ON THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF ATLANTIS ATLAS PROJECT, ATLANTIS DUBAI ANNOUNCES ITS COMMITMENT TO 100% SEAFOOD TRACEABILITY
Atlantis Dubai continues to introduce sustainability initiatives as part of the destination’s commitment to caring for both people and the planet as a responsible global tourism leader.
On Saturday 8th June, World Oceans Day marks the third anniversary of Atlantis Dubai’s pioneering sustainability initiative, Atlantis Atlas Project. As part of celebrating all the milestones achieved, the destination is proud to announce a partnership with UAE-based Seafood Souq that commenced last year. The organisation focuses on establishing transparency in the seafood supply chain – the first of its kind in the region – by tracking every stage from sea to serving. This tracking offers deeper insights into where and how each seafood item is sourced across all restaurants at Atlantis Dubai, ensuring all global and local suppliers provide adequate information.
Seafood Souq was one of the 2022-23 awardees of the Atlantis Atlas Project 1 USD contribution programme, which strategically selects initiatives that support conservation and sustainability. For every marine animal experience participated in by a guest, Atlantis Dubai contributes $1 USD into local and international conservation and sustainability projects every year; the 1 USD contribution programme has raised over a quarter of a million dollars to date. Seafood Souq used the awarded funds to develop its SFS Trace* technology in partnership with Atlantis Dubai, resulting in a digital impact dashboard that captures traceability data and insights across all seafood procurement for the destination.
Seafood Souq’s Trace technology and impact dashboard was implemented at Atlantis Dubai in August 2023, with an audit taking place every quarter to ensure that all suppliers are onboarded and provide the required data into the platform. The audits provide an in-depth review of the destination’s procurement impact, empowering management with information to drive and achieve positive change. In December 2023, 68.7% of total seafood items across Atlantis, The Palm and Atlantis The Royal were traceable, reaching 90% by March 2024. The goal is to achieve 100% application of traceability technology across all seafood products served within the destination, which Atlantis Dubai aims to achieve by December 2024, ensuring that all suppliers disclose information and obtain adequate documentation.
Visibility is just the first step for Atlantis Dubai to continue making environmentally impactful decisions in the future. In the short term, this means the destination can choose to work with more responsible suppliers, and in the long term, guests will be able to discover a seafood’s traceability score by scanning a QR code in each restaurant.
Fahim Al Qasimi, Co-Founder and Executive Chairperson, Seafood Souq, commented: “We are proud to partner with Atlantis on this pioneering initiative, a first for the region. Traceability of seafood supply chains is crucial for food safety and ocean protection. Atlantis and Seafood Souq share common values in sustainability, in line with Dubai’s sustainable tourism targets and the UAE’s commitments to the global community. As a UAE technology company, we are excited to bring our innovation from the region to the world.”
The implementation of Seafood Souq’s Trace technology is just one of the many examples driven by Atlantis Atlas Project. Over the past 12 months, ongoing green projects and newly introduced initiatives continued to result in significant change and help support Atlantis Dubai’s commitment. Some of the key achievements during the last year include:
- Solar panels installed in 2023 have resulted in 767 tonnes of CO2 savings, which is equivalent to the carbon sequestration of 15,435 trees.
- The Winnow food waste technology installed at all buffet restaurants has reduced an estimated 40% of edible food waste.
- Recycling bins were placed in all 1,544 rooms and suites at Atlantis, The Palm to further segregate waste at source.
- Atlantis, The Palm replaced single use plastic amenities with refillable pump bottles in guest rooms, annually diverting 3 million plastic tubes from landfills.
- The destination has eliminated over 2.6 million single-use plastic water bottles, replacing them with glass refillable bottles.
- Five new school programmes were introduced at The Lost Chambers Aquarium to increase education opportunities, exceeding 2022 attendance by 253% in 2023.
- Atlantis Dubai became the first Resort Destination in the Eastern Hemisphere to earn the IBCCES Certified Autism Center™ Designation, prioritising guest experience and enhancing accessibility for autistic and sensory-sensitive guests.
- A soap recycling programme launched through UNISOAP UAE has collected 70.7kg of discarded soap across both properties.
Kelly Timmins, Director of Marine Animal Operations and Sustainability, Atlantis Dubai, commented: “At Atlantis Dubai, as we are home to 65,000 marine animals, one of our key sustainability pillars focuses on marine conservation. Through the collaborative efforts of our Procurement and Culinary teams, together with Seafood Souq, we are proud to have developed this innovative SFS Trace system. This is the first step in our sustainable seafood journey, which now enables us to make more responsible choices. We look forward to continually improving as part of our commitment to do business in ways that are good for both people and the planet.”
To celebrate the three-year achievements of Atlantis Atlas Project, for every marine animal experience participated in by a guest on World Oceans Day, Saturday 8th June, as well as Sunday 9th June, Atlantis Dubai will double its $1 USD contribution on the day to support future projects that make measured impacts on conservation, education and society.
To learn more about Atlantis Atlas Project and get involved with its upcoming initiatives, please visit: www.atlantis.com/
*Trace percentages per each seafood product are calculated in line with the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (a standardised global framework for seafood traceability). When suppliers are onboarded on to the SFS Trace platform, catch data is collected, audited, and documentation verified based on Key Data Elements (KDEs), equating up to 100% traceability. KDEs for wild-caught stocks include date of capture, type of fishing gear used, registration of fishing vessels and product origin. KDEs for farmed seafood include species, feed manufacturer, source of broodstock, and human welfare policies and standards. Traceability scores aligned with the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability are assigned to each seafood item, taking the KDEs into account.
