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SUSTAINABILITY LEADERS 2025
Forbes Middle East - English
|September 2025 ENG
In the Middle East, sustainability continues to move from commitment to action as governments and companies align with global climate goals and national visions.
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From expanding renewable energy capacity and reducing carbon emissions to advancing sustainable finance, circular economy initiatives, and adopting low-carbon manufacturing, the region is embedding sustainability in its long-term strategies. These efforts are reshaping industries and positioning the region as an active contributor to the global transition toward a more resilient future.
This year's Sustainability Leaders 2025 list highlights 126 executives driving sustainability and impact in the region's largest companies across 15 industries: banks, energy and utilities, food and agriculture, investment and holding companies, financial services, family businesses, healthcare, manufacturing and industrials, oil and gas, real estate and construction, renewable energy, telecom, transport and logistics, travel and tourism, and waste management.
In the last year, Masdar's portfolio grew by 62%, reaching 51 GW. Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest premium aluminium producer in the world, reached 50% completion of the U.A.E.'s largest aluminium recycling facility, and Vodafone Egypt achieved 100% of its on-grid electricity from renewables across its operations. Meanwhile, Infinity Power is progressing toward its 10 GW renewable capacity target with new wind and solar projects across Africa.
The U.A.E. is home to 67 entries, followed by Saudi Arabia with 23, and Egypt with 12. The list features CEOs, chairpersons, and chief sustainability officers.
Methodology
For this list, we gathered information from questionnaires, sustainability or ESG reports, official disclosures, and recent news. The ranking was applied separately for each sector. Initiatives were horizontally compared and assessed while giving special weight to some sector-specific initiatives.
We considered:
- Sustainability or ESG reporting and the degree of transparency and clarity in reporting.
This story is from the September 2025 ENG edition of Forbes Middle East - English.
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