Navigating Sustainability: A Fireside Chat with Ayla Bajwa

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At Sustainability LIVE Dubai, VP of Sustainability Ayla Bajwa discussed the role of sustainability in business, focusing on DP World's data-driven approach

On 14 May 2024, Ayla Bajwa, Group Senior Vice President of Sustainability at DP World, took to our virtual stage to deliver an engaging fireside chat that focused on the evolution of sustainability, both in the industry and within DP World.

Across the day, those who attended were able to listen to unfiltered discussions from internationally acclaimed business leaders, participate in a span of panel discussions and acquire an abundance of knowledge from leading global companies.

Sustainability LIVE Dubai 2024 enhanced connections among the sustainability industry and strived to create a better tomorrow.

Throughout the fireside chat, Ayla shared her insights on how the sustainability landscape has shifted from being a CSR activity to becoming a business imperative. The conversation covered DP World's "Our World, Our Future" strategy, its net-zero ambitions and how the company is tailoring its approach to meet local challenges and opportunities across the globe.

Ayla Bajwa discussed DP World's data- driven approach and global strategy to sustainability

From CSR to business essential

Reflecting on her time at DP World and in the broader sustainability industry, Ayla explained how sustainability has transformed from being preferable to an essential part of business operations. She explained that, over the last decade, DP World was an early adopter of sustainable practices, with its "Our World, Our Future" strategy. This long-term vision focuses not only on leaving a lasting legacy but also on conducting responsible business. Ayla explained that DP World adopts a holistic approach with their sustainability efforts, aiming to include both environmental responsibility and social impact.

She continued to focus on how DP World views climate change as a business priority and has created its own sustainability strategy which aims to reach net zero by 2050. Ayla emphasised that the company is making sure that its sustainability strategy has a strong emphasis on practicality, ensuring that they establish a clear path to success that is driven by data and authentic. 

A tailored approach to global sustainability

Throughout the discussion, Ayla focused on the importance of localisation in sustainability strategies. She continued to explain how DP World tailors its sustainability initiatives to meet local needs, taking into account different regulatory environments, economic conditions and societal challenges, explaining how an overall approach would be ineffective due to their vast global presence. 

Ayla continued to explain how DP World works closely with local stakeholders and teams in order to adapt their global strategy to the individual needs of every region. In turn, she discussed how this has allowed the company to focus on solving issues such as adaption and decarbonisation.

In addition to this, Ayla began to focus on examples of localisation DP World has played a significant role in, highlighting the fact that flexibility is vital in achieving sustainability goals. She explained how the company uses a number of strategies to achieve these goals, such as efficiency improvements, renewable energy, carbon compensation and automations.

Balancing business goals with sustainability

Later in the discussion, Ayla began to focus on one of the most prominent issue that professionals in the sustainability industry focus on - how to manage the relationship between sustainability targets and business efficiency. She highlighted how this concern is no longer relevant, explaining how there seems to be a connection between reaching net zero and achieving greater efficiency.

A data-driven approach to sustainability

Throughout the discussion, Ayla focused significantly on adopting a data-driven approach to sustainability. She explained how DP World measures its progress to reaching their sustainability goals continuously and also reports this on its ESG scorecard every year, which the company also shows to the public. By doing this, DP World allows stakeholders to track its progress, enhances transparency and guarantees overall accountability.

Ayla explained how DP World adopt a rigorous approach to its data, ensuring the environmental data is assured by third parties. In turn, she explained how this makes working with financial institutions and investors who scrutinise ESG reports, easier.

Looking to the future

Towards the end of the discussion, Ayla began to focus on new changes DP World will be implementing, particularly focusing on ocean sustainability. She explained how this strategy will concentrate on plastic-free environments, blue carbon restoration and participation from local communities.

Throughout the chat, Ayla highlighted her passion for sustainability, explaining how other organisations should adopt their sustainability plan with the same forward-thinking and data driven approach.

Essential diary dates for 2024 and 2025…

Sustainability LIVE continues to expand its events with more to come in 2024 and 2025, discover our essential diary dates below.

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