Grundfos has announced that its regional headquarters in Dubai has been awarded the LEED Platinum Certification for Operations and Maintenance for Existing Buildings (LEED O+M: Existing Buildings).
The 4456 sqm. complex hosts a factory, service centre and an office, and was built in 2002. The Danish-company stated that aside from being a regional base, it also serves as a training centre for engineers, consultants and customers to receive hands-on training and interact with advanced water solutions in the region.
Kostas Poulopoulos, area managing director (Gulf, Levant and Pakistan) at Grundfos, said that earning the LEED Platinum certification is a moment of pride for everyone in the company and that it took time, team effort and genuine zeal for sustainability to achieve it.
“We’re proud to be one of the very few facilities in the UAE to achieve this recognition, and this truly reflects our purpose of driving sustainability not only through our solutions but also in how we operate as a business. We looked into how we can be sustainable through our entire business operation and did not leave any stone unturned along the way.”
“Several years ago, we switched to using LED lights and upgraded our chiller management system which resulted in at least 70% reduced associated electricity consumption. We also save 25,000 litres of water annually by disinfecting and recycling water for our ISO certified pump testbeds.”
The company stated that the actual certification process took about a year, while it has been continuously working on becoming climate positive. In line with this, water and electricity consumption has decreased by 54 per cent and 90 per cent, respectively, since 2017.
Moreover, Grundfos also said that it has activated solar panels at the facility, which are now responsible for 60 per cent of their energy requirements. The newly installed solar panels yield 310,000 kWh of energy per year and allows Grundfos to avoid at least 210,000 kg of C02 emissions annually. This move further boosts the company’s objective of becoming climate positive by 2030, it added.
“Being a water and climate company, we are obliged to pioneer solutions to address the world’s most pressing water and climate challenges by adopting these practices in how we operate.” Kostas added.
It is possible to grow as a company without harming the world; all it takes is to have a genuine care for the planet and the rest will follow, he concluded.