Connect with us

Technology

UNITY FOR CHANGE – أفق INITIATIVE: TRANSFORMING UAE RETAIL SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS

Published

on

DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Unity for Change – أفق, an alliance led by Chalhoub Group, LVMH, Emaar Malls Management (L.L.C.), Majid Al Futtaim, and Aldar Properties, has unveiled its finalized sustainability goals. This groundbreaking framework focuses on reducing carbon emissions, minimizing waste to landfill, and promoting eco-design across UAE retail operations.

Launched at COP28 in 2023, the initiative brings together industry leaders to advance measurable environmental impact through collaboration and shared expertise. The defined objectives span three core pillars:

1. Energy Efficiency

Achieve 5% annual energy savings or carbon emissions reduction for all shopping malls starting 2024.KPIs include reducing energy consumption to:
– 300 kWh/m² for beauty stores by 2030.
– 300 kWh/m² for non-beauty stores by 2026.

2. Eco-Design

Implement a 12-criteria checklist for sustainable retail renovations and new projects, including:
– 50% energy-efficient lighting systems.
– VOC-free materials for paints and interiors.
– FSC-certified wood for at least 50% of installations.Guidelines will be distributed by early 2025 alongside compliance training programs.

3. Waste Management

Achieve zero waste to landfill by 2030 for LVMH and Chalhoub Group, with a 50% diversion goal for Aldar Properties, Emaar Malls, and Majid Al Futtaim.Implement digitized waste management systems by 2026 and unified policies with stakeholder training by April 2025.

Next Steps

The alliance will maintain momentum through actionable steps:

Detailed Implementation Guidelines: Manuals for energy efficiency, eco-design, and waste management will be shared in early 2025.Progress Dashboards: A digital system will track and share progress with stakeholders.Training Programs: Unified training content will roll out by December 2025 to drive compliance.

“This announcement marks a bold step forward in our collective mission to reduce carbon emissions and waste across the UAE’s retail landscape,” said Florence Bulte, Chief sustainability officer, Chalhoub Group. “One year on from the creation of Unity for Change, this partnership reflects our communal dedication to sustainability. By aligning our goals and pooling resources with LVMH, Emaar Malls Management (L.L.C.), Majid Al Futtaim, and Aldar Properties, we are redefining sustainability for the Middle East’s retail sector and leading ESG goals across the region’s prominent luxury market.”

Saoud Khoory, Chief Retail Officer, Aldar Investment said: “we are pleased to be part of this important sustainability collaboration, which brings together some of the largest retail players operating in the UAE. At Aldar, sustainability is at the core of everything we do, and our commitment to a net-zero future aligns with leading global real estate industry benchmarks. We recognize that impactful climate action requires collaboration, and we look forward to implementing the new sustainability framework across our retail assets. By adopting a whole value chain approach and working closely with our partners, we aim to create climate resilient places that deliver long-term social and economic value in the UAE and beyond.”

Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Executive Director, Emaar Properties, said: “At Emaar Malls Management (L.L.C.), sustainability is not just a goal; it is a responsibility we embrace wholeheartedly. Through Unity for Change, we proudly join industry leaders to redefine environmental stewardship in the retail sector. This marks a pivotal step in our commitment to eco-friendly innovation, energy efficiency, and waste reduction.”

Commenting on the progress made on Unity for Change, Ahmed El Shamy, Chief Executive Officer, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, said: “It’s been truly inspiring to see how the Unity for Change initiative has evolved since its announcement at COP28 last year. At Majid Al Futtaim, we are proud to stand alongside other industry leaders in this transformational partnership that reflects the urgency of tackling climate change. By uniting expertise and resources, we have outlined actionable goals to address critical challenges in waste management, energy efficiency, and eco-design, setting a scalable model for sustainability in the retail sector.”

“One year after the launch of Unity for Change, we are proud to see this pioneering collaboration in the UAE deliver a robust sustainability framework for the retail sector. By addressing key areas such as energy efficiency, eco-design, and waste management, this initiative reflects our collective ambition to redefine retail practices in harmony with environmental priorities. This milestone, presented during the LIFE 360 in Stores Awards, embodies the spirit of ‘Joining Forces’ to drive meaningful transformation and underscores our unwavering commitment to addressing climate challenges,” said Hélène Valade, LVMH Environmental Development Director. 

