DUBAI: Atteline, an integrated communications agency, has established a sustainability division as part of its commitment to environmental and social responsibility across its consumer and corporate divisions, the company said.
Founded and based in the UAE, the business aims to become B Corp certified by 2024. According to a company statement, this would make it the first business of its kind with headquarters in the UAE to achieve the recognition.
B Corp certification is a “designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply-chain practices and input materials,” according to B Corp, the nonprofit organization that awards it.
In order to achieve this recognition, businesses must demonstrate high levels of social and environmental performance according to the organization’s risk reviews, make a legal commitment by changing corporate governance structures so that they are accountable to all stakeholders and not only shareholders, and display transparency by publicly sharing information about performance.
“Atteline is dedicated to being a force for good across the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council area), and our pursuit of B Corp certification is another step in this direction,” Malaika Fernandes, the sustainability ambassador and strategic counsel for the company’s new sustainability division, told Arab News.
“We are committed to driving positive change while setting high social and environmental responsibility standards in our industry, aligning with the sustainable agenda of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the upcoming COP28” UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, she added.
Atteline said it has already put a number of measures in place to achieve these aims. For example, it has implemented a monthly plan to reduce the carbon footprint of its employees through support for initiatives such as the reforestation of mangroves at the Marovolavo Planting Site in Madagascar, forest preservation at the Canande Reserve and Narupa Reserve in Ecuador, and a wind farm project in India.
“We recognize that climate action, energy security and economic prosperity are interconnected threads of progress, and with the launch of this new division, Atteline is playing a pivotal role in helping brands communicate their sustainability agenda and influence meaningful change,” said Fernandes.
