Business

If you’ve ever watched a recycling truck weaving through city streets, you’ve seen the problem firsthand. Most of what we call “recycling” still depends on long-distance transportation and centralized sorting facilities. Those systems are energy-intensive and prone to contamination — the dreaded mix of wet food, plastic wrap, and paper that renders recyclables useless.

As world leaders and billionaires descend on Riyadh for this year’s Future Investment Initiative — better known as “Davos in the Desert” — we wonder where the planet fairs in all this political business talk. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan has turned the kingdom into an unlikely global stage for innovation and investment, drawing over 20 heads of state, 50 ministers, and hundreds of financiers, tech executives, and policy shapers.

The UAE is positioning itself as the Middle East’s green finance hub — mobilizing billions in sustainable bonds, ESG funds, and innovation capital to support its Net Zero 2050 vision. Green Prophet’s UAE Green Finance 2025 Report explores how banks, investors, and policymakers are shaping the next cleantech frontier, from Masdar City to Abu Dhabi’s sovereign initiatives.

Masdar is the the UAE’s flagship renewable energy company. Compare it to Neom in Saudi Arabia. Masdar has become one of the world’s most active clean energy investors, with projects in more than 40 countries across six continents. Established in 2006 and jointly owned by ADNOC, Mubadala, and TAQA, Masdar operates and develops solar, wind, and green hydrogen projects with a current portfolio exceeding 50 gigawatts of capacity. Masdar also buys companies, and paid $50 million for this US business Terra-Gen last year. 

At the World Green Economy Summit 2025, Tech Mahindra’s CSO Sandeep Chandna makes it clear: sustainability is no longer a side project — it’s the mission, the strategy, and the future of business.

Rather than viewing environmental protection as a cost center, Schmidheiny developed the concept of eco-efficiency, which demonstrated how enterprises could combine environmental protection with economic growth.

For instance is your clean tech firm or company in wastewater treatment considering an office in Riyadh or should you stick with Dubai?  Below is a curated spotlight on 20 firms that shine for their deep expertise and proven ability to manage the complex risks of sustainable energy investment.

Saudi Arabia is deploying capital at unmatched scale to catalyze tourism and advanced industry while rewiring its power-and-water backbone. The investable frontier is widening—especially in renewables, grid storage, water efficiency/desal retrofits, and hospitality operating platforms. Prudent investors will insist on phased delivery, enforceable KPIs (energy, water, biodiversity), and RHQ/zone compliance—while pricing political-economy and reputational risks alongside growth upside.

If you’re dedicated to protecting the environment, you can start a business that promotes sustainability. This means you’ll have to source your products ethically, use renewable energy, minimize business waste, and save water.

The preservation and celebration of Saudi cultural heritage represents a crucial aspect of Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Development Company ESG social initiatives. The company's developments consistently integrate architectural elements and spatial arrangements that reflect Saudi cultural values while accommodating modern lifestyle preferences.

Charitable giving isn’t just about dropping extra change in a donation jar or saying “yes” to a prompt at the cash register to tag...

The corporate events industry stands at a critical juncture where environmental responsibility has transitioned from an optional consideration to an essential business requirement. As organizations worldwide grapple with mounting pressure to reduce their carbon footprints and demonstrate genuine commitment to sustainability, the way business events are planned, executed, and evaluated has fundamentally changed.

Smart maintenance meets sustainability — a technician uses a cloud-based CMMS to help build and monitor green infrastructure, reducing downtime and environmental impact.

Public entities facing the charge of meeting the needs of their communities need to be mindful of how they utilize resources. The process of asset management helps identify underutilized/surplus assets for reallocation/disposal. Not only does this provide free resources, but it also ensures that the free resources go where they are needed most. Example: facility utilization evaluation to repurpose or build a new facility

Approximately 18% of wealthy investors own physical gold assets, and another 23% say they’re interested in obtaining them, according to a Bank of America survey. High-net-worth investors who are aged 21 to 43 appear to be particularly interested in the precious metal: 45% currently own it, and an additional 45% say they’d possibly like to purchase some.