Masdar City reinforces leadership in sustainable urban development

Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s pioneering sustainable urban community and thriving Free Zone, has released its third Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report, reaffirming its position as a “green print” for cities worldwide and a global reference point for sustainable urban development.

Aligned with the UAE’s ambition to achieve net zero by 2050, Masdar City’s integrated ecosystem combining world-class sustainable infrastructure, a thriving Free Zone, and a diverse community of innovators.

Masdar City continues to attract global businesses and entrepreneurs, driving the transition to a low-carbon and knowledge-based economy.

“Masdar City serves as a living model for the successful integration of sustainability, innovation, and community”. said Ahmed Baghoum, CEO of Masdar City. “We are committed to strengthening an ecosystem that delivers innovation, opportunity, and measurable impact, setting new benchmarks for how cities can create lasting economic, social, and environmental value.” At the heart of Masdar City’s growth is its people and community. In 2024, the city deepened its commitment to national talent development, diversity, and inclusion, achieving a 54.7 per cent Emiratisation rate and 31 per cent female representation. Furthermore, our enhanced training initiatives have significantly boosted employees with the skills to drive sustainable innovation.

The Women Entrepreneurship Programme continued to expand opportunities for women-led businesses, while the Free Zone enabled hundreds of local SMEs to scale sustainably.

Across the city, collaboration flourished, from M42 advancing precision medicine to expanding sustainable data infrastructure with the opening of Khazna AUH6 Data Centre, to GEMS Founders School embedding sustainability into education from its first academic year and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) advancing world-class AI research and talent development in alignment with the UAE’s national AI strategy.

Masdar City’s community engagement remained vibrant, with more than 300 stakeholder activations, cultural events, and wellness initiatives fostering a sense of belonging. From hosting international delegations to organising local festivals, the city strengthened its role as a hub where business, culture, and sustainability intersect. This was further highlighted through a series of flagship events and activations, including The Festival at Masdar City, the BYD Electric Vehicles Launch, Innovation Day, The Hub by social launch, a sustainable food hall and the Masdar City Community Run, each showcasing sustainable mobility, clean energy, and community-focused innovations in action.

Masdar City advanced its environmental commitments through projects that reduce emissions, conserve resources, and expand green infrastructure.

In 2024, Masdar City delivered measurable progress towards its environmental targets, achieving a 22.7 per cent reduction in energy use intensity (EUI) compared to the ASHRAE baseline, and avoiding 5,518 tCO₂e emissions through various initiatives, equivalent to removing 1,285 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the road for one year. The city also recorded 13.1 per cent savings in potable water consumption across its building portfolio against the Estidama PBRS baseline.

Masdar City further reduced waste by 56.2 per cent through recycling, with 98.3 per cent of construction waste diverted from landfill. In addition, thirty buildings received green building certifications across twelve projects, including two net-zero energy buildings completed and three currently under construction.

Innovation remains central to Masdar City’s mission, driving solutions that address today’s challenges while shaping the cities of the future.

The city piloted Hydroball technology in Masdar Park, using IoT-enabled sensors to optimise irrigation and achieve water savings. Masdar City is also preparing for the Agrivoltaic projects at Connect Park to integrate renewable energy with urban agriculture as part of upcoming development plans.

Meanwhile Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company – Masdar, has released its 12th Annual Sustainability Report which highlights how the company strengthened its position as a global clean energy leader last year, delivering record portfolio capacity growth and increasing its global footprint through major acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Masdar’s Sustainability Report highlights the company’s continued progress in key sustainability areas, including environmental performance, social impact, ethical business practices, and workforce diversity. It also reinforces Masdar’s leadership in sustainable finance with the expansion of its green bond programme in 2024. Masdar achieved a record portfolio growth of 62 per cent last year, with its operational, under-construction, and advanced pipeline capacity reaching 51 gigawatts (GW), more than halfway to the company’s 2030 target of 100GW.

WAM