From September 2019 until February 2020, Australia battled the biggest bushfire crisis in its history. The bushfires had a devastating effect on Australia, burning through an estimated 13 million hectares of land, killed hundreds of millions of animals, and displaced thousands of people. Agility ran a global fundraising drive, raising money for the Australian Red Cross. Agility’s donation helped the Australian Red Cross support recovery through practical and emotional support services. Agility collected and matched donations from employees through the Australian Red Cross to support people in need of assistance.

Five Years Supporting UNHCR from Agility on Vimeo.

With Agility’s support over the past five years, UNHCR was able to help people in Malaysia, Jordan, Lebanon and Uganda with basic needs, from livelihoods, education to health interventions.

When COVID-19 brought the world to a halt, Agility donated services to keep essential cargo moving.

Following the Port of Beirut explosion on August 4, 2020, Agility provided support to a number of humanitarian partners.

Clean energy initiatives will include one of the largest solar-roof developments in the region

In November of 2020, Agility announced solar projects in Dubai and Jordan that will eventually cut the company’s carbon footprint in the region by 5%.

At Agility’s regional headquarters in Dubai, the solar photovoltaic (PV) plant involves the installation of 17,500 panels at three sites with the capacity to generate nearly 8 megawatts of power at peak. The installation will include a 5.45 MW system at two sites in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), and a 2.6 MW system at the Dubai Investment Park. Once complete, Agility’s solar PV system will generate enough electricity to cover 60% of the energy requirements at the sites and save an estimated 8,838 tons of CO2 each year, roughly equivalent to the emissions generated by trucking 18,000 fully-loaded containers from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.

In Jordan, the solar photovoltaic plant will encompass 1,945 panels at Agility’s warehouse in Aqaba, with a capacity of 788 kilowatt peak. The solar plant will generate enough electricity to cover 100% of the energy requirements and save an estimated 900 tons of CO2 each year.

In both locations, the high-efficiency solar PV panels are designed to optimize energy generation in hot desert climates. The panel systems incorporate robotic cleaning and are waterproof.

“Globally, Agility’s goal is to reduce its carbon footprint by 25% by 2050. Our investment in solar is a huge step in the right direction and will cut the company’s global emissions by 3%. We are hopeful that it encourages other companies in the region to do the same. We know that greening operations is good for business and good for the planet,” says Elias Monem, CEO Middle East & Africa, Agility GIL.

The project is consistent with the goals of the UAE’s Shams Solar Policy, a local initiative for distributed solar plants in the United Arab Emirates. In both Dubai and Jordan, Clenergize Solar Consultants was appointed to handle the engineering specifications, tendering, contract management, design reviews, and project management.

Agility’s Paperless Branch initiatives involved the implementation of an integrated document management system, which provides a central repository for all job-related documents. This isn’t just good for the tracking and fidelity of job information, as well as operational efficiency, it’s also good for the environment.

An average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of copy paper each year, and nearly 50% of that ends up in the trash. Implementation of the system in three of our offices, Barcelona, Hong Kong and Penang, has reduced our demand for paper by almost one million sheets per year; the equivalent of over 100 trees. In the Barcelona branch, the implementation of the system led to a monthly reduction in paper usage by more than 70%.

Agility offices across the globe have joined the Waste-Free Agility campaign to eliminate the use of single-use plastic water bottles and paper coffee cups. The Waste-Free Agility campaign calls on our facilities to meaningfully reduce or eliminate an important waste stream through changes in behaviour.
For example, at Agility’s offices in Mumbai, guests were given small plastic water bottles. Much of the water ended up going to waste, so our team there started to use glasses and a carafe, which reduced waste of water, and entirely eliminated the single-use plastic bottles. Unused drinking water is recycled for cleaning purposes as well. While it did require a change in behaviour, managers across India were enthusiastic to jump on board, and the elimination of single-use plastic bottles has become a country-wide trend for Agility.

Other Agility offices in Brazil, Italy, Singapore, the US and Australia also are leading the way in the elimination or significant reduction of the use of plastic water bottles, paper coffee cups, or other single-use materials. We’re aiming for 100% office participation!

Agility and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced a partnership that will strengthen the delivery of essential services to refugees in Malaysia, establishing pilot programs in Johor and Penang to bring critically needed services to more than 12,000 refugees. The services include refugee card renewal, access to essential information related to protection, and to receive counseling on available services. The pilot program will help extend support to more than 12,000 refugees, most of them Rohingyas from Myanmar. With local engagement and support, Agility and UNHCR will eliminate the need for vulnerable refugees to travel 300+ kilometers from their homes to Kuala Lumpur to have access to vital services, including refugee card renewal.