Leading retailer Lulu awarded first GSAS ‘Gold’ rating in MENA region for sustainable operations

 Lulu Hypermarket in Qatar has become one of the first retailers in MENA to achieve sustainable operations certification under the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) from the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD).

Upon completion of necessary audits by sustainability experts from GORD, LuLu Hypermarket building located in Qatar’s Al Messila area has achieved an overall score of 1.51 which corresponds to a ‘GOLD’ rating under the GSAS Operations certification. Dr. Mohamed Althaf, Director of Lulu Group International, received the GSAS certificate and plaque during the awarding ceremony held at Lulu’s Al Messila branch.

Presenting the plaque and certificate, Dr. Yousef Alhorr, Founding Chairman of GORD, said, “By achieving GSAS Operations certificate with ‘GOLD’ Rating, Lulu International has demonstrated its conscious efforts towards operational excellence which is incomplete without environmental sustainability. We congratulate the organization and hope that its initiative inspires others in the retail sector.”

Dr. Mohamed Althaf said, “Lulu Group has been making serious efforts to minimize our impact on environment and reduce our carbon footprint by half by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Our cooperation with GORD began in 2019.  We appreciate the support given by GORD’s Founding Chairman Dr. Yousef Mohammed Alhorr and his dedicated, committed professional team.”

GSAS is MENA region’s first green building certification system that assesses and guides projects on reducing their environmental footprint during design, construction and operations stages. In this context, GSAS Operations aims to reduce the environmental impact of the existing buildings while also improving the health and wellbeing of its occupants.

To achieve ‘GOLD’ rating, several site audits and desk reviews were conducted for the assessment of current operational and maintenance practices at Lulu’s Al Messila branch. All these audits were conducted during operational hours without interrupting the day-to-day business at the hypermarket. The project was evaluated against six categories, namely energy performance, indoor environment, waste management, facility management, water performance, and environmental policy and awareness.

Based on the outcomes of the energy audits conducted during the certification course, Lulu and GORD are now initiating dialogue on facility upgrade through GORD-managed ‘ESCO model’ approach whereby energy saving opportunities will be implemented resulting in cost savings and carbon emission reduction.