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Chambre de Commerce
Expo Dubai 2020
Building on its federating motto ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, the Universal Exposition in Dubai was launched in October 2021 and will run until March 2022.Along with it, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce has launched an extensive trade programme including five sectoral trade missions (ICT, space, sustainability, healthtech, food & beverage), one multisectoral B2B matchmaking mission, as well as a dedicated ‘Made in Luxembourg’ week.
In this context, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce had the honour this week to lead a multi-sector delegation to Dubai around the theme of sustainability. The delegation was composed of 36 company representatives, mostly linked to the sectors of construction, consulting, and water treatment, all working towards more sustainability in their respective business models and representing companies such as Alphage, Campus Contern, CoCo World, Drees & Sommer, H2O Vortex, Luxfactory, Maana Electric, Minusines, Motor International Development, Neobuild, Openfield, Paul Wurth, Société Générale Luxembourg, The Loupe and VoltUp.
The mission was organised in close collaboration with the Ministry of the Economy, Luxinnovation, and the Luxembourg Trade and Invest Office in Abu Dhabi. These entities were supported by other partners, such as the Conseil pour le Développement Economique de la Construction (CDEC), and Neobuild, to facilitate contacts on site.
The mission’s programme kicked off with a themed visit of Expo 2020. On the first day, the delegation took part in a ‘Sustainability Walk’ through various national pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai, including Luxembourg, Peru, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany, Spain and Austria. The tour concluded with a visit of the Sustainability Pavilion, coordinated by the host country, the UAE.
As is the tradition, the Chamber of Commerce, the Embassy of Luxembourg in the UAE, and the Luxembourg Trade & Investment Office in Abu Dhabi also organised an official reception to which all delegates were invited, together with their local partners and clients. The reception hosted over 70 participants and allowed for quality networking.
On the last day of the mission, the delegation was received on the premises of BESIX 3D: An innovative division within Belgian BESIX Group that specialises in 3D concrete printing. Their fully integrated concrete solutions are designed to fit the needs of major construction and infrastructure projects all over the world. Compared to traditional construction methods, printing concrete in 3D guarantees a shorter construction time, a safer working environment, more freedom in terms of shape, zero waste and a significantly reduced CO2 footprint.
As a conclusion, the Chamber of Commerce organised a seminar on the circular economy, with a special focus on Luxembourg’s transition towards a circular economy. Marc Wagener, COO of the Chamber of Commerce, gave the Chamber’s analysis on the state of play of the circular economy within Luxembourg-based companies, as well as the vision and strategy of the country overall in this context.
In 2021, 10 guiding and unifying sustainability principles – the Sustainable Business Principles – were published by the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce. Based on the voices and convictions of companies, they were established by and for the Luxembourg business community. These 10 interconnected principles were introduced during the seminar by Mr Geoffroy Bazin, former elected member of the Chamber of Commerce’s Plenary Assembly and previous CEO of BGL BNP Paribas, who was instrumental in defining those principles by heading a dedicated working group on sustainability set up by the Plenary Assembly.
Mr Maximilien Ast, Associate Partner of Drees & Sommer, Luxembourg’s future-oriented real estate project management experts, gave an overview of the current and future trends in sustainable construction and introduced some of the company’s most recent projects in Luxembourg and abroad, all centred around circular models.
Mr Alain Mestat, Strategic Advisor and Board Member of H2O Vortex, introduced his company’s biomimetic water treatment solutions for industrial applications. These solutions meet both the environmental and financial challenges faced by industries in the management of water-consuming installations.
After this productive week in Dubai, the delegation headed back to the Grand Duchy, concluding the third of six events the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce is organising during Expo 2020 Dubai. Next missions on the programme: healthtech, matchmaking days, and food & beverage. Feel free to join us!
For further information, contact:
T. : +352 42 39 39 379
E. : dubai2020@cc.lu
