In the first week of September, employees of the Saudi-based petrochemical company Petro Rabigh took part in a two-day sustainability training, which was led and certified by the Islamic Reporting Initiative (IRI). The interactive sustainability training course took part at the company’s headquarters in Rabigh.
Attended by employees from a wide variety of departments, the sustainability training provided a basic introduction to sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and specific challenges and opportunities in the MENA region.
Dr Faisal Al Hothali, Head of Sustainability for Petro Rabigh, said: “We see great value in the approach of the Islamic Reporting Initiative to make sustainable development culturally relevant. Particularly as Petro Rabigh is aiming to deliver on the Saudi Vision 2030, which is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals; understanding where and how they overlap is hugely beneficial.”
Ahmad Fatta, Inventory Planning Officer for Petro Rabigh, who was one of the participants, said: “The course covered a wide variety of aspects within the field of sustainability and I really built a good understanding of aspects I was not aware of. The message is clear when the presenter believes in it, which the trainer actually proved. Also, we had different workshops which made the concepts even more clearer.”
Earlier this year, a leading Zakat foundation in Oman also completed the newly introduced IRI certified sustainability training course, to its employees. Sultan Al Busaidi, Director of the Al Jisr Foundation, said: “As a Zakat foundation, Islamic values and principles are at the heart of everything we do. Recognizing the compatibility between Islamic values and the more general values which underpin ‘modern’ concepts of sustainability and CSR, the comprehensive training course delivered by the Islamic Reporting Initiative provided a balanced introduction which was both highly relevant and intrinsically effective.”
With almost 3,000 employees and a turnover of 10 billion USD (2017), Petro Rabigh is one of the largest companies in Saudi Arabia. The company engages in the development, construction, and operation of an integrated refining and petrochemical complex. It also manufactures and sells refined and petrochemical products.
The award-winning Islamic Reporting Initiative is an independent non-profit foundation leading the creation of a unique reporting standard for sustainable development based on Islamic values and principles. By making sustainability and CSR culturally relevant, the IRI, whilst systemically advancing the implementation of the universally adopted Sustainable Development Goals, aspires to effectively accelerate the uptake of sustainable development through nearly a quarter of the world’s population with custodianship for vast reserves of natural resources. The IRI has members in more than 50 countries.
For more information about the IRI certified training program, becoming a licensed trainer, or becoming involved in the development of the IRI reporting standard, please contact us at info@islamicreporting.org.
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