Care for the environment may now be at the top of the political agenda, but it is nothing new for SBIG. We have long believed - and acted - on the basis that sustainability, both environmental and social, is a business imperative.

With our pedigee in agriculture, we are committed to the belief that if we do business in a region, we give back to that region, and to the local environment.

All our business ventures are woven around the concept of sustainable development, and the pursuit of environmentally aware solutions.

The Shaheen Millennium Tower in Amman for example, will harness the power of the sun to energise the building's air conditioning system.

The entire Serrenia project on the shores of the Red Sea is designed to blend with the desert environment. The architecture, designed by Foster and Partners, is specifically crafted to reflect the way that wind and weather have over the years shaped the local countryside. Water conserving initiatives are a feature of the project, as is highly advanced glazing which works to capture the Sun's energy and further reduce environmental impact.

Another perfect example of this environmental commitment is Concept Foods, our commercial sweetener plant in Dubai, where we have developed a technology that turns the waste products of the fructose extraction process into animal fodder.

The result - an operation that can lay claim to being the "greenest" in the Arab world.

Sustainability goes further. Our commitment to the communities in which we operate is sacred. Our decision to site our automotive assembly plant in Ma'an, in the underdeveloped region of Southern Jordan, was driven by a desire to spearhead the regeneration of that area.

Providing 1,500 jobs, the plant also brings critically important training and education programmes, and has helped with the full-scale development of a new infrastructure to support this burgeoning industrial activity.

SBIG has also financed the expansion in Ma'an of the Al Hussein University, where we sponsor a number of educational prizes locally, testament to our belief that education holds the key to the region's future.