SABIC is a fairly young company, based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, commissioned only in 1976 by Royal decree. And yet, in this short time it seems to have grown at miraculous rates to become the third biggest chemical form globally. It currently operates in over 59 countries, boasts a 40 billion dollar revenue, holds 11000 patents and a global workforce of over 35.000 individuals. 

Exploring the SABIC headquarters, it is easy to be impressed by what you see at the surface. The high performance house, a state of the art house designed by SABIC and his participants, recently won the Platinum gold award for sustainability. It seeks to impress with very well thought and detailed sensor mechanisms as well as energy recovery mechanisms that enable the house to produce and cover its own energy consumption. However, this state-of-the art technology comes at an immensely high cost which isn’t affordable to private consumers. Localizing businesses will lead to more affordable technology in future. 

But the real impressiveness - the virtues of the company that truly stand out and have high importance in today’s climate - these come through when you gain an understanding of the company’s dedication and vision towards sustainability and circular economy.

SABIC are active in international dialogue on climate change and strive to embed sustainability into each step of their technological process, from generating ideas to commercialisation of their products. Last year, they signed up to the UK Plastics Pact, a world-first initiative seeking to transform the plastic packing system in the UK. The initiative aims to eliminate unnecessary single-use packaging through redesign, innovation and alternative delivery models, as well as committing to plastics that are solely reusable, recyclable or compostable.

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I’m Noman Chaudhry and I’m a PhD student at the University of Oxford, with a focus on biotechnology. The Gateway to KSA program has helped me to acquire a deeper understanding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its rich history and culture by visiting several hundred year old ruins and witnessing high performing technology and state of the art research. 

Having had the opportunity to talk to leaders but also common people at the same time I have been able to gain a balanced view which reflects common values and worries between the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the people “in the west” and dismisses a biased narrative against the Kingdom.