Hi Innovating global Halal industries!!!

Hi Innovating global Halal industries!!!

As the $2 trillion Halal industry, which includes food, finance and much more, grows, many call for new ways to develop coherence and diversity.

“Demand is increasing and we now must focus on developing our products. I am not saying forget about being Halal, but we must start innovating,” says Saleh Abdullah Lootah, Managing Director of Islami Foods.

Speaking at the WIEF conference in Dubai, which ended on October 30, Lootah went on to stress the need to get rid of Halal complexes: “There are different norms and cultures across different regions, so it is difficult to apply one model of Halal-compliant business.”

This comes at a time when the Muslim world is looking at itself in hopes to develop the cross-border trade of Halal-certified goods. Media reports this week claim that a series of memoranda of understanding and agreements have been signed by Dubai Exports in partnership with Malaysia’s Halal HDC, and the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC).

Lootah goes on to talk about the need for the Halal industry to innovate the consumer experience. “The next step is to focus on innovating the Halal experience and, making it attractive to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.”

In his closing address, HE Hamad Buamim, President and CEO at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the co-organizers, said that the forum marked the “start of a new chapter of cooperation between Dubai and the world, as part of Dubai: Capital of Islamic Economy vision.”

“We must also harness technology, which is driving progress in the global economy, to ensure the future development of Halal industries,” he notes.

Overall, the rhetoric coming from leaders of the Halal industries was based around developing the right technologies to enhance and innovate the Halal products to globalize the industry.

The WIEF conference attracted more than 2,000 participants from all around the world. Organized in a collaboration between the WIEF Foundation, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Dubai Capital of Islamic Economy, the event was held at the Madinat Jumeirah Conference Centre Dubai on October 28-30, 2014, with the arching theme ‘Innovative Partnerships for Economic Growth’, which seeks to position Dubai as a leader of global Halal industries.

Hi Global Market for U.S. Indoor Air Quality to Reach $11.4 Billion by 2019!.

Hi Global Market for U.S. Indoor Air Quality to Reach $11.4 Billion by 2019!.

BCC Research reveals in its new report, U.S. Indoor Air Quality Market, the U.S. indoor air quality (IAQ) market is expected to grow to $11.4 billion by 2019, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7 percent over the next five years. The equipment segment market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 7.4 percent.

Since 2012, continuing media attention focused on the health effects of toxic mold, the outbreak of infectious diseases (such as bird flu), and the increase in chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma have resulted in a new interest in IAQ in homes, commercial buildings, schools and hospitals.

There is a distinct equipment market within the industry that includes products such as air-cleaning equipment, HVAC equipment, HVAC replacement filters and IAQ instrumentation. This market, which was valued at $3.9 billion in 2013, is predicted to reach nearly $4.1 billion in 2014 and $5.8 billion in 2019, with a projected CAGR of 7.4 percent.

Although the commercial segment was the largest market for IAQ equipment and services in 2013, the residential sector is projected to move into the top position by 2019, with 29 percent of the market, followed by commercial buildings (28 percent), healthcare (16 percent) and schools (14 percent).

“The U.S. economy has continued to recover from the 2008–2009 recession, boosting the market for IAQ equipment and services,” says BCC Research environment analyst, Andrew McWilliams. “The IAQ market is important because health problems such as building-related illness and sick-building syndrome, as well as other ailments associated with poor IAQ in homes, offices and schools, are on the rise in the U.S.”

U.S. INDOOR AIR QUALITY MARKET determines the size of the overall IAQ market and its subcategories, such as IAQ equipment and technologies, consulting services and environmental services.

Hi Report: Green Buildings Market Grows to $260 Billion; Driven by Higher Rents, Values!.

Hi Report: Green Buildings Market Grows to $260 Billion; Driven by Higher Rents, Values!.

Construction of green buildings rose to 325 million m² of new floor space in 2013, representing a $260 billion market, according to Lux Research, with growth driven by economic benefits rather than environmental motivations.

Growth has exceeded expectations as green construction marches toward a significant share of the mainstream market. In the United States, for example, green buildings command an estimated 20 percent of new construction.

“Green buildings are driven not by utility savings, but by upticks in rental income or resale value,” said Alex Herceg, Lux Research analyst and the lead author of the report titled, “Cash Is King: Assessing the Financial Performance of Green Buildings.”

“Those factors, along with government incentives, can make the financial case for green buildings, delivering predictable internal rates of return (IRRs) north of 5 percent,” he added.

Lux Research analysts studied utility savings, rental rates, resale value and government incentives in green buildings and their impact on IRRs.

Among their findings:

• Green certification fuels growth. Lux Research’s analysis found that buildings with LEED Gold certification outperform their baseline peers. For instance, higher rental income added $4.1 million in value to a model 80,000 ft² commercial building in Los Angeles.

