Across the Middle East, companies are increasingly embedding sustainability into day-to-day operations rather than treating it as a parallel agenda. Automated and AI-enabled systems are making energy use, water consumption and emissions easier to measure and manage. In the GCC, extreme heat and water scarcity make efficient cooling, water reuse and resilient food production immediate operational priorities.

Renewable energy capacity across Arab countries rose 28.9% year-on-year to 53.1 GW in 2025, led by Saudi Arabia, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The Kingdom’s renewable energy capacity surged by 86.8% year on year to 12,332 MW. By early 2026, Saudi Arabia had restored one million hectares of degraded land and planted more than 159 million trees, supported in part by water-harvesting efforts. The Kingdom aims to restore 2.5 million hectares and plant 215 million trees by 2030. Meanwhile, the UAE’s Energy Strategy 2050 aims to triple renewable energy’s contribution and invest $40.8 billion to $54.5 billion in the energy sector by 2030. The country has since raised its clean-energy target, covering renewables and nuclear power, to 35% by 2031.

Across the region, sustainability is increasingly translating into action and investment. In 2025, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) mobilized $31.1 billion in sustainable and transition finance, reaching 76% of its $136 billion target. Masdar’s operating projects generated 40.2 TWh of clean electricity that year, up 38% year on year, and in July 2026, it reached financial close on a $6.1 billion project combining 5.2 GW of solar capacity with 19 GWh of battery storage. By June 2026, Saudi Energy had connected approximately 17.8 GW of renewable capacity to the national grid and energized 18 GWh of battery storage. In manufacturing, Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) inaugurated the UAE’s largest aluminium recycling plant in 2026, lifting its total recycling capacity above 400,000 tonnes annually.

This year’s Sustainability Leaders list highlights executives driving sustainability and impact in the region’s largest companies, with 145 entries spanning 17 categories: banks, development funds, energy and utilities, family business, financial services, food and agriculture, free zones, healthcare, investments and holding companies, manufacturing and industrials, oil and gas, real estate, renewable energy, technology and telecom, transport and logistics, travel and tourism, and waste management.

The UAE is home to 75 entries, followed by Saudi Arabia with 29, and Qatar and Egypt with 14 each. The list features CEOs, chairpersons, and chief sustainability officers.