In October 2004, DDF launched the Dubai Duty Free Foundation, a charitable body founded under the auspices of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Duty Free, to organise its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and, most importantly, raise funds for worthy causes, specifically those aimed at benefiting children. The Foundation has since donated funds to several charities, both at home and abroad, and plays an active role in helping families and children in need.

The DDF Foundation made significant contributions to major charities, including the US$1.5 million donation to Smile Train in 2009, the world’s largest charity dedicated to repairing cleft lip and cleft palate deformities in children.  The donation will be used at two Smile Train partner centres in the Philippines:  the Maharlika Centre in Davao City and Philippine Band of Mercy in Manila.

As part of its CSR efforts, August 2011 saw the teaming up of DDF with Dubai Educational Zone (DEZ) as part of the HRH Princess Haya Initiative for the Development of Health, Physical Education and School Sports Programme (the HRH Initiative). DDF signed a two-year sponsorship agreement with DEZ to promote sports and physical fitness at a grassroots level.  

Other activities undertaken by Corporate Social Responsibility in 2012 include the US$500,000 donation by the Dubai Duty Free Foundation  to finance a new Sports Complex at the Lycee Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable School in the town of Saint Marc as part of its support for the Hand in Hand for Haiti.

In January, DDF’s Executive Vice Chairman, Colm McLoughlin visited Sri Lanka’s Travel Retail Village in Palliyawatta which was funded entirely by the duty free industry following the devastating tsunami which struck in December 2004. The Foundation also supports the Children of the Mountain Charity by funding the construction of washrooms at Shree Primary and High School and three classrooms at Maitum Primary School both in Nepal. 

DDF also became the first UAE company to support the South Aftican charity, the Walter Sisulu Pediatric Cardiac foundation.

To raise awareness and create environmental ambassadors within and outside Dubai Duty Free, the operation sponsored two Dubai Duty Free employees to join Robert Swan OBE and his “Antarctic 2041”team as part of an International Antarctica Expedition on 27^th February to 12^th March 2012.

As part of Dubai Duty Free’s ongoing Corporate Responsibility programme and as part of its support for the Dubai-based charity organization, Gulf for Good, the operation rallied behind three of its retail employees who participated in the Gulf For Good  “Great Asian Cycling Challenge”, that took place from 14^th - 23^rd February 2013 in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Health, Safety & Environment

Dubai Duty Free recognizes and is committed to reducing the Environmental impacts and health and safety risks associated with the storage and retailing of goods. It is the Company’s policy to operate an Integrated Management System in accordance with ISO 14001: 2004 and OHSAS 18001: 2007. The overall objective of our HSE policy is the provision of a safe and environmentally friendly operation for our employees, customers and neighbours.

The Company is committed to the concept of continual improvement and uses the Integrated Management System as an improvement tool. Environmental and safety issues are viewed as core business values.

Working Successfully towards OUR OBJECTIVES:

• Ensuring that risks are identified and controlled so that employees and others can be protected from danger.
• Ensuring that Environmental Impacts are minimized and controlled.
• Ensuring compliance with all relevant UAE Health, Safety and environmental legislation is achieved as a minimum.
• Ensuring that products and services provided meet and even exceed the expectations of our customers.

The Company will set and monitor specific improvement objectives to assist with the achievement of these overall objectives. All employees are required to understand, implement and maintain the ethos of the Company’s policy statement. Our policy statement will be reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that it is continuing to reflect the requirements of the Company. A copy of the HSE Policy is available at the Dubai Duty Free Office Building Reception and to anyone requesting a copy.