL GOVERNANCE

We uphold the highest standard of ethical management. We keep our governance structure, rules and guidelines updated. Updating our governance ensures there is a supportive framework behind our work. An SDG steering committee governs the development and implementation of sustainability strategy.

DEVELOPMENT & WELLBEING

We support the UAE’s commitment to health and wellbeing under its National Program with a plethora of activities offered to employees, residents and customers. We encourage the constant development of our people, and therefore, we offer a variety of learning opportunities and become more innovative with our approach every year.

Social Impact

We follow the UAE’s lead to be a generous and responsible global citizen. The UAE has committed to the Sustainable Development Goals and has set up governance structures to facilitate a sustainable trajectory. We followed the best practice by creating a sustainability board. In 2019 we reached a milestone when we decided to allocate 0.5% of the company's annual net profit towards social impact. We have also formalised our impact through the creation of the Social Impact Policy, assuring community investment goals are clear and focus on:

Gender
Equality
Gender
Equality
Industry
Innovation &
Infrastructure
Industry
Innovation &
Infrastructure
Sustainable
Cities &
Communities
Sustainable
Cities &
Communities
Responsible
Consumption
& Production
Responsible
Consumption
& Production