Sunset Hospitality Group (SHG), a leading global lifestyle hospitality operator, has officially received certification in ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) and ISO 26000 (Social Responsibility), marking a major milestone in its commitment to responsible and sustainable business practices.
This achievement reflects SHG’s structured approach to environmental management and social responsibility, and comes as the Group reports a 100% completion rate for its sustainability initiatives in September 2025, demonstrating measurable progress across key areas of its ESG roadmap.
Certified by Bureau Veritas, these ISO standards recognize SHG’s structured approach to managing environmental impacts and upholding social responsibility. ISO 14001 highlights SHG’s operational efficiency and commitment to reducing its environmental footprint.
This framework enables SHG to:
- Drive energy efficiency by monitoring and reducing consumption across venues.
- Implement structured waste management and segregation programs, ensuring resources are reused, recycled, or disposed of responsibly.
- Optimize water conservation and resource use through continuous tracking and innovative solutions. ● Reduce the Group’s overall ecological footprint, ensuring compliance with international standards and exceeding local regulatory expectations.
- Establish a culture of continuous improvement, where teams are empowered to measure, report, and improve their environmental performance year on year.
By achieving ISO 14001 certification, SHG demonstrates compliance with international environmental management standards while integrating sustainability into its operations.
In addition, SHG has received a verification statement of alignment with ISO 26000:2010 Social Responsibility guidance, an international framework that goes beyond compliance and encourages organizations to operate responsibly and transparently. This recognition reflects SHG’s structured efforts to:
- Uphold fair labor practices and safeguard employee well-being across its operations.
- Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring equal opportunities and fostering a respectful workplace culture.
- Strengthen ethical governance, embedding accountability and integrity into business decisionmaking. ● Engage with and give back to the communities in which SHG operates through partnerships, volunteering, and social impact initiatives.
- Integrate human rights considerations and responsible supply chain practices into daily operations.
The move integrates sustainable practices into daily operations and aligns with global ESG standards. It also supports SHG’s broader sustainability roadmap, which includes upcoming initiatives in biodiversity, circular economy practices, supplier standards, and ESG reporting.
“These certifications are a testament to our team’s dedication and our commitment to embedding sustainable thinking across all our operations. It’s a proud moment for SHG as we continue to build a culture of responsibility, accountability, and impact,” said Nigora Rapilbekova, Sustainability & Safety Director, SHG.
Key Achievements in 2025
- Compliance: Closed all four minor non-conformities raised during the ISO’s Stage 2 audit, with evidence-based corrective actions.
- Safety: Strengthened group-wide compliance with the UAE Fire & Life Safety Code and Dubai Municipality regulations by setting clear certification targets and ensuring consistent coverage across all outlets.
- Training: Delivered 100+ trainings year-to-date (+3,000 attendees; +300 hours), achieving 96% total workforce coverage across sustainability, HSE, and operational topics.
- Waste Management: Built the waste management system from inception to full-scale operation, including segregation setup, site audits, team training, and log-based waste tracking, achieving 100% rollout across all outlets.
- Partnerships & Initiatives: Formalized a strategic partnership with Emirates Nature–WWF the UAE’s leading environmental NGO, which acts as a local conservation think tank and volunteer platform to guide SHG’s biodiversity and environmental awareness programs. The collaboration promotes volunteer engagement and staff education, strengthening a culture of sustainability across all our venues. Year-todate, SHG has participated in eight volunteering and community initiatives, engaging 92 employees and contributing over 182 collective hours to environmental and social causes, reflecting the Group’s commitment to learning through action and awareness.
In parallel, SHG participated in Dubai Holding’s No Time To Waste initiative by RBT Collective, implemented at Nakheel Mall, further advancing the Group’s circular economy and community engagement goals. The program rescues surplus food from participating outlets and redistributes it through Terrazo Smart Fridges powered by Replate technology. Year-to-date, the program has rescued over 6,000 meals, saved more than 6 million litres of water, and diverted approximately 1.4 tonnes of CO₂ emissions from landfill. Together, these initiatives demonstrate SHG’s dual commitment to awareness and measurable impact, combining education, collaboration, and tangible sustainability outcomes.
Looking Ahead
Moving forward, the focus shifts toward strengthening the foundations built. Key priorities include the integration of the ESG digital platform to centralize data and reporting; scaling up partnerships and community programs to expand impact and engagement; and further enhancing Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) systems to reinforce operational excellence and compliance across all venues.
“Our sustainability initiatives are part of a long-term ESG strategy focused on strengthening how we measure performance, collaborate across teams, and continuously improve. Achieving ISO 14001 and ISO 26000 reinforces that approach. These frameworks help us stay accountable, reduce our impact, and embed ESG into the way we operate and grow as a company,” concluded Antonio Gonzalez, Chairman & Group CEO, SHG.