The Value of Community Engagement
Ibrahim Al-Zu'bi
Board Chair I Group Chief Sustainability & ESG Officer I Author I Board Member I Sustainable Investment I Philanthropy
What really is a community? The word evokes different emotions and thoughts in each of us. For me, a community is built by the people that surround us, that make us feel supported and who we know we can rely on. Yet, communities can take many forms. They may appear as a group of people with shared interests, people based in the same location, people united through the same cause or motivation for change, or perhaps those who are simply brought together by similar circumstances. What remains consistent however, regardless of how a community is defined, is the unity of people.
In recent years, businesses have woken up to the importance of understanding the communities they serve and the value that can be derived from supporting and working with them. Without the people who engage with their products and services, businesses cannot thrive, and it is this understanding that has driven so many companies to shift their way of thinking. Local communities are defined by a unique set of challenges and priorities, shaped by their own culture, social structure, relationships, history, strengths, and conflicts. Unless companies take the time to understand these individual characteristics, they cannot truly serve the needs of these stakeholders. It is only through active engagement and open and honest conversations that organisations can uncover the needs and issues most important to the local area, and make well informed decisions on how best to support the community so that mutually beneficial positive impact can be felt well into the future.
Our experience to date has taught us that there are many ways to engage with local stakeholders, from simple information sharing, to consultations, collaboration, and supporting local initiatives and causes that are important. Each engagement activity will offer slightly different levels of insight; however, all are important and effective when used in the right situation. Yet, the benefits of engagement go much further than just to provide a means of interaction. The Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that 65% of people are more likely to want to work for an employer that promotes volunteering opportunities(1), whilst 80% of those who took part in volunteering reported increased community awareness(2) which in turn enables them to have a greater understanding of the communities they serve. Thus, authentic stakeholder engagement can demonstrate a business’ purpose beyond profit and act as a signal to potential talent who seek to align with organisational values.
At Majid Al Futtaim, engaging with our communities is essential for our business and continued progress against our 21 material issues which form our Dare Today, Change Tomorrow strategy. From promoting local economic development to enriching our customers’ experience, the relationships we build with our customers, suppliers, tenants, employees and partners inform our roadmap for achieving mutually beneficial goals that help us improve the economic, social, and environmental conditions in the regions where we operate. To listen and incorporate the voices of our stakeholders, it is vital that we integrate community engagement throughout our day to day operations.
One example of our activities in practice involves our Al Zahia community. Following a consultation with our residents, we invested 45 million AED to build a mosque, roads, and an electric substation, along with a greywater treatment plant, that treats 90% of greywater from the local community. These installations help meet the needs of the community, yet also go a long way in contributing to the achievement of our 2040 Net Positive water ambition. We also created an urban farm which integrates regenerative farming techniques, such as organic waste from our Carrefour stores, to actively improve the health of the soil, leading to several benefits including higher carbon emission absorption and produce resilience. The farm produces herbs and 30 different vegetables for the community to enjoy whilst also providing a way for residents to connect with nature on their doorstep. This initiative demonstrates just how valuable stakeholder input can be for ensuring that our investments are designed for our residents and deliver the most value based on their needs.
To widen our impact, we also work with numerous charity partners in the countries where we operate to identify community specific projects where we can make a real difference. In partnership with the USAID’s “Feed the Future” project, we launched a new initiative to support small farmers in the upper region of Egypt. The project enabled us to work with our supply chain and provide the proper technical guidance on produce required to meet our high standards, which will in turn enable these suppliers to continue working with Majid Al Futtaim in the future. As a result, we have helped support the livelihoods of the farmers and their families and moving forward, we are investigating methods to help them reduce their water consumption, which will improve the resilience of their operations.
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Alongside our larger partnerships, we also support our employees to identify suitable volunteering and fundraising opportunities for local projects where we can have a substantial impact. These can vary from local beach cleans to marathons which raise funds for important causes. By supporting employees to contribute to the causes which matter most to them, we’ve created an organisational culture which is dedicated to improving the lives of our communities.
To truly create great moments for everyone everyday, we need to know what great moments mean to our communities. It is only through our ongoing collaborations and engagements that we can continue to listen and evolve our understanding. As our world continues to change, and priorities shift, there has never been a more important time to know the communities we serve and ensure that the future we are creating is one that benefits us all.
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