The findings and finalized objectives of this initiative were officially presented on December 12th in Paris, France, during the LVMH “LIFE 360 in Stores Awards” ceremony.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
www.chalhoubgroup.com

FOLLOW US ON

https://twitter.com/ChalhoubGroup

https://www.facebook.com/chalhoubgroup/

https://www.instagram.com/chalhoubgroup/?hl=en

https://www.linkedin.com/company/chalhoub-group/

https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Chalhoub-Group-Reviews-E499602.htm

@ChalhoubGroup

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2585260/UNITY_FOR_CHANGE.jpg

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/unity-for-change—initiative–transforming-uae-retail-sustainability-standards-302336481.html

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

BearCom Announces Transformative Acquisition of Stone Security

Published

on

By

Transaction to Enhance BearCom’s Physical Security Offering and Position Company as a Leading End-to-End Integrator of Advanced Voice, Security and Data Solutions

GARLAND, Texas and SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — BearCom, a premier North American integrator of voice, security and data solutions, today announced the acquisition of Stone Security, a leading provider of enterprise class physical security products and services. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The addition of Stone Security’s industry leading physical security expertise to BearCom’s existing security solutions portfolio further cements BearCom’s position as a leading end-to-end integrator of advanced voice, security and data solutions.

Founded in 2005, Stone Security is a trusted global security integrator with 12 offices across the United States, Mexico and Brazil. Stone Security designs and delivers comprehensive security systems that enhance the safety and efficiency of its expansive customer base. With its best-in-class suite of security solutions, Stone Security supports a diverse range of enterprise-level customers across multiple verticals, including educational institutions, municipalities, transportation, distribution centers and data centers.

“Stone Security has been a leader in security integration for almost two decades and I am thrilled to welcome them to the BearCom family. Their tremendous growth is a direct result of their ability to design and deliver highly technical security solutions, combined with high integrity, and a dedication to their customers and employees,” said Les Fry, CEO of BearCom. “Stone Security brings more than 225 highly trained, technically advanced team members and a geographical footprint that will further solidify our position as a trusted partner for our customers on business and mission-critical security matters.”

“BearCom is a clear leader in the communications industry, and we have long been impressed by their ability to integrate advanced solutions to solve the critical safety and security needs of their customers,” said Brent Edmunds, CEO of Stone Security. “We are looking forward to joining the BearCom family and working with Les and his team to expand our customer offerings and provide our high-level service at an even greater scale.”

BearCom’s acquisition of Stone Security marks the company’s second acquisition since Siris’ initial 2023 investment and is an important milestone as BearCom continues to expand its capabilities across the physical security space.

“The acquisition of Stone Security is transformational and highly complementary for BearCom,” said Dave Calamai, Managing Director at Siris. “By leveraging Stone Security’s leadership position in the video surveillance and access control space, BearCom can provide a unique, end-to-end security solution suite across the Americas. We are excited to partner with Stone Security’s founders to accelerate growth.”

“Stone Security’s commitment to providing high-quality, reliable security solutions and building customer trust will be invaluable as BearCom continues to build out its physical security offerings,” added Tom Echols, BearCom’s Vice President of Security Solutions. “We are excited to work with Stone Security during this next chapter of growth.”

Stone Security’s strong, loyal partnerships with Axis, LenelS2, Milestone and Wesco will continue to be an instrumental part of their business model. Additionally, Stone’s three operating founders, Brent Edmunds, Joey Edmunds and Aaron Simpson, will remain with the company and play a key role in shaping BearCom’s security strategy moving forward.

Finn Dixon & Herling LLP and Norton Rose Fulbright LLP served as legal advisors to BearCom. Buchalter PC served as legal advisor to Stone Security.

About BearCom

Founded in 1981, BearCom is Motorola’s largest Channel Partner in North America, and a leading provider and integrator of wireless voice, security and data solutions across the U.S. and Canada. BearCom is headquartered in Garland, Texas. www.bearcom.com

About Stone Security  

Stone Security is a provider of professional, enterprise class, physical security products and services. The terms that define the way Stone approaches the integration business are – open platform, industry leading and partnership driven. With these principles as a foundation, Stone has chosen products that deliver high functioning, integrated and flexible physical security systems. Stone currently manages full-time operations in twelve states across the U.S. as well as two countries in Latin America. www.stonesecurity.net

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bearcom-announces-transformative-acquisition-of-stone-security-302337428.html

SOURCE BearCom

Continue Reading

Technology

ITRI Partners With PTS to Create AI Sign Language Weather Broadcaster

Published

on

By

HSINCHU, Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — ITRI and Public Television Service (PTS) have announced a joint project on developing an AI sign language weather broadcaster. Through this collaboration, the AI sign language weather broadcaster is projected to go live as early as the second half of 2025. This partnership aims to increase the accessibility of weather information and enable deaf individuals to receive the latest warnings for natural disasters and other emergency incidents.

