CSR in the United Arab Emirates

In 2018, BASF partnered with Emirates Skills, a national member of the global WorldSkills Competition, for the 2018 edition of the national skills competition in Abu Dhabi. The BASF’s team guided and trained four Emirati students to compete in coating a vehicle with BASF’s Glasurit® - the premier paint brand in the region. All category winners are now qualified to represent the UAE in regional and international competitions, in addition to receiving cash prizes, and access to an extensive Advanced Training Program with a network of experts in the UAE and abroad.

As we continue our journey in creating a bright future for Emirati youth, BASF has also just signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Abu Dhabi Vocational Education and Training Institute (ADVETI) to open a common training facility for car painting. Furthermore, the ECR team is committed to train and mentor a talented young Emirati car painter as they prepare to represent the UAE at the global WorldSkills competition Kazan, Russia in 2019.

A team of ten members of Khalifa University’s Young Future Energy Leaders (YFEL) outreach initiative had a first-hand experience of how Germany’s three major industry leaders are driving innovative solutions for sustainable global development.

The visit focused on applied sustainability solutions relevant to the UAE and the restorative and regenerative circular economy, which builds economic, natural, and social capital. The three German companies - BASF, Siemens and Bilfinger - hosted the YFEL members as part of their commitment to investing in the UAE’s youth development and share knowledge with future generations.

This was the second time the YFEL students visited Germany. 

In November 2018, BASF supported the first Solar Decathlon competition held in the Middle East. The Solar Decathlon is a global student competition, originally hosted by the US Department of Energy, in which engineering and architecture students from all around the world compete about which team can build the most energy efficient model house, powered by solar energy.

BASF supported one of the competing teams, the team from the American University of Ras Al Khaimah, with technical advice and donated our Neopor materials to insulate the walls of the house.

BASF was also the official knowledge partner of the event, organizing 20 workshops for visiting high school students. In the workshops, students could ‘beat the heat’ by learning how to keep a house cool during the hot summer months and save energy.

Making our buildings and construction more energy efficient is an important way to combat climate change and combat air pollution. Therefore, BASF partnered with the Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) -  an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices in the UAE -  to develop a Green Building Toolkit.

The toolkit, available online, assists thousands of individuals and businesses with decisions to make their homes, offices and schools more efficient and sustainable.  Access the toolkit by clicking here.

Dubai Economy and Omniyat developed the initiative Tarmeem (renovation) in line with the Year of Giving mandate by the United Arab Emirates Government, and welcomed several companies, including BASF, to participate. The project consisted in the renovation of Manar al Iman Charity School in Ajman, UAE.

The initiative was a success thanks to the combined efforts of volunteers and companies. BASF collaborated from project evaluation, followed by materials supply and continuous technical support. Flooring solutions, external coatings, tile fixing systems and repair products were part of the wide range of solutions that BASF contributed to this collaborative project.