Business to give back to the community, Al Ghurair

His comments came as Al Ghurair also known as Al Ghurair Investment LLC teamed up with Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry to promote a raft of community based initiatives. A recent survey by Dubai Chamber showed that 60% of Dubai businesses demonstrated a lack of awareness of CSR.

"Corporate social responsibility is a bit of a mouthful but its meaning is clear", said Mr Essa's statement.

"Put simply, the aims of industry and commerce must go far beyond the simplistic goal of making money. Businesses and corporations have a wider responsibility to their customers, their communities and society in general. We cannot stand aloof from their problems and needs." he added.

Al Ghurair is a member of the Dubai Chamber's ground-breaking Sustainability Network, set up to advance CSR and Sustainability in the UAE, promote and internalize CSR best practices and to build CSR based competitive advantages and business reputation.

"We are delighted to be part of Dubai Chamber's work in the field of corporate social responsibility and sustainability," said Mr Essa, "not least because it reflects Al Ghurair's own long-standing core values over many decades.

"The truth is that business cannot survive in isolation from the communities and people it serves. Ultimately it is they who put us where we are and it is time to give something back," he added.

In a fresh initiative, Al Ghurair will play a key role in four special task groups set up by the Dubai Chamber to study workplace wellness, employee volunteering, community engagement and waste management and resource efficiency.

Mr Essa said "he was confident that these and other CSR initiatives would continue to contribute towards the sustainability agenda of Dubai and beyond. Dubai Chamber has played a major role in promoting and encouraging CSR in the UAE and is now a leading role model not only in the country, but in the Gulf and wider Middle East."

His Excellency Hisham Al Shirawi, 2nd Vice Chairman of Dubai Chamber, said, "Sustainability has definitely become a pre-requisite for any successful business and Al Ghurair understands its importance better than most. The company, like Dubai Chamber, has long embraced the values of social responsibility and commitment to the community and was practicing CSR when it was in its infancy in this part of the world."

"We congratulate Al Ghurair on their efforts to communicate the corporate responsibility message. They have a wealth of experience that is helpful in persuading other businesses that CSR is not a burden but a benefit. Supporting communities is not only the right thing to do ultimately, it makes good business sense too," he added.