Sustainability is a shared journey, not an end point
Published: 02:11 PM,Nov 28,2023 | EDITED : 06:11 PM,Nov 28,2023
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In recent years the Gulf Cooperation Council (“GCC”) has witnessed a tipping point for sustainability, with all countries embedding into their future visions, commitments to achieving economic and environmental gains by adopting measures to limit waste, recycle and reuse materials, and develop renewable energy. Climate awareness is high, and the next big stride forward is to turn this awareness into habitual action. This is only possible with the shared efforts of all stakeholders in society.
The GCC region’s governments are leading the way, with their respective long-term vision plans citing sustainability as a crucial pillar. Oman’s Vision 2040, for example, states ‘sustainable cities’ and ‘environmental and natural resources’ among its national priorities. Meanwhile, the Sultanate was among the first nations to adopt the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015. In November 2023, the United Nation’s Climate Change Conference (COP28) will be hosted in the UAE, bringing a spotlight on the region’s progress in translating climate dialogue into firm action.
Consumers are also playing their part. Research commissioned by Philip Morris Management Services (Middle East) Limited (“PMMS”), who is an affiliate of Philip Morris International (“PMI”), in 2022 across KSA, UAE, and Kuwait revealed that 68 percent of respondents would be willing to pay more for a product if the company selling it demonstrated sustainable practices. Meanwhile, the majority (76%) agree that the sustainability efforts of a company would positively impact their decision to buy their products.
The abovementioned results underline something important. Sustainability is no longer a luxury or an aspiration but a competitive necessity if companies are to remain relevant to the modern consumer. What’s more, as the chief provider of products and services, private enterprises have major influence over how sustainable a society can be. But what a company makes is equally important as how it makes it. Just as companies must consider the positive and negative impact their products have on consumers and wider society, they must also consider the impact the production of these products has on our environment.
Clearly, there are many nuances to consider, and that’s why sustainability can never be an end goal. Instead, it is a strategy and series of actions that are always in motion.
I do not believe one concrete benchmark of ‘sustainability’ can ever realistically be set for a business, because what is achievable moves constantly — steered by the demands of society and advances in technology and methods that set a new standard to reach. This can only be a positive challenge for any business to face because progress is the only way to survive. Consider for a moment the evolution of the automotive industry.
Manufacturers have an obligation and a desire to move away from combustion engines and towards hybrid and electric vehicles (EV), and many have already set deadlines to reach their sustainability goals. But this alone isn’t the end point. Adoption of greener vehicles must grow, infrastructure must be put in place and over time, across generations, today’s minority becomes the majority.
The same is true for PMI. We’ve been on a journey of transformation towards a smoke-free future because, despite cigarettes being the core of our business, we want them to be replaced by science-based smoke-free products in the upcoming years, to the benefit of adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke, those who care about them, and public health.
Sustainability and business performance are fully interrelated and mutually reinforcing. Our actions—grounded in data, science, and facts—speak louder than words. PMI is committed to serving as an agent of change and advocate of positive values. We understand that our business must become a provider of effective smoke-free alternatives to continued smoking for adult smokers who don’t quit.
Does this make us a sustainable company? More than yesterday, but not entirely. And that’s the point. There’s always more to do as a company, an industry, and a society. The most important part is that progress never stops. This progress requires action from all, and it’s pleasing to see that in Oman and indeed the wider region, for sustainability, society is on the same path — we’ve just got to keep walking it.
The author is the Communications Director of the Philip Morris Management Services (Middle East) Ltd.
The GCC region’s governments are leading the way, with their respective long-term vision plans citing sustainability as a crucial pillar. Oman’s Vision 2040, for example, states ‘sustainable cities’ and ‘environmental and natural resources’ among its national priorities. Meanwhile, the Sultanate was among the first nations to adopt the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015. In November 2023, the United Nation’s Climate Change Conference (COP28) will be hosted in the UAE, bringing a spotlight on the region’s progress in translating climate dialogue into firm action.
Consumers are also playing their part. Research commissioned by Philip Morris Management Services (Middle East) Limited (“PMMS”), who is an affiliate of Philip Morris International (“PMI”), in 2022 across KSA, UAE, and Kuwait revealed that 68 percent of respondents would be willing to pay more for a product if the company selling it demonstrated sustainable practices. Meanwhile, the majority (76%) agree that the sustainability efforts of a company would positively impact their decision to buy their products.
The abovementioned results underline something important. Sustainability is no longer a luxury or an aspiration but a competitive necessity if companies are to remain relevant to the modern consumer. What’s more, as the chief provider of products and services, private enterprises have major influence over how sustainable a society can be. But what a company makes is equally important as how it makes it. Just as companies must consider the positive and negative impact their products have on consumers and wider society, they must also consider the impact the production of these products has on our environment.
Clearly, there are many nuances to consider, and that’s why sustainability can never be an end goal. Instead, it is a strategy and series of actions that are always in motion.
I do not believe one concrete benchmark of ‘sustainability’ can ever realistically be set for a business, because what is achievable moves constantly — steered by the demands of society and advances in technology and methods that set a new standard to reach. This can only be a positive challenge for any business to face because progress is the only way to survive. Consider for a moment the evolution of the automotive industry.
Manufacturers have an obligation and a desire to move away from combustion engines and towards hybrid and electric vehicles (EV), and many have already set deadlines to reach their sustainability goals. But this alone isn’t the end point. Adoption of greener vehicles must grow, infrastructure must be put in place and over time, across generations, today’s minority becomes the majority.
The same is true for PMI. We’ve been on a journey of transformation towards a smoke-free future because, despite cigarettes being the core of our business, we want them to be replaced by science-based smoke-free products in the upcoming years, to the benefit of adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke, those who care about them, and public health.
Sustainability and business performance are fully interrelated and mutually reinforcing. Our actions—grounded in data, science, and facts—speak louder than words. PMI is committed to serving as an agent of change and advocate of positive values. We understand that our business must become a provider of effective smoke-free alternatives to continued smoking for adult smokers who don’t quit.
Does this make us a sustainable company? More than yesterday, but not entirely. And that’s the point. There’s always more to do as a company, an industry, and a society. The most important part is that progress never stops. This progress requires action from all, and it’s pleasing to see that in Oman and indeed the wider region, for sustainability, society is on the same path — we’ve just got to keep walking it.
The author is the Communications Director of the Philip Morris Management Services (Middle East) Ltd.