• IRRs get a boost from subsidies. Incentives like Germany's subsidized interest rates for energy-efficient homes, or government cash rebates in India, can lead to an IRR of 5 to 6 percent over 15 years.

• Energy efficiency codes offer market opportunity. While green building standards like LEED helped build market demand for green buildings, building energy efficiency codes such as ASHAE 90.1, IECC and ECBC India can create a much larger market opportunity. In Germany, Lux Research estimates that new floor space compliant with the EnEv 2009 code was 50 million m², or about 36 percent of overall new construction, in 2013.

The report, titled “Cash Is King: Assessing the Financial Performance of Green Buildings,” is part of the Lux Research Efficient Building Systems Intelligence service.

UAE & Egyptian Sustainability Industry Ties & Investment Partnership

 Hi Regional Economic News Focus - Middle East & African Investors - Egypt.

Citadel Capital bullish on Egypt’s return to growth

Citadel Capital Click Here to visit company web site, a major investment company in Africa and the Middle East with $9.5 billion in investments under control, was a key participant at the Egypt GCC Investment Forum Click Here to visit organizers web site for details, a two-day event hosted by the Egyptian Ministry of Investment in partnership with the UAE and Euro money Conferences.

"President Adly Mansour"

"President Adly Mansour received Thursday in the presidential palace a delegation from the Gulf-Egyptian investment forum, currently held in Cairo under the rubric "A Strategic Partnership and Economic Integrity." The forum is held under the auspices of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)."

Investor

The event brings together top-tier Egyptian and GCC private sector investors, financiers and leading government officials from Egypt and the GCC to discuss strategic partnerships and new investment opportunities in Egypt as the government attempts to jump-start the economy and capitalize on rising investor confidence. 

Strategic Partnerships & New investment Opportunities. 

“Egypt has always had an economy that has the capacity to absorb investments and we as a country have always been able to find the right track. Granted, there may be heartache and frustration along the way, but when all is said and done, Egypt has always done the right thing. Right now Egypt needs investments. In order to achieve a growth rate of 7 percent, we need $20-$25 billion in new investments,” said Citadel Capital Founder and Chairman Ahmed Heikal during a keynote interview at the forum.

Economic Growth

“In this context, two things are clear: We enjoy immense support from the Gulf countries not just in budget support and direct aid to the government, but from companies and countries with a genuine interest in helping Egypt build its infrastructure base. Secondly, I believe it is patently obvious that energy policy is at the root of our macro challenges today. The simple fact is that had increased the price of petroleum products by 17 piasters per annul starting in 2000, the total debt of the Egyptian government today would have been zero,” he said.

Heikal pointed out that the startling statistic underscores the necessity of adopting a much more aggressive strategy as regards energy pricing. 

New Strategic Possibilities

“People are now aware of the problem — and that’s the first part of finding a solution. But talking isn't enough: Now is the time for implementing solutions. The funding that we have received from the Gulf States has allowed us to avoid major problems, this does not however change the fact that we cannot continue to ignore the impending crisis that will occur once this funding is discontinued. Energy prices need to be liberalized gradually lest we wish to see a spike in inflation at the same time as we face rising unemployment as a result of failing enterprises. With that in mind, we need to cushion the impact of price rises through a system of direct cash subsidies to consumers,” added Heikal.

Consumer Subsidies

Asked about the concerns of GCC investors — such as the legal environment and whether or not the current regulatory framework can ensure the safety of their investments — Heikal pointed out that “despite the uncertainty and the very real problems that are delaying the completion of projects in the interim, the risk-reward relationship is still very favorable in Egypt.” 

Egypt 

Heikal added: “I think that the lack of resolution on the political front and the bureaucratic delays have without a doubt hampered Egypt’s capacity to attract new investment, but GCC investors are still finding it worthwhile to invest in Egypt. There are still excellent opportunities out there for large deals in key sectors such as energy and infrastructure that have attracted and will continue to attract large amounts of capital coming from the Gulf.” 

Egypt's Capital

A case in point is Citadel Capital’s Egyptian Refining Company (ERC), a $3.7 billion second stage oil refinery that will reduce Egypt’s present day diesel imports by more than half, generate more than $300 million in annual benefits to the state treasury, and reduce by nearly one-third the country’s present sulfur dioxide emissions. The financing package for ERC, one of the largest-ever project finance deals in Africa, was completed post revolution with an international pool of investors that included Gulf-based sovereign wealth funds. 

Oil Refinery

Asked what advice he would give to the government, Heikal noted that a shield law for government officials who are taking legitimate decisions that are discretionary in nature is a must to avoid bureaucratic inertia. 

