The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre’s international environmental leadership has been confirmed, with its accreditation as a Green Globe Benchmarked Convention Centre. The Centre is one of…
The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre’s international environmental leadership has been confirmed, with its accreditation as a Green Globe Benchmarked Convention Centre. The Centre is one of only two convention centres in the world to achieve the ranking, with Kuala Lumper Convention Centre being awarded the Green Globe accreditation at the same time.
Centre Chief Executive Ton van Amerongen said the benchmark accreditation reflected the Centre’s commitment to the environment and the achievements of its environmental program, Ecowise, designed to reduce the Centre’s waste and cut its energy usage.
Green Globe is the global benchmarking, certification and improvement system for sustainable travel and tourism, established by the World Travel and Tourism Council in 1993. Its rigorous benchmarking program ranks businesses across a range of areas including energy and water consumption, use of paper and chemical products, waste sent to landfill, waste recycling and sustainability policies.
In its assessment report for the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Green Globe said the Centre had achieved above the baseline level across 10 key areas. Furthermore, in six areas – water saving, waste sent to landfill, waste recycling, paper products, cleaning products and pesticide products – the Centre was above the best practice level, which Green Globe noted as “an achievement to be very highly commended”.
Green Globe Asia Pacific Marketing Executive Jason Keating described the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre as a prime example of being committed to environmentally sustainable tourism.
“They have demonstrated through a variety of initiatives that the business and its employees can make a difference by reducing their environmental impact. The commitment they have shown by participating in the Green Globe program and their achievements set an example for other businesses to follow.”
Mr van Amerongen said the venue was extremely proud to receive Green Globe benchmark status. “The Green Globe benchmark accreditation is further testimony to the direction we have taken, and will continue to take, in the interests of the environment.”
Mr van Amerongen said the achievements recognised by the accreditation had been set in place by the Centre’s Ecowise committee, which worked closely within the venue and with its customers to reduce waste from conventions and exhibitions and save energy.
In the past four years, the Centre has increased the amount it recycles from 10 per cent to 76 per cent.
Vast improvements in recycling and waste reduction have been achieved through the formation and implementation of the WRAPP policy: Waste Reduction and Purchasing Policy and through streamlining waste management at the Centre. Initiatives have included the introduction of coloured bins throughout the venue to clearly separate recyclable goods, educating employees and clients on recycling waste, and a policy encouraging suppliers to provide goods in recyclable packaging.
Other moves have included the introduction of new energy-saving foyer lighting and intelligent control system in the Convention Centre, to reduce electricity usage, as well as the installation of water meters to monitor and control water usage, and touch-sensor taps and waterless urinals in Centre restrooms.
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