Gulf Air unveils its latest CSR plans

Building on the airline’s existing CSR strategy, the plan reinforces the airline’s commitment to operate as a responsible global citizen by focusing on driving sustainability in three key areas – climate change and clean air, waste management, and community service through a program of research and development and education and outreach, developed in cooperation with external partners.

The airline, which has had a CSR strategy in place since 2008, supports and manages many local and regional charity initiatives and several other environment-friendly CSR projects including carbon emission reduction across its global network.

As part of its 2011 initiatives, the airline today announced new strategic partnerships with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Bahrain’s Ministry of Education (MoE).

Gulf Air’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. Samer Majali announced the new initiatives for 2011 at a press conference held at the company’s headquarters and elaborated on the airline’s significant achievements in 2010 as part of the company’s wider Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy.

Majali said:" “While we have made some significant achievements since the launch of our CSR policy in 2008, our collaboration with UNEP and MoE this year is a further boost to our campaign towards promoting environmental awareness."

He announced a number of new initiatives:

*  A series of local activities that include an environmentally themed drawing competition involving students from local government schools.  The winners of the three best drawings will fly to Kochi, India where they will spend a week nature camping, nature trail-walking, learning eco-conservation etc., in an eco-touristic resort to understand and appreciate the planet we live in and promote the message back home. 

* A  series of short documentary films on the Environment produced by UNEP (in English with Arabic subtitles) demonstrating Gulf Air's support and involvement with the International organization in its mission to save the earth will run from June to December and is expected to be seen by nearly 3 million passengers on Gulf Air flights

* On 5 June Gulf Air will be celebrating World Environment day with a ‘Green Corners’ event and will donate hundreds of tree saplings to various schools for students to plant them in an allocated ‘green corner’ on the grounds. Volunteers will be educating the kids on how to tend to the plants and how they can be part of the worldwide movement in protecting the environment.

*  Gulf Air staff members will also be planting tree saplings in allocated ‘green corners’ on GF premises on that day.

* An internal communications campaign will also be launched for employees to reduce waste and adapt environment-friendly practices in their day-to-day work.

* On the technical front, Gulf Air will soon be signing up with IATA to introduce a voluntary carbon offset programme for its customers.

* The airline is also preparing to join the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS).”

Elaborating on the achievements made in 2010, Majali said, “Carbon emission is one of the major environmental concerns globally and Gulf Air has proactively implemented several fuel-saving initiatives in 2010 resulting in an emissions reduction 20,000 tons of CO2 last year.”

Marie Daher the Information and Outreach Officer for the UNEP Regional Office of West Asia in Bahrain commented, “This alliance between UNEP and Gulf Air is an example of how the corporate sector can embrace environmental responsibility and contribute to tackling the environmental challenges. It underlines the three bottom lines of sustainable development – prosperity, environmental quality and social equity -which are integral to the business sector.”

PICTURED: At today's CSR launch: (From left) Gulf Air Director of Corporate Communications Mohammed Hulaiwah ; Gulf Air CEO Samer Majali ; Marie Dhaher, from the Regional Office of West Asia of the United Nations Environment Programme  and Hamad Al Hassan, Head of Artistic Activities at the Bahrain Ministry of Education.