The Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai in collaboration with the Dubai Green Economy Partnership (Dubai GEP) and Dubai Investment Development Agency (Dubai FDI), an agency of DED, launched ‘Green Deal', the region's first crowd sourcing platform entirely focused on verifiable green initiatives.

The announcement was made by Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of DED; Ahmed Buti Al Muhairbi, Chairman of DGEP, and Secretary General of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy; Fahad Al Gergawi, Secretary General of Dubai GEP and CEO of Dubai FDI; and Jamal bin Ghalaita, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Islamic in the context of the World Green Economy Summit 2015.

Green Deal is part of DED's strategy for stronger participation in community initiatives through providing innovative services and products. Observing a green philosophy, the campaign carefully screens products in terms of its economic viability, its impact on the environment and its strategic fit to the Dubai Demand Side Management 2030 through a purposely convened high level committee of experts.

"The Green Deal initiative is aimed to support the community at large as well as business owners, academics, individuals and families through improved awareness on reducing energy costs and promoting sustainable services and smart applications in line with the directives of the leadership in Dubai. It is an innovative model that enables people in the UAE to have a smooth transition towards green products and allows end users to review eco-friendly products or services, and purchase them from a single source," said Al Qamzi.

Al Qamzi also linked DED's participation in the initiative to its role consumer protection, whereby it can enhance the transition to green products and services.

The Dubai Green Economy Partnership is an initiative of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, bringing together top tier stakeholders to consolidate clean energy programmes and initiatives. Dubai FDI will be the leading facilitator responsible for designing and implementing the programme. The initiative is supported by Emirates Islamic.

"Green Deal is a collective platform which will allow users to view and buy pre-verified energy and water consumption products and services. Crowd-sourcing will allow for economies of scale to extend economic benefits to end users, while ensuring that proper due-diligence and a fast track approach facilitate early adopters of new initiatives within Dubai' strategic vision," commented Ahmad Buti Al Muhairbi.

Fahad Al Gergawi said Green Deal will facilitate market adoption of green technologies and products amongst UAE residents by removing as much complexity as possible from the procurement exercise and by leveraging the collective bargaining power of larger communities. "As a one stop shop, Green Deal will result in a hassle free alternative that will encourage a faster adoption of green products in the region and invite numerous new providers to the marketplace. Crowd sourcing has been successful nationally and internationally, hence a green focused platform is expected to further enhance the success potential."

Jamal bin Ghalaita said, "Emirates Islamic is proud to be part of the Green Deal initiative, highlighting our commitment to support innovations that bring about improvements in the quality of life in the UAE. Building a platform for green sourcing will not only offer residents easy access to environmentally responsible products, but also help in boosting the UAE's green economy. This partnership demonstrates how collective collaboration can bring about social and economic change in our communities."
Source: WAM