World Environment Day 2025: Normalising Green HRM to drive sustainability goals

Climate change is real, and it remains one of the most significant challenges—especially in climate-vulnerable regions like the Middle East.

According to a recent report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), “the MENA region has been heating up at twice the global average for the past four decades and is projected to be 4°C warmer by 2050.”

This makes an even stronger case for adopting sustainable business practices to combat climate change—particularly because the region is a major global supplier of energy resources.

In this direction, sustainability has emerged as a top priority on the business growth agenda for organisations across the Middle East.

However, as of 2024, only 12% of companies in the MENA region have set net-zero targets—a figure significantly lower than in other major economies such as South Asia and China.

This gap exists despite 70% of the region’s emissions falling under national net-zero pledges, largely because many organisations still lack clear guidance on how to achieve these ambitious climate goals.

Strategic green goals backed by big investments

Governments in the Gulf nations are increasingly pushing sustainability to the forefront of their net-zero strategies.

For instance, the United Arab Emirates launched 78 environmental initiatives ahead of COP28, while the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia unveiled 77 initiatives under the Saudi Green Initiative, focusing on emissions reduction, afforestation, and the protection of land and marine ecosystems.

These efforts are part of long-term investments aimed at transitioning to a green economy over the next three decades.

Several Middle Eastern organisations have made significant commitments toward sustainability goals:

• Majid Al Futtaim recently raised $500 million through a green sukuk (Islamic bond), as part of its broader sustainable finance initiatives. This includes issuing green, social, sustainable, and sustainability-linked bonds.
• Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) partnered with Masdar, a renewable energy company, to decarbonize aluminium production and explore growth opportunities for low-carbon aluminium.
• ACWA Power aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity in electricity production by 50% by 2030.
• Wilo, a multinational technology group, has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Masdar to advance energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions in the Middle East and beyond, offering integrated and sustainable solutions to global energy challenges.
• Dubai Airports is partnering with the Etihad Energy Services Company to save 47 million kWh of energy and AED 20 million annually, aligning their efforts with the UAE’s Net-Zero Carbon Emissions Strategy 2050 and Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050.

Big commitment start with small impactful actions  - Greener practices

Significant sustainability commitments come with a host of challenges, ranging from regulatory uncertainty and financial constraints to infrastructure gaps and evolving market dynamics. But one of the most critical, and often underestimated, hurdles is technology.

As digital frameworks continue to evolve, they’re reshaping industries at every level. And this makes it essential for HR leaders to ensure their workforce is equipped to keep pace.

While major Middle Eastern economies are equipped with advanced technologies and strong regulatory support, there’s still a pressing need to translate these into clear, actionable policies and achievable targets that organisations of all sizes can embed into daily operations.

For HR professionals, this means leading the charge in reskilling employees, fostering a culture of sustainability, and driving organisational change that aligns people strategies with broader business and environmental goals.

It starts with leading by example—and one such way is through Green HRM.

What is Green HRM?

Green HRM might sound vague or even a bit misleading to someone unfamiliar with the term. They might assume it’s about hiring people for environmental roles, looking for ‘green’ skills, or simply something to do with eco-friendly recruitment or automating processes just to reduce paperwork.

Without context, it’s not immediately clear that Green HRM refers to embedding environmental sustainability into everyday HR policies and practices.

For example, going paperless by using digital tools for documentation, supporting remote or hybrid work models to help reduce the carbon footprint, or even encouraging small actions—like bringing a reusable mug for your daily coffee. It’s about creating a culture where these habits are encouraged and normalized in the workplace.

In one of our exclusive conversations, Dr. Said Al Darmaki, HR Director at Arabian Industries, shared his perspective on what Green HRM truly means. He said, “Green HRM is about being deeply connected to the environment. The more mindful we are of our impact, the more we contribute to building a truly green and responsible workplace.

It also encourages a more balanced way of living. Instead of focusing only on work and protection, we need to help people understand that caring for the environment is a shared responsibility—and a meaningful achievement in itself.

In fact, environmental responsibility should be part of our KPIs. It’s time we move beyond treating it as just a value and start seeing it as a measurable goal.”

He added, “That’s why, as HR professionals, we need to stay adaptable and forward-thinking. There’s been a growing conversation around Green HRM—but the real question is: are we truly prepared to embrace it? In the past, 'green HRM' was often mistaken for Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) practices. But today, it’s much more than that. And it’s time for HR to take the lead.

It’s about embedding sustainability into everything we do—green recruitment and selection, green training and development, green performance management, green compensation, green work-life balance, and green employee engagement.

Awareness in these areas is key. Too often, HR is still seen as just a hiring function. But our role is far broader—we’re responsible for shaping a workplace that’s not just people-focused, but planet-conscious too.

Because building a future-ready and sustainable organisation starts with us.”

Some of the best Green HRM practices are: 

In conclusion, Green HRM is not just about reducing paper use. It includes educating teams on sustainable practices and factoring environmental awareness into recruitment strategies.