Riyadh: The National Center for Environmental Compliance: The National Center for Environmental Compliance (NCEC) has announced the first outcomes of its freelance licensing initiative, with 99 Saudi men and women now providing environmental consulting services to more than 60 low-impact facilities, less than six months after the launch of the Athr platform for freelance environmental compliance professionals.

According to Saudi Press Agency, NCEC spokesperson Saad Al-Mutrafi said that enabling individuals to work independently in the environmental compliance sector forms part of the center's strategic efforts to simplify compliance procedures and reduce costs for small businesses.

He explained that, in response to the growing demand for environmental services, the center has qualified 99 national professionals to prepare Environmental Management Plans (EMPs) through its professional accreditation initiative, which aims to regulate the sector under an approved framework while enhancing market efficiency and strengthening environmental compliance.

Al-Mutrafi noted that licensed individuals can now provide services to more than 60 construction projects and operating facilities across a range of economic activities, including waste collection services, residential developments, automotive workshops, veterinary clinics, animal shelters, and truck parking facilities.

He added that licensed freelancers are able to offer environmental services to low-impact facilities at competitive rates compared with environmental consulting firms, which typically focus on serving medium- and large-scale projects.

According to Al-Mutrafi, opening the environmental services market to qualified individuals is intended to create employment opportunities for Saudi while increasing compliance rates among low-impact facilities. The initiative provides an official, cost-effective channel through which businesses can prepare Environmental Management Plans, helping improve adherence to environmental standards and reduce potential environmental impacts.

Al-Mutrafi further stated that more than 60,000 environmentally licensed facilities are required to submit periodic reports, conduct environmental impact assessments, prepare corrective action plans, and fulfill other environmental obligations.

He explained that facilities are classified according to the environmental impact of their activities as high, medium, or low impact. He also noted that 760 licensed environmental consulting firms currently operate in the Kingdom, providing services to regulated facilities and creating promising opportunities for qualified individuals to enter and benefit from the sector.