He also added that additional institutional capacity was required. “We need to be able to attract higher calibers in the government and we also need to raise the productivity of the Egyptian economy as a whole, which means enacting policies regarding the types of investments we want to encourage bearing in mind energy, water and electricity consumption,” said Heikal. 

Outlook 

Citadel Capital also participated in two targeted sector workshops on renewable energy and hydrocarbons that featured government ministers and industry experts. Leading the discussion on hydrocarbons was Citadel Capital Managing Director for Energy Investments Mohamed Shoeib who highlighted the importance of future cooperation between the government and private sector investors in the hydrocarbons sector.

Energy

“To keep pace with projected economic growth and provide much needed energy capacity in the region Citadel Capital has invested heavily in energy as one of its five core industries. Our integrated energy investments cover the full value chain and include refining, energy distribution, power generation and alternative fuels,” said Shoeib, an industry veteran with over 30 years experience in the upstream and downstream oil and gas sector in Egypt. 

Opportunity

Khaled Abu Bakr, executive chairman of Citadel Capital’s energy distribution platform, TAQA Arabia, participated in a workshop that discussed the role of renewable energy in sustainable development and explored the policy and regulatory framework that is required in order to facilitate and encourage more investments of this nature, which will be crucial for Egypt’s energy security going forward. 

Framework

TAQA Arabia is the largest private sector energy distribution company in Egypt with over 16 years of experience, investing and operating energy infrastructure including gas transmission and distribution through its largest operational arm, TAQA Gas. As part of it’s ongoing effort to grow the energy sector in Egypt and meet increasing domestic demand, TAQA Arabia recently entered into an agreement with the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources to connect 66,000 homes with natural gas. 

Development

The growth of Citadel Capital’s energy investment comes as the firm continues its transformation of its business model from a private equity firm to Africa’s leading investment company. Energy is one of Citadel Capital’s five core industries alongside transportation, agriculture agrifoods, mining, and cement.

Triumph

Egypt's GCC Investment Forum Further Information Links;

The Egypt/GCC Investment Forum Agenda - English  Click Here to download.

The Egypt/GCC Investment Forum Agenda - Arabic   Click Here to download.

Click Here or Image Above To Download Citadel Capital’s Annual Report 2012

Growing Investments

*The original publication referenced from was briefly edited & remains to be the main source of this publication article. The source of this article is published by Arab news & you may click here  to visit the site & view the original article source. 

Hi Blog Topic of Our Times "Air pollution And Climate"

Hi Combat  Air pollution  And Climate Change Simultaneously

Current economic growth will intensify air quality problems in Asia unless current pollution control laws are significantly upgraded:

1. Population growth and  development will further boost the level of economic activities in Asia:

In asia, population growth combined with the envisaged increase in economic wealth will multiply current levels of energy use, traffic, industrial production and agricultural output in the coming decades. for instance, the Indian government foresees total energy consumption to increase by a factor of 4.5 between 2005 and 2030.

2. Current air pollution control strategies will not be sufficient to balance out the negative effects:

unless current emission control laws are tightened, this economic growth will lead to substantially higher emissions of harmful air pollutants. Increased coal consumption would multiply current emissions of sulfur dioxide in India by a factor of 5 by 2030. depending on the effectiveness of the implementation of current emission control regulations for vehicles, emissions of nitrogen oxides would grow by a factor of2.5 to 3 by 2030. and greenhouse gas emissions are expected to increase by a factor of 4 by 2030. 

3. Deteriorating air quality will cause serious impacts on human health and vegetation, including economically important crops:

This growth in emissions will deteriorate asian air quality further, and cause serious impacts on human health and vegetation. the gaIns model estimates that outdoor exposure to fine particulate matter will, by 2030, shorten statistical life expectancy in India by 57 (29-80) months, compared to 17 (8-23) months in 2005. higher ground-level ozone means crop losses of wheat, corn and rice will triple or more by 2030. In essence, GAINS is a scenario-generating device that helps users to understand the impacts of future actions – or inaction – and to design strategies to achieve long-term environmental goals at the lowest possible cost.The GAINS model analyses the multiple sources and multiple effects of five air pollutants and six greenhouse gases to identify their most cost-effective control. 

4. Advanced emission control technologies are available to maintain acceptable levels of air quality despite the pressure from growing economic activities.

There are two broad methods to cut air pollution; either reducing the levels of activities that emit the pollutants; or not changing production and consumption levels but controlling the waste they

produce. the latter method is known as end-of-pipe emission control technology and by fully applying existing technical measures asia can avoid serious deteriorations in air quality. however, such an undifferentiated across-the board approach would impose significant burdens on the economy.

