Gulf Air greens up with environment MoU

Bahrain's flag carrier Gulf Air has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bahrain Government's General Directorate for the Protection of the Environment and Wildlife, a subsidiary of the Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wildlife, Bahrain, in another major step forward in the airline's corporate social responsibility initiatives.

The MoU, signed by Gulf Air Executive Chairman Talal Al Zain and the General Directorate for the Protection of the Environment and Wildlife General Director Dr. Adel Al Zayani, brings together the two national establishments to work towards protecting the Island's precious environment and natural resources.

Gulf Air will work closely with the General Directorate for the Protection of the Environment and Wildlife on several areas such as setting guidelines to follow responsible environmental practices, energy efficiency methods to manage energy wisely in all operations and infrastructure, environmental impacts of existing operations, management of waste from aircraft maintenance and in-flight services, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, emissions control from aircraft and other ground equipment, control/reduction methods on the use of any harmful materials in the cooling process, optimization of fuel intake and reduction of fuel wastage, responsible disposal of wastes, and awareness and education programmes for staff members on sustainable business culture such as renewable energy, green building, re-use and recycling of materials.

Al Zain said: "Gulf Air recognises that social, economic and environmental responsibilities are integral to its business and believes in the importance of a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with the local community and the environment in which it operates.

"The protection of the environment has a direct impact on the overall well-being of local communities and therefore, it is our responsibility to find ways to protect our environment through constructive measures - both medium and long term.

Al Zayani said: "I see this as a joint effort initiative to invest in both our organisations' goals, while sharing a responsibility towards the nation's economy, environment and society where we are obliged to strike balance between maintaining a safe and healthy environment and enabling our national carrier to achieve success and prosperity with an eco-compliant work policy."