Dubai, UAE, 16 January 2024: Emirates NBD Group, a leading banking group in the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye) region, solidified its commitment to the UAE’s Year of Sustainability with an environmentally conscious approach in designing its stand at the 28th edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) held in Dubai recently.

Inspired by nature, the Emirates NBD stand at COP28 incorporated designs that drew inspiration from mangroves and other plants, including decorative moss, to reflect a truly sustainable structure. Mangroves play a valuable role within the UAE’s natural environment and sustain ecosystems including other plants and animals. This symbolism was a key part of the Emirates NBD stand to accentuate its UAE heritage.

Emirates NBD used Palm Strand Board, produced by Desert Board, which is the first wooden board to be produced from upcycled date palm biomass, to create its stand at COP28. Desert Board produce this cutting-edge material in the UAE and the Board is known for its excellent engineering and remarkable combination of strength, durability, and sustainability. Desert Board is committed to establishing a circular economy, minimising waste and encouraging the creation of healthier structures, as well as supporting environmental preservation.

Kamal Farah, Director at Desert Board, said: “We were thrilled to work with Emirates NBD at COP28 to produce a sustainable alternative to conventional stands. The design for Emirates NBD was unique, fully aligning with our mission to create a positive impact on the environment with responsible building practices. We believe that every choice we make today impacts on our tomorrow, that is why we are committed to building a greener future with our products.”

Vijay Bains, Group Chief Sustainability Officer and Group Head of ESG at Emirates NBD, said: “We are excited to explore diverse ways to enhance our commitment to environmental stewardship and minimise our environmental impact. As a homegrown financial institution, we are also proud to support local manufacturers and producers as part of the ‘Make in the UAE’ national initiative. Desert Board delivered an environment-friendly alternative stand that fully brought to life our pledge to commit to the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 goals to lead the country into becoming a truly sustainable, knowledge-based economy.”

Palm Strand Board is a carbon sink building material with climate-positive contribution, fire resistant, moisture resilient, acoustically insulant, and has immense load-bearing capacity. The Palm Strand Board was used by event management company DXBLive, into a two-tier, well-proportioned stand for Emirates NBD Group that featured a majlis, meeting areas and cafe, among other spaces. Designed for full functionality and elegance, Emirates NBD’s stand had the added quality of being sustainable, underlining Emirates NBD Group’s pledge to create a low-carbon impacted society.

Emirates NBD Group was the Principal Banking Partner at COP28 and fully committed to support one of the most significant global climate conferences and gatherings in 2023. By forging meaningful sustainability and innovation through focused collaborations with other private sector companies and government entities, the Group plays an important role in supporting the transition to climate neutrality across client sectors. Emirates NBD is delighted to support the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 initiative and to be a signatory of the UAE Climate-Responsible Companies Pledge, which has been initiated by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.