Sustainability in the Arab World: The Aramex Way

In 1982, Fadi Ghandour founded Aramex, a leading provider of logistics and transportation solutions with headquarters in Amman, Jordan. From its early inception, Ghandour strategically included principles and practices of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability in the company’s culture in order to align business interests and competence with stakeholders’ needs. The community and environment were regarded as key stakeholders driving Aramex to act as a responsible citizen. Since its inception, Aramex had been involved in sustainability activities grouped into six primary areas: education and youth empowerment; community development; entrepreneurship; sports; environment; and emergency relief. Committed to growth and opening new offices globally, Aramex faced the challenge of preserving CSR as an integral part of its expansion strategy. In late January 2011, Ghandour and Hattar began brainstorming ways to address the need to harmonize CSR and sustainability values and practices across operations and ensure that sustainability principles were firmly institutionalized across branches and subsidiaries.

The case provides insight into:<ul><li>How CSR and sustainability initiatives can be aligned with business interests such as profitability, and why CSR and sustainability must be strategically aligned with the needs and interests of business that go beyond simple philanthropy to yield the greatest impact.</li><li>The role of strategic CSR initiatives in implementing and running community development programs including empowering youth, promoting entrepreneurship, and lowering unemployment levels.</li><li> The important role of top executive and managerial leadership in promulgating a culture of CSR and sustainability.</li><li>The evolution of CSR and sustainability in a Middle Eastern context from theory to practice, and the tools used to internally promote CSR and sustainability.</li><li>The need for reporting on sustainability to measure impacts and encourage best practices, and the importance of harmonizing and spreading CSR principles and practices between headquarters and subsidiaries. </ul></li>

• Business and Society
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Logistics and Transportation
• Jordan, Middle East