English Abstract
Abstract:
The adoption of the 2030 Agenda aims to strengthen and harmonize global efforts towards
conserving the environment in balance with economic and societal needs. This Agenda
affirmed that, the private sector - the industrial sector is the largest part - is a key
stakeholder in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) because this sector is
the driver of the economy, and it has direct and indirect impacts on the environment. This
study aims to assess the extent of contribution of Bahrain's large industrial sector and its
role in achieving the SDGs. To achieve this goal, the latest findings of a wide range of
current literature were investigated and analyzed in depth to identify the main issues that
should be considered toward attaining the SDGs. Moreover, Bahrain's environmental legal
tools were reviewed to evaluate their consistency with the SDGs, the study confirmed that
recognition of the challenges highlighted in 2030 Agenda and developing a holistic
implementation approach would lead to successful inclusions of SDGs within the current
environmental legislation. Additionally, the corporative sustainability reports published by
companies in Bahrain were analyzed using materiality matrices to identify and prioritize
the most significant issues to be improved in future reporting and in the environmental
performance. Out of 30 annual and sustainability reports, 15 were sustainability reports; 3
were focused on their environmental efforts in Bahrain. A content analysis method was
used to analyze 11 reports for 3 companies published during 2016-2020. The results
revealed that the companies which have used materiality analysis in their reporting have
better capability in monitoring and measuring their environmental performance and thus
implementing SDGs. The analysis of the reports also revealed the focus on sustainability-
related aspects and the commitments of stakeholder's engagement.
A structural interview and questionnaire were conducted to identify the status of the
industrial sector in implementation the SDGs. The results showed that the industrial sector
has several initiatives, sustainable future projects, and sustainable practices, which are the
basis for sustainability governance, so there is a need to orient these efforts in the context
of SDGs and integrate them into their business plans and strategies. Furthermore, the
results indicated that the high priority ranked SDGs for the industrial sector were 12,13,9,7
and 8, and Bahrain faces major challenges in achieving SDGs 9,11,12, 13, 14, and 15. The
study concluded with several recommendations for both industrial companies and the
govemment to improve the implementation of SDGs.