5. A cost-effective strategy can reduce costs for air pollution control by up to 80% compared to conventional approaches:


an optimized emission control strategy, which selectively allocates specific reduction measures across economic sectors, pollutants and regions, could achieve equal air quality improvements at only 20% of the costs of a conventional across-the-board approach. the gaIns optimization tool allows a systematic search for those measures that ensure total emission control costs are minimized. for asia, an integral element of such an air pollution control strategy will be measures to eliminate indoor pollution from the

combustion of solid fuels.

6. Enhancing air quality in Asia improves the environment, human health, and agricultural productivity:


The gaIns model allows policymakers in china and India to analyse and design their own air pollution control strategy. the benefits of such a strategy are illustrated in the following example. air pollution lowers statistical life expectancy in china, these health impacts could be reduced by 43% by 2030 by using available technology to improve ambient air quality. this can be achieved at an additional expense of 0.63% of gdp with a conventional across-the-board approach to reducing air pollutants or at only an additional cost of 0.13% of gdp using the targeted approach of gaIns. The investment will also reduce crop losses by around 50% and have far ranging positive impacts on the environment.

Well-designed air pollution control strategies can also reduce emissions of greenhouse gases:

1. Measures exist that simultaneously reduce emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases:

In many cases emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases are emitted from the same sources. thus, controls directed at air pollutants frequently affect greenhouse gas emissions, and vice versa. the gaIns model provides an integrated perspective that can maximize synergies between air pollution 

control and greenhouse gas mitigation strategies. 

2. Strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can dramatically lower air pollution control costs:

for achieving given targets on ambient air quality, the cost of air pollution controls can be further reduced by adopting certain low carbon strategies. gaIns demonstrates that the additional controls of climate-friendly measures, e.g., energy efficiency improvements, co-generation of heat and power, fuel substitution, integrated coal gasification combined cycle (Igcc) plants, etc., are more than compensated for by savings in air pollution control equipment.

3. A smart mix of measures to simultaneously cut air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions will help combat climate change and air pollution more cheaply than tackling either issue separately.

GaIns demonstrates that low carbon strategies result in lower emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter at no additional costs. for china, India, and europe, gaIns estimates that each percent of co2 reduction will typically reduce health impacts from fine particulate (pm) air pollution by 1%. this is important information for judging the net benefits of greenhouse gas mitigation 

strategies. gaIns also shows by selecting a smart mix of measures to simultaneously cut air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, china can almost halve air pollution control costs as well as lower 

greenhouse gas emissions by 9 %.

A scientific tool to combat air pollution and climate change simultaneously

Hi Top Green Building Trends:

Green Building Market Outlook:

"Green building will continue to grow despite the global credit crisis and the economic recession affecting most countries."

"Green building will grow more than 60 percent in 2010, using new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System project registrations as a proxy"

“We've seen cumulative growth in new LEED projects over 60 percent per year since 2006 — in fact, 80 percent in 2009 — and there's no sign that the green wave has crested,” 

2) Green building will benefit from the Obama presidency and the strongly Democratic Congress, with a continued focus on green jobs gained by applying incentives for energy efficiency, new green technologies, and renewable energy.

3) The focus of the green-building industry will continue to shift from new buildings to existing ones.

“The fastest-growing LEED rating system in 2009 was the LEED for Existing Buildings program, and This is expected to continue in 2010,”

4) Awareness of the “coming global crisis” in fresh-water supply will increase, leading building designers and managers to take further steps to reduce water consumption in buildings with better-conserving fixtures, rainwater-recovery systems, and new water technologies.

5) The green-building movement will go global, as more countries create green-building incentives and develop green-building councils. More than 30 countries on all continents will show considerable green-building growth in 2010.

6) Solar-power use will accelerate, with the prospect of increased focus on state-level renewable-power standards for 2015 and 2020. Third-party financing will continue to grow, providing capital for large rooftop systems.

7) Local governments will step up mandates for green buildings for themselves and the private sector.

“We'll see at least 20 major new cities with commercial-sector green-building mandates,” & “The desire to reduce carbon emissions by going green will lead more government agencies to require green buildings.”

8) Zero-net-energy designs for new residential and commercial buildings will become increasingly widespread, as LEED and Energy Star ratings become too common to confer competitive advantage.

9) The retail sector will embrace green building, especially green operations.

“ This trend, ‘Shop green ‘til you drop, More retailers are becoming conscious of the need for both operational green measures and greening the supply chain.”

10) European green-building technologies will become better known and more widely adopted in the United States and Canada, which attributes in part to an increasing number of European architects and engineers who are opening offices in the United States.

A bonus trend for 2010, is campus sustainability plans and actions becoming the “defining trend in higher education, as more than 800 leading educational institutions race to embrace a thorough response to climate change.”

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