WAM Dubai, 12th June 2012 (WAM) -- To reduce the carbon footprint of Dubai, combined with the efforts of the Dubai Carbon Center of Excellence (DCCE) to attract strategic partners for carbon reduction, and in conjunction with World Environment Day, Emirates Group has co-signed a Memorandum of Understanding with DCCE, as part a joint framework for developing low-carbon activities for the Group's ground operations in Dubai.

Representatives of the Emirates Group and the DCCE met at the headquarters of DEWA to officially launch a strategic collaboration on greenhouse-gas reductions for the company, which consists of Emirates Airline, Dnata and other associated business units. The MoU between DCCE and the Emirates Group was attended by Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE), and signed by Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline and Waleed Salman, Chairman of the DCCE.

"This MoU reflects our commitment to the green economy that was announced earlier this year by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai under the theme 'A Green Economy for Sustainable Development'," said Al Tayer.

"This initiative will support efforts across the nation to protect its environment by reducing carbon emissions through a mechanism for carbon trading internationally within the European Union Carbon Trading Programme." "The MoU will serve as a framework agreement towards developing low-carbon activities. The Dubai Carbon Center of Excellence will provide its expertise on carbon to support Emirates. A number of projects are being explored as part of the MoU; including energy-efficient lighting for Emirates Group accommodation buildings, solar hot-water systems and waste-to-energy technologies," added Al Tayer.

"The Emirates Group is committed to pursuing resource efficiencies in all its activities and this agreement will allow us to examine, in greater depth, potential Dubai-based emission reduction projects at our commercial and residential sites, across various facets of our operations,'' said Tim Clark.

"The Emirates Group plays an active role in our emirate's economy and is already an international role model for environmentally-efficient operations with 25% less than the international standard. It is a truly visionary step for its management to undertake such efforts to further improve their environmental performance and shows a true commitment to Dubai's sustainable growth," said Waleed Salman, Chairman of DCCE.

Emirates is already one of the most environmentally-efficient airlines in the world, with a fuel efficiency 22.5% better than the International Air Transport Association (IATA) global fleet average and CO2 emissions 18.1% better than the IATA average (per passenger kilometer).

The Dubai Carbon Centre is also mandated by the Dubai Government to develop the Greenhouse Gas Inventory, or carbon footprint, for the Emirate of Dubai. As a strategic initiative by the DSCE, it will be the first of its kind in the region and enable the government to establish a baseline on present day emission levels and track changes in the years to come.

WAM/TF