Doha: The Administrative and Financial Division at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI) has organised a lecture on social responsibility and sustainability in collaboration with the Seashore Group.
The lecture was presented by Lolwa Mohamed Ali, sustainability coordinator in the Seashore Group, and was moderated by Dr. Rania Mansour, assistant professor in the Social Work Program at DI.
Dr. Mansour introduced the lecture by emphasising that social responsibility is a commitment that affects every individual or institution, as it ensures a balance between the economy and the environmental systems and it contributes to addressing some issues affecting societies.
She added that the relationship of social responsibility with sustainability is strong, as it enhances the ability to preserve the quality of life that people live in the long run and guarantees it for future generations through the optimal and responsible use of the surrounding environmental resources.
Talking about the history of recycling, Lolwa said that it dates back thousands of years. And though it may seem like one of the modern concepts associated with the environmental movements in the seventies of the 20th century, it was actually used by some individuals somehow thousands of years ago, but it emerged in the thirties and forties of the 20th century as one of the important concepts that would help to achieve a sustainable future.
She talked about the concept of corporate social responsibility, which in its simplest sense, refers to a type of self-regulation for organisations with the aim of social accountability and making a positive impact on society. She added that organisations can implement social responsibility initiatives and programmes through several steps, the most important of which are: the use of clean technologies and means of production, promoting equality and diversity in the workplace, as well as respecting employees and others.
She explained the areas of recycling that the Seashore Group is interested in, including “battery recycling, medical and industrial waste recycling, used cooking oil recycling, metal recycling such as iron, copper and aluminium, plastic recycling and paper recycling”.
As for the Seashore Group’s initiatives, Lolwa said that a number of initiatives have been organised with a number of partner institutions such as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Ooredoo, Qatar Museums, among others.
