Agility, a supply chain services, infrastructure and innovation company, has made significant progress in environmental and social responsibility around the world. 

 

Agility subsidiaries in Kuwait processed 7,500 metrics tonnes of medical waste and developed capacity to annually recycle 60,000 tonnes of scrap metal to the highest environmental standards (Metal and Recycling Company (MRC)). 

 

Aiming to raise public awareness of medical waste management best practice, MRC has participated in and sponsored several public campaigns led by Kuwait’s Environment Public Authority. 

 

Energy efficiency

Agility is building high-quality worker accommodations and strategic logistics infrastructure in Sabah Al-Ahmed city, with 40% greater energy efficiency than the market. 

 

Agility’s latest sustainability report highlights the company's robust efforts in environmental stewardship, strategic infrastructure development, and commitment to diversity and inclusion. 

 

Sustainability highlights 

The report outlines commitments by two of Agility’s largest businesses – Menzies Aviation and Tristar – to achieve net-zero emissions. Menzies and Tristar accounted for roughly 74% of Agility’s 2023 revenue. 

 

Menzies, which provides in-plane fuelling and other ground services for commercial aviation, is playing a key role in aviation industry decarbonisation. Menzies’ first net-zero targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), making it the first major aviation services provider to achieve this important validation, and aims to convert 25% of its motorised ground support equipment (GSE) to electric power by 2025. 

 

Fuel logistics provider Tristar, meanwhile, has expanded its investment in solar energy at its Dubai headquarters, boosting its capacity to nearly 1mWh and eliminating emissions of approximately 650 tonnes of CO2 annually. Tristar has commissioned the first hybrid bunker barge in the UAE. 

 

Agility Logistics Parks demonstrated its commitment to energy efficiency, conservation and waste management in the Middle East and Africa by developing the GCC’s first “zero-carbon ready” warehouse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and West Africa’s first zero-carbon ready warehouse in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire. Both facilities received EDGE Advanced “green building” certification.

 

Supply chain sustainability

Agility has implemented new supplier sustainability requirements that cover two-thirds of its spending on goods, services, and materials for Agility parent company and subsidiaries Agility Logistics Parks, Global Clearinghouse Systems, Metal Recycling Company, and Shipa. All new suppliers for Menzies and Tristar are screened for sustainability criteria. Starting in 2024, all new contracts must adhere to stricter sustainability standards, ensuring a greener and more responsible supply chain. 

 

Awards

Agility is deeply committed to sustainability and community initiatives both in Kuwait and globally, striving to achieve direct, positive, and measurable impacts. These efforts continued to be recognised by various organisations. 

 

In 2023, the company was ranked as one of the top three in sustainability leadership within the Transport & Logistics sector in the Middle East and was one of only three Kuwait-based companies on Forbes' Middle East Sustainable 100 list.

 

Agility also: 

●Trained public sector employees on facility management training, in partnerships with Public Youth Authority (Agility Logistics Parks). 

●Trained more than 4,000 Kuwait-based employees in human rights and fair labor standards between 2021 and 2023.

●Assisted over 4,000 people in need of food and healthcare through partnerships with charities like Al-Ber Foundation and Fawzia Sultan Healthcare Network. 

●Enabled over 1,000 young men and women to access free coding programmes via educational and capacity-building efforts with CODED Academy. 

●Helped prepare Kuwaitis for the job market through specialised training and financial literacy programmes and initiatives with INJAZ-Kuwait and LOYAC. 

 

People 

At the Group level, Agility is making strides in promoting gender diversity. Women represent 16.7% of the company’s Board of Directors and 25.1% of its workforce, significant in traditionally male-dominated industries. Menzies, Agility’s largest business by headcount, has a workforce that is 29% female and aims to have 25% of senior leadership roles held by women by 2025, in line with the 25by2025 targets of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). 

 

Agility businesses remain deeply committed to health, safety and fair labor standards. Ninety-five percent of the company’s eligible employees have completed human rights training; and 90% took part in health and safety training over the past three years. Tristar’s health and safety performance was recognised with two gold medals at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Awards. In 2023, Menzies serviced more than 1.3 million aircraft turns, over 217 million airline passengers, and moved 2 million tonnes of cargo – all while outperforming the industry average for operational safety performance, and with an aircraft damage rate 15 times lower than the industry average.  

 

Community

Globally, Agility's community investments focused largely on education, training, and support for young people. Agility-backed programmes provided digital skills and job training to more than 93,000 women and girls. In addition, the company continues to support humanitarian aid and refugee assistance, providing critical resources and support in regions affected by crises. 

 

Mariam Al Foudery, Group Chief Marketing Officer, said: “The targets that Agility has set at the Group level and in its business units are intended to make a tangible impact on the environment and the communities where we operate. This year's achievements, from pioneering zero-carbon ready infrastructure to our ongoing emphasis on fair labor practices to our investment in our communities, reflect our unwavering commitment to sustainable growth and innovation. We are committed to our journey of creating a greener, safer, more diverse and responsible future.”--TradeArabia News Service