Atlantis Dubai: Leading the way in responsible luxury through the Atlantis Atlas Project
As global expectations for responsible tourism continue to rise, Atlantis Dubai is redefining what sustainability looks like in the luxury hospitality sector. Through its ambitious Atlantis Atlas Project, the destination has embedded sustainability into every layer of its operations — from food sourcing and waste reduction to marine conservation and community outreach. Here's how Atlantis Dubai is setting new benchmarks for ethical, environmentally conscious hospitality in 2025.
Local & Responsible Sourcing
A key pillar of Atlantis Dubai’s sustainability efforts is ethical and local sourcing. In 2024, 38.9% of all perishable items were sourced locally within the UAE — representing 26.7% of the total volume. These include leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, wild-caught and farmed seafood, and more. The resort continues to work closely with local suppliers who share its vision of improving regional food security.
In addition:
53% of tea, coffee, and sugar used at Atlantis Dubai are Fairtrade or equivalent certified, reflecting a deep commitment to socially responsible sourcing.
The resort has achieved 100% traceability of all contracted seafood — including feed for more than 65,000 marine animals — using Seafood Souq’s SFS Trace technology. This digital platform allows chefs to trace the exact origin and supply chain of each seafood item, enabling more informed and responsible decisions.
Guests can enjoy menus rich in local, organic, and sustainably certified ingredients, including local burrata, shiitake mushrooms, and salmon carpaccio, across celebrated restaurants like Studio Frantzén, Bread Street Kitchen, Hakkasan, Nobu, Seafire Steakhouse, and La Mar.
Food Waste Reduction
In an industry where food waste is often inevitable, Atlantis Dubai has taken measurable steps to reduce it. Between 2022 and 2023, the implementation of Winnow food waste technology across three buffet venues and one staff restaurant led to an average 53.4% reduction in edible food waste compared to pre-implementation levels.
Community Engagement & Giving Back
Atlantis Dubai’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond its own properties to support vulnerable communities and animal welfare:
In 2024, through its long-standing food distribution programme and partnership with the Tarahum Charity Foundation, the resort provided 10,523 meals to those in need.
Additionally, 1,869 kg of food and surplus linens were donated to the Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain.
Eliminating Single-Use Plastics
A major environmental milestone was reached in December 2024, when Atlantis Dubai eliminated single-use plastic water bottles across its entire destination. Through a multi-phase initiative including:
An in-house water filtration and bottling plant,
Installation of 18 filtered water dispensers across pool, beach, and Aquaventure areas, and
The provision of reusable water bottles for more than 6,000 guests and colleagues,
Atlantis Dubai has helped avoid the use of over 8.2 million 500ml plastic bottles since June 2022 — including 1.6 million bottles in 2024 alone.
Energy & Emissions
Sustainability at Atlantis extends to energy management. Since the installation of solar panels in December 2022, the resort has avoided the equivalent of 1,978 tonnes of CO₂ emissions — the same carbon offset as planting over 40,000 trees.
Waste Innovation & Recycling
Innovative recycling partnerships are also a core focus:
Through Goumbook’s "Save The Butts" campaign, over 5.6 million cigarette butts have been collected from the resort and recycled into eco-friendly construction materials.
In partnership with UNISOAP UAE and Goumbook, discarded soap from guest rooms is being repurposed into new bars for distribution to underprivileged communities across the UAE. Since October 2023, over 730 kg of soap has been recycled.
Marine Conservation
As part of its mission to protect the oceans, Atlantis Dubai continues to actively support marine biodiversity. In the last 12 months alone, the resort has released three Honeycomb Stingrays and 20 Arabian Carpet Sharks into the Arabian Gulf. Since 2019, this brings the total to 58 sharks and 10 rays reintroduced into the wild.
Global Recognition
Atlantis Dubai’s sustainability achievements have not gone unnoticed:
In 2025, Atlantis, The Palm and Aquaventure World retained EarthCheck Gold Certification for the second year running.
Atlantis The Royal maintained EarthCheck Silver Certification in its second year of participation.
EarthCheck is the world’s leading scientific benchmarking and certification program for travel and tourism, and these accolades reflect Atlantis Dubai’s commitment to continuous environmental improvement and global best practices.
Setting the Standard for Sustainable Luxury
With its bold initiatives and measurable results, Atlantis Dubai is not only transforming what it means to operate responsibly in luxury hospitality — it’s inspiring the industry as a whole. Through the Atlantis Atlas Project, the destination is proving that luxury and sustainability can, and must, go hand in hand in the future of global travel.
