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Barcelona International Convention Centre boosts its sustainability actions in 2016

The venue is in the process of implementing ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management and ISO 22000 Food Safety Management certifications, while also energy use is down 9.13% per delegate and a new environmental assessment protocol has been put in place for suppliers.

Barcelona – With the number of visitors up 12.14% and business volume up 19.5%, in 2016 the Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB) not only continued with its policies to reduce the centre’s environmental impact and shore up sustainable, positive value created for its immediate surroundings but also improved on some of the most important indicators. This can be seen clearly in the centre’s sixth CSR report, presented today in Barcelona.
 
The venue is aware of the environmental impact of its activities (use of power and materials, waste generated and movement of people) and is therefore in the process of obtaining ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management and ISO 22000 Food Safety Management certifications in 2017. These new certifications are on top of the ISO 14001 Environmental Management and EMAS (EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) certifications it already has.
 
Among other things, last year the positive evolution of economic (local impact), environmental (recycling, power use, emissions) and social (equality, quality employment) indicators was particularly important.
 
According to Marc Rodriguez, general director of the CCIB, “we continue to uphold our firm commitment to creating employment and generating wealth in the most immediate surrounding area, with a social conscience and without holding back in our efforts to take on new challenges in order to keep making progress and consolidating our position as a fully sustainable convention centre”.
 
Noteworthy indicators from the CCIB environmental policy include the increase in percentage of waste recycled (47%) and the decrease in paper (-8.5%) and power (-9.13%) used per attendee. The environmental and industrial safety assessment of suppliers is also significant: the 12 largest suppliers with the highest turnover have CSR policies and certifications in line with the CCIB philosophy. Plus, clients are given the option to offset the carbon footprint of their event, a practice the centre applies to all of its activities. So, in 2016 an estimated 175 tonnes of CO2 were offset, with funds going to a project to generate wind energy and one that uses renewable biomass instead of native wood as fuel.
 
From a socio-economic standpoint, the venue’s impact on its local environment includes creating new jobs directly (+11%) and indirectly (150), hiring local suppliers (94%) and an economic impact on the city of €388.77 million (calculated from the average spending per attendee established by the Barcelona Convention Bureau). This is up 24% from 2015. Belonging to the Barcelona Forum District, of which the CCIB has been a founding member since 2011, has been a platform to boost collaboration with other organisations to promote culture and education, as well as preventing social exclusion.

 

News Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | + Posts

Angelos is the news editor for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). His role includes to monitor the hundrends of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skim the most important according to our strategy.

He currently studies Communication, Media & Culture in Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens.

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