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The Year of Sustainability was announced in February 2023 by the President of the UAE His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan under the slogan “Today for Tomorrow”, encouraging sustainability through individual actions to achieve collective action. The initiative was extended into 2024 under the banner of “Plan To Action” with the aim of engaging both individuals and entities in sustainable actions through various on-ground activations.
The UAE Year Of Sustainability 2024 surveys were conducted to measure the public’s perception of sustainability, their engagement with the campaign and behaviour change journey, mapping its position and progress.
The survey’s findings confirmed the Year of Sustainability’s success in driving behaviour change across the key focus areas, and showcased the effectiveness of its approach to sustainability by promoting relatable actions, like using pre-loved items or participating in walking initiatives which elicited strong emotional connections because they are seen as easy to adopt and immediately impactful, according to the survey’s respondents.
Survey results reveal that the highest engagement 67% is in water and energy reduction, driven by greater awareness and the immediate financial benefits of lower utility costs. Responsible consumption follows at 39%, indicating progress in eco-friendly purchasing and waste reduction, though challenges like cost and convenience remain. Green transportation 31% sees lower adoption, likely due to infrastructural limitations and accessibility challenges. Planting wisely 21% has the lowest engagement, suggesting that activities like urban gardening and tree-planting feel less immediate or accessible to the public.
The Year of Sustainability’s longstanding goal is to help the public commit to sustainability as a lifestyle through simple, easy-to-adapt daily habits in four key areas: conserving water and energy, using green transportation, planting wisely, and consuming responsibly. With the conclusion of the Year of Sustainability, Project Lead Eisa Alsubousi urged everyone who calls the UAE home to carry forward this momentum by continuing to make sustainable choices in our daily routines, workplaces, and communities to ensure a more sustainable future for all.
“We must honor the efforts of those before us, and preserve the land entrusted to us by our ancestors. Sustainability requires the enduring collaboration of individuals, communities, and entities, working together to ensure that the seeds we plant today will flourish into a thriving, sustainable tomorrow for all,” said Alsubousi.
Highlighting the impact of collective action, Rauda Al Falasi, Deputy Project Lead of the Year of Sustainability said: “This Year of Sustainability’s success belongs to everyone who contributed their time, effort, and ideas towards this collective journey. We are deeply grateful to our stakeholders and the public for their support and to the public for their enthusiasm in embracing sustainable practices with such commitment and being open to change. While there is still much to do, we are certain that continuing to champion sustainable practices will drive real impact towards climate change.”
Throughout the past two years, the Year of Sustainability has engaged with diverse stakeholders in a vast range of industries and at every level, including federal institutions, government offices, media entities, grassroots initiatives, and members of the public. These collaborations resulted in several activities and projects:
In October 2024, with the aim of promoting a commitment towards adopting sustainable practices in all fields, the Year of Sustainability launched an open call to recognise entities across the country that demonstrated notable success and impactful efforts towards sustainability. Entries were assessed by members of the Year of Sustainability’s Experts’ Network based on the following criteria: authentic demonstration and measurable impact of sustainability initiatives; implementation of innovative and creative solutions; active engagement with the community; alignment across any of the four focus areas of the Year of Sustainability 2024, and continuity of the sustainability practices implemented.
Successful entities were awarded the “Plan to Action: Year of Sustainability’s Seal” which can be displayed digitally in their physical establishments. Awarded entities will be also featured in the interactive “Plan to Action Map.”
The Year of Sustainability ran with the support of the Sustainability Experts Network, which assembled UAE-based experts with a deep understanding of the country's context to focus on addressing sustainability in various fields, encourage positive behavioural changes and foster public participation. The experts – Abdullah Alremethi, Ali Al Shimmari, Habiba Al Marashi, Hessa Al Qahatani, Maitha Al Hameli, Mariam Al Qubaisi, Maryam Al Mazrouei, Nour Almhairi, Omar Al Braiki and Sultan Al Junaibi – provided research support, informed the Year of Sustainability team of relevant policies and initiatives by public and private entities, and offered insights on best practices. Furthermore, the experts evaluated the applications for the Open Call to award the “Plan to Action: Year of Sustainability’s Seal.”
