Hasan Fardan Al Fardan, the CEO of Al Fardan Exchange, says sustainability affects all aspects of human behaviour

How does technology contribute to sustainability?
The advancement in technologies can mean companies can work smarter moving from face-to-face paper-based interactions to digital. Using technology to its best means virtual meetings instead of travel reducing carbon emission, paperless transactions reducing waste, and cloud-based solutions to storage in place of dedicated electricity-hungry servers.

What sort of sustainability efforts does your company practice?
Al Fardan has actively participated in the green energy initiative. We ran a campaign with e-waste in collaboration with Imdad Group. We are also introducing waste-free offices with the introduction of branded reusable cups put in place in the office and centralised printing to reduce the consumption of toner cartridges. Our office premises are equipped with window panels which are heat resistant, therefore, helping us to reduce the usage of the air conditioning, thus helping work towards reducing carbon emissions.

Do we need to look at sustainability beyond the use of “green energy”?
Sustainability affects all aspects of human behaviour and at Al Fardan we believe in being a responsible company that encourages employees to reduce their environmental impact by encouraging recycling and reducing their waste and energy use.

How can companies reduce their carbon footprint? Are there local or regional initiatives that encourage companies to adopt best practises?
Al Fardan has a number of initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint by centralizing printing in our organisation so we are using fewer printing devices, minimizing the usage of ink, paper, and electricity, and digitising our document storage which will significantly reduce the use of paper.

We encourage employees to work from home or use the company transport available, this helps staff members to travel back and forth in a shared transport without having to take multiple cars.

What challenges do companies face today in their journey toward net zero and how can technology help solve those issues?
The journey can be difficult as there are many aspects that impact net zero and all involve long-lasting changes to behaviours. As a start, our role as an employer is to create awareness of sustainability topics.

What factors can help companies advance toward their sustainability goals?
Real and meaningful changes in behaviours are what is required for us all to become truly sustainable but companies should encourage their staff to incentivising the right behaviours.