Masdar City strengthens ESG leadership, redefines sustainable urban innovation

The city's 2024 ESG report showcases major gains in carbon reduction, smart infrastructure, biodiversity, and social inclusion, reinforcing its position as the region's leading model for net-zero urban development

- ABDULAZIZ KHATTAK

MASDAR City remains the region's most ambitious and comprehensive eco-city project, a zero-carbon blueprint without equal in scale or scope.

Its newly released Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report for 2024 reaffirms its leadership as a global “green print” for cities of the future, demonstrating how innovation, technology, and community living can converge to create measurable environmental and social impact.

The report, prepared in reference to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards 2021, outlines Masdar City’s continued alignment with the UAE's Net-Zero by 2050 strategy; and captures a year defined by progress, from cutting energy use and carbon emissions to advancing biodiversity, community inclusion, and digital resilience.

With over 30 certified green buildings, two net-zero structures completed, and three more under construction, Masdar City continues to evolve as a living model of sustainable design and operational excellence.

DRIVING MEASURABLE PROGRESS

Masdar City's 2024 ESG performance underscores a powerful truth, that sustainability and growth can coexist.

The city recorded a 22.7 per cent reduction in energy use intensity against the ASHRAE baseline and 13.1 per cent water savings across its portfolio, while diverting 56.2 per cent of total waste through recycling and 98.3 per cent of construction waste from landfill.

Its efforts avoided 5,518 tonnes of CO₂e, equivalent to removing over 1,200 passenger cars from the road for a year.

Thirty buildings across twelve projects now hold green certifications, while its two completed net-zero energy buildings and three under construction reaffirm the city’s technical leadership in sustainable construction.