DP World expands Sustainable Development Impact Disclosure to three new countries

DP World has extended its Sustainable Development Impact Disclosure (SDID) to include Brazil, Senegal and South Africa, showcasing its continued progress toward achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This follows the company’s first SDID published in April 2024, which focused on India and Somaliland.

The extended SDID report highlights DP World’s commitment to advancing sustainable development through strategic investments and demonstrates how the company is making a tangible impact across critical areas from resilient infrastructure to community engagement and gender equality.

For instance, in Brazil, the company is collaborating with Rumo to develop a new terminal capable of handling 12.5 million tonnes of grains and fertilisers, further establishing Santos as a key hub for agricultural logistics. Similarly, in Senegal, it has invested over US$300 million to modernise operations, increasing the terminal’s handling capacity from 265,000 TEUs in 2008 to 800,000 TEUs in 2023 enhancing the sub-regional trade connectivity and improving the reach to hard-to-access markets.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, DP World’s Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are commited to investing at scale globally to strengthen trade resilience and foster positive social impacts in the communities where we operate. So we are immensely proud to extend this disclosure and highlight our contributions to advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and bridge gaps in key developing economies. The report shows how the services DP World delivers create infrastructure, improve logistics services and provide opportunitities for communities.”

This latest report was developed in collaboration with the Impact Disclosure Taskforce, a global network of financial institutions and industry stakeholders dedicated to establishing reliable impact reporting standards. It provides voluntary guidance to companies, particularly in emerging markets, to measure and disclose the intended development impacts of their strategies.

Arsalan Mahtafar, Co-Chair of the Impact Disclosure Taskforce and Head of J.P. Morgan’s Development Finance Institution, said, “DP World has been a pioneer in using the Impact Disclosure Guidance to demonstrate how its business strategy will address country specific development challenges in key countries of operations. Their commitment to measuring and managing their development impact could provide SDG-focused investors the insights needed for informed investment and engagement decisions.”

The expanded SDID serves as a key tool to engage investors by increasing transparency around key development metrics and targets.

Cedric Merle, Co-Chair of the Impact Disclosure Taskforce and Head of the Center of Expertise and Innovation within Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking’s Green and Sustainable Hub, stated, "With the final impact disclosure framework now published, corporates and sovereign entities can establish forward-looking targets to effectively communicate their ambitions to investors and how negative effects are being remediated. DP World has led the way as the first company to pilot this framework. Now that it is fully operational, DP World has refined and expanded its application to other emerging markets in which it operates, including Brazil, Senegal, Somaliland, South Africa, and India. By showcasing real-world cases, DP World demonstrates the framework's applicability and provides valuable insights on how to effectively communicate contributions to the SDG and close the development gap.”

By adhering to the Impact Disclosure Guidance, DP World ensures its investments meet the highest standards of impact measurement and management. This commitment could qualify its securities for sustainable capital, supporting global efforts to achieve the UN SDGs.

This acquisition provides DP World’s customers seamless access to critical container capacity, ensuring that even during periods of peak demand or unexpected disruptions, they have the ability to keep goods moving. By enhancing its control over delivery schedules, DP World can minimise risk of delays, which makes customers’ supply chains more resilient and responsive in today’s fast-paced environment.

Aligned with DP World’s fleet renewal strategy, this acquisition underscores its commitment to providing customers with reliable and efficient equipment. By investing in a younger fleet with reduced maintenance needs, the company aims to reduce its operating costs-passing these savings directly to customers, who can depend on consistently high-quality service.

Ganesh Raj, Global Chief Operating Officer, Marine Services at DP World, said, “In today’s increasingly complex and competitive commercial environment, supply chains are under growing pressure. This injection of 47,000 TEUs into the existing ecosystem of DP World-owned assets will help our customers access the capacity they need, safe in the knowledge that their goods will be moved from end to end with a single partner.”

Source: Staff Writer, WAM (Emirates News Agency)