The Art of Air

Tuna Gulenc, vice president at Daikin Middle East and Africa, shares his vision behind the newly launched campaign

What were the main objectives behind the launch of the "Art of Air" campaign?

Daikin has strived with a strong passion to develop solutions to enhance the air that surrounds us for 99 years. Our company has a strong relationship with air as our core business revolves around the management and conditioning of air. We design, manufacture, and distribute a wide range of products and solutions that focus on providing comfortable and healthy indoor air environments. We emphasise energy efficiency, incorporating advanced technologies to minimise energy consumption and reduce environmental impact. Our products often utilize innovative features such as inverter technology, advanced filtration systems, and smart controls to enhance performance and efficiency.

When it comes to being healthy, people tend to change their lifestyle, eat healthy, and activate a fitness routine as part of their everyday life. However, people often don't realize, nor give importance to the air they breathe indoors. Good air quality is important for overall health.

To raise awareness among the target audience about the importance of the air that surrounds us, we launched The Art of Air campaign. Through engaging and informative content, the campaign highlights the significance of clean and healthy air for a better living environment.

The recent research, Art of Air, conducted with the general consumers was to study their perception and awareness of the importance of Indoor Air Quality - enabling residents to take action to improve their quality of life. The Art of Air survey proved that residents are aware of the role their air conditioning system plays. Almost 93 per cent agreed that regular inspection and upgrading of air conditioning systems will help improve Indoor Air Quality. The Art of Air survey by Daikin reminds us of the impact that Indoor Air Quality has on our holistic health and well-being.

The campaign aims to establish a strong connection between the brand, Daikin, and the concept of air. By emphasising Daikin as the leading air specialist, the campaign showcases our leadership in providing innovative solutions for air quality and comfort.

Daikin is known for its commitment to sustainability. How does the "Art of Air" campaign align with Daikin's sustainability goals and initiatives?

Daikin is all about the Air. Our vision is to develop air conditioning systems, globally, that are energy efficient, provide comfort and enrich lives, and improve Indoor Air Quality while minimizing the impact on the environment. Daikin's commitment to sustainability and creating a sustainable society is reflected within The Art of Air campaign. Daikin's mission is to provide its customers with technological innovation that will help improve living and working conditions, health and comfort while taking the lead on limiting and reducing the impact on energy consumption. Daikin's efforts to increase energy efficiency, and manufacture high-quality durable, and reliable products such as their inverter air conditioners are in their DNA. In addition, Daikin also uses lower global warming refrigerants to reduce environmental and climate impacts, such as R32. Daikin aims to make all aspects of its business carbon neutral by 2050 through its net-zero strategy.

Daikin's Fusion 25 management strategy focuses on implementing solutions that provide new value for the environment and air while contributing to sustainable growth.

How does Daikin prioritise innovation and technology advancements to stay ahead of market trends and meet evolving customer needs?

As the leading global manufacturer of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC-R) solutions, Daikin has a strong focus on innovation and technology advancements to stay ahead of market trends and meet evolving customer needs. To further accelerate our global business expansion and sustain development in the future as a manufacturer, it was important that we invested heavily in R&D and opened the Technology and Innovation Center (TIC) in Japan, along with our regional R&D centres. The centre aims to create new value based on the world's best technologies and highly differentiated products.

For this reason, people of diverse backgrounds gather across national borders from inside and outside the company to consolidate their strengths and passion for making TIC a venue for the challenge of realizing collaborative innovation.

How do Daikin's cutting-edge technologies uniquely contribute to improving indoor air quality and setting the company apart from competitors?

The air we breathe determines the quality of life we can lead. Indoor air temperature and humidity have a strong effect on our comfort, sleep, and health at home. Apart from the impact the quality of air has on our health, investing in sustainable air conditioning systems is key. Air conditioning accounts for as much as 70 per cent of UAE electricity consumption. Overall, well-designed, and high-quality air-conditioning systems and air purification are vital to our health as much as a healthy diet. With a strong commitment to creating healthier living environments, we are at the forefront of innovation, providing advanced systems that optimize air conditioning, heating, ventilation, climate control, and air purification.

Could you elaborate on Daikin's net-zero strategy and how the company plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 across all aspects of its business?

In line with the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015, we have formulated Environmental Vision 2050, with a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. We have established a reduction target for 2030 and incorporated this into our efforts under the Fusion 25 Strategic Management Plan.

We aim to minimise greenhouse gas emissions across the entire life cycle of our products. Additionally, we are dedicated to fostering collaborations with stakeholders to achieve net-zero emissions, while simultaneously developing solutions that connect society and customers.

By leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and fostering open innovation, we will address the world's air solution requirements while actively contributing to the resolution of global environmental challenges.