Jotun Paints and the Emirates Green Building Council (Emirates GBC), an organization aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices in the UAE, jointly hosted a networking event on ‘Paints and Building Sustainibility’ on September 27, 2011, at the Novotel Hotel, Dubai. Jotun Paints is a key corporate member of Emirates GBC, and this joint initiative was part of the paint company’s continued call to the Middle East region’s construction segment to adopt more ‘green’ building policies. The networking event included the participation of key stakeholders in the construction industry such as consultants, developers, architects, interior designers and contractors.

The event featured a special panel discussion with resource speakers and senior officials from the Emirates GBC and Jotun including: Bent Haflan, group vice president R&D, decorative, Jotun A/S; Malek El Husseini, business development director, GE Healthcare; Tyrone Lawson, sustainability technical director, WSP Group; and Samuel Keehn, environmental and sustainability manager, EMS. At the event, Haflan made a presentation on ‘Paints contribution to Sustainability’, and Jotun’s latest line of eco-friendly paints, Jotashield Extreme. The new product line addresses the growing need for heat reflective and eco-friendly paints in the Middle East region. The panel discussions touched on the following topics: Is being green a trend or a response to a true awakening in the Middle East; are the terms green building and green construction misused; the growing concern towards Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect; and the challenges of building sustainability in the Middle East.