“Technology arises from human needs, and AI can play a key role in helping those in need,” said ITRI Chairman Tsung-Tsong Wu. “The collaboration between ITRI and PTS is a demonstration of inclusive technology that offers everyone equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits of AI. The AI sign language weather broadcaster is expected to compensate for the shortage of sign language interpreters and provide the deaf equitable access to information via mass media.”

Taiwan Broadcasting System and Taiwan Public Television Service (PTS) Foundation Chairperson Yuan-Hui Hu remarked that the PTS has been dedicated to producing sign language TV programs for the Deaf community and is actively leveraging technology to make the media environment more accessible to them. “Information equality is a fundamental value in modern society,” stated Hu. He hopes to help deaf individuals stay up to date during typhoons, earthquakes, and other emergencies through advanced communication technology.

ITRI Vice President and General Director of Information and Communications Research Laboratories Pang-An Ting remarked that ITRI began developing the AI sign language interpreter and building Taiwan’s sign language corpus in 2023. “Sign language is a visual language that conveys meaning through a combination of facial expressions and hand gestures. An AI sign language broadcaster requires high-precision skeleton estimation technology and deep learning gesture generation models to accurately present hand movements. This is much more complicated than current AI audio and video broadcasting, which deals with speech generation and lip-syncing technologies,” he explained.

Dr. Ting further pointed out that sign language evolves with variations in local dialects, emphasizing the need to build a sign language corpus in Taiwan. “We need both professional sign language interpreters and members from the Deaf community to work together to build the corpus. We hope that this collaborative project will promote information equality and also preserve Taiwan’s sign language as an important cultural asset,” he said.

Media Contact

Annie Wu
Office of Marketing Communications, ITRI
+886-3-591-8406
aiyunwu@itri.org.tw 

About ITRI

Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is one of the world’s leading technology R&D institutions aiming to innovate a better future for society. Founded in 1973, ITRI has played a vital role in transforming Taiwan’s industries from labor-intensive into innovation-driven. To address market needs and global trends, it has launched its 2035 Technology Strategy and Roadmap that focuses on innovation development in Smart Living, Quality Health, Sustainable Environment, and Resilient Society.

Over the years, ITRI has been dedicated to incubating startups and spinoffs, including well-known names such as UMC and TSMC. In addition to its headquarters in Taiwan, ITRI has branch offices in the U.S., Germany, Japan, and Thailand in an effort to extend its R&D scope and promote international cooperation across the globe. For more information, please visit https://www.itri.org/eng.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/itri-partners-with-pts-to-create-ai-sign-language-weather-broadcaster-302337430.html

SOURCE Industrial Technology Research Institute

Continue Reading

Technology

New Property Inspection Software for Apartments, HUD and Rural Development, Housing, Hotels, Hospitals, and Commercial Properties by Inspect2go

Published

on

By

Inspect2go provides property inspection software for apartments, HUD housing, rural development housing, single-family homes, hotels, hospitals, and commercial properties. Inspect properties using mobile phones or tablets to document violations, take photos, and issue work orders.

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Inspect2go provides property inspection software, property inspection management systems, and mobile applications. Users conduct inspections using a tablet, phone, or iPad/iPhone mobile app. System modules include web-based management dashboards, inspection schedules, work orders, and reporting. Programs cover public housing, residential rental property inspection applications, HUD, rural development, apartment inspections, commercial property inspection systems, hotel inspection apps, and hospital inspection systems.

“Inspection Software for Property and Housing”.

Clients include property managers, property management companies, state and local government agencies. Users can inspect single-family properties, such as residential housing, single-family homes, and rental housing. Commercial property inspections cover multifamily rental properties, office buildings, factories, industrial manufacturing facilities, retail stores, warehouses, restaurants, and food establishments. The system also supports federally funded government housing inspections including multifamily apartment complexes and low-income/affordable housing units. Other versions are tailored for hotel room and hospital room inspections.

About Inspect2go

Inspect2go offers specialized software for city, county, and state-level government agencies. We serve public health, environmental health, engineering, building, code enforcement, and other departments that interact daily with the public. Products and services include public web portals for online citizen access, permitting and licensing software with online applications and payment processing, data migration, cloud (SQL) database hosting services, inspection mobile applications, and custom programming services to automate complex office workflows. Inspect2go products are web/cloud-based solutions with ongoing SaaS support and maintenance.

Media Contact

Paul Smith, Inspect2go Inc., 1 (949) 429-4620, marketing@inspect2go.com, https://inspect2go.com/

Twitter, LinkedIn

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/new-property-inspection-software-for-apartments-hud-and-rural-development-housing-hotels-hospitals-and-commercial-properties-by-inspect2go-302336964.html

SOURCE Inspect2go Inc.

Continue Reading

Trending