ID: 1849
Presenting Author: Yasser Almutairi
Session: 678 - Advancing government approaches to effective science communication in Impact Assessment
Status: pending
Red Sea Global advances environmental compliance in KSA through ESIAs, sustainable procurement, and stakeholder engagement, aligning local supply chains with international best practice.
As sustainability becomes central to decision-making, gaps persist between developed and developing economies in adopting global environmental standards. Many Global South nations operate under a “base-economy” model marked by limited compliance, weak enforcement, and cost-driven procurement. Meanwhile, OECD countries and international financiers advance stricter safeguards, creating challenges for developers in price-sensitive markets and facing resistance from local supply chains.
This paper draws on a case study of Red Sea Global in KSA to show how international benchmarks influence ESIAs and extend into procurement, contracting, construction compliance, operations, and regulatory engagement.
RSG’s approach demonstrates that adopting global standards requires more than internal governance. It demands clear communication of scientific expectations through ESIA, early alignment across project phases, and collaborative capacity-building with local providers and regulators. By integrating phased contractual obligations and using ESIAs as tools for education and engagement, RSG has guided its supply chain and regulatory counterparts beyond base-economy toward globally aligned standards.
This case illustrates that developers can elevate environmental performance in developing contexts by embedding expectations into assessments and contracts, aligning messaging with regulatory realities, and fostering shared ownership. The resulting model offers a practical roadmap for transforming sector practices through strategic communication—raising standards without raising resistance.
Yasser Almutairi leads ESIA and engagement at Red Sea Global, aligning global standards with local realities to elevate sustainability in developing contexts.
Coauthor 1: Syed Hassan
Coauthor 2: Masah Bujlea
Coauthor 3: Bandar Makhdom
Coauthor 4: Ibrahim Alzahrani