To engage the public towards tangible sustainable action, the Year of Sustainability hosted a series of on-ground activations that saw partnerships with various entities. These included:
The Year of Sustainability collaborated with AlSadeem Astronomy and Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology for two editions of Duroor Nights in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Combining the ancient Duroor system with modern celestial exploration, participants gathered together to observe the stars and planets and experience the Cosmic Cube. They engaged in astrophotography, expert talks and an observatory tour, linking deep-rooted sustainable traditions from the UAE’s culture to modern sustainability practices.
To encourage responsible consumption, the Year of Sustainability hosted a two day neighbourhood-based thrifting activation in Al Khazan Park, Dubai, inspired by the traditional Emirati concept of “Freej” (neighbourhood). Participants traded pre-loved items and joined several activities such as the “Give a Ghaf” initiative, the responsible-consumption quizbee, clothes and shoe customisation workshop, and the sustainable-fashion session. These activities promoted reuse, community bonding, and waste reduction.
In line with its efforts to engage with various entities, the Year of Sustainability collaborated with The Climate Tribe to host three activations: Ghaf Tales, Hike In Hatta: Leave No Trace, and From Waste to Wonder: Home Composting Tips. Each of the activations gathered participants with the aim of promoting environmental awareness and sustainable action.
With the aim of creating more engagement opportunities for individuals, the Year of Sustainability created the “Sustainability Champions Society”, a platform inviting sustainability enthusiasts of all ages to share their stories and join the Year of Sustainability in activations, initiatives, and gatherings across the emirates throughout the year. Hundreds of Sustainability Champions joined the Society, and the Year of Sustainability shared many of their inspiring stories across its social media, newsletters, and website.
One of the Year of Sustainability’s legacy projects is its downloadable sustainability guides, which offer practical steps for building lasting sustainable habits, especially tailored to the unique environmental features of the UAE and the region. This project began in 2023, resulting in three editions focused on sustainable consumption, sustainable conservation and climate action. In 2024, three more editions were added, covering the topics of saving water and energy, planting wisely, and green transportation. These guides featured key insights from the Year of Sustainability’s Experts’ Network, alongside input from Sustainability Champions, offering real examples of impactful change.
Coinciding with Earth Day in 2024, the Year of Sustainability announced the launch of Estidama Craft, a unique interactive world designed to encourage children to learn about sustainability through an immersive gaming experience. Inspired by the UAE’s beautiful natural landscape and biodiversity, Estidama Craft guides players towards sustainable behavioural change and is available for download on Minecraft Education and Minecraft Marketplace. The classroom version of the game is accompanied by five unique lesson plans that educate players on sustainability. Estidama Craft has been downloaded more than million times, imparting sustainable knowledge and practical actions right into children’s homes in a fun, immersive way.
The Material Lab Fellowship Programme is a collaborative model for sustainable production that engages UAE-based designers, innovators, and creatives, to rethink production and design, from conception to manufacturing. The Fellowship Programme welcomed its first cohort in 2023, and its second in 2024. In each cohort, the programme provided support for fellows to innovate sustainable material solutions, thus redefining sustainable production and shaping the next generation of future design leaders.
Throughout 2023 and 2024, the Year of Sustainability made pivotal efforts that brought together individuals and entities towards sustainable action in alignment with the UAE’s sustainability agenda, as well as participation in key events such as COP28 and the UAE House of Sustainability, Union Day 52 and Eid Al Etihad 53. Through on-ground activations and online learning tools, it highlighted the collective impact of small, meaningful actions and the power of collective action.
To continue the momentum of sustainable action, the survey’s insights revealed a greater appetite for sustainability initiatives rooted in hands-on, community-based experiences, integrating more localized strategies such as community-driven sustainability projects, eco-events, and partnerships with local businesses. As well, the survey highlighted a significant potential in offering real-time action tracking tools, enabling participants to see the tangible effects of their sustainable choices, to help the public monitor their impact and encourage continued participation.
"While the Year of Sustainability has laid the foundation for transformative change among all those who call the UAE home, our duty doesn’t end here,” remarked
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