cop11 conference on biodiversity sustainability report

EVENT SUSTAINABILITY REPORT

Sustainable Event Assessment – CoP11 to CBD Page 1

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 4

Event Background ......................................................................................................................... 4

Organisation .................................................................................................................................. 8

Sustainability Approach .................................................................................................................... 10

Commitment to Sustainability ......................................................................................................... 10

Sustainability Issues ..................................................................................................................... 10

Sustainability Objectives ............................................................................................................... 11

Sustainable Event Management Activities ............................................................................................ 11

Event Impacts ............................................................................................................................... 12

Sustainability Performance ............................................................................................................... 15

Event Footprint .......................................................................................................................... 15

Event Audit System ...................................................................................................................... 16

Sustainable Event Management Process Performance .............................................................................. 16

Audited Event Sustainability Benchmarking Using MeetGreenTM Calculator .................................................... 18

Waste Generation Breakdown.......................................................................................................... 19

Strengths and Weaknesses ................................................................................................................ 21

Strengths, Opportunities and Innovations .............................................................................................. 24


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Catering Responsibility .................................................................................................................. 24

Responsible Procurement ............................................................................................................... 25

Managing Exhibitions .................................................................................................................... 28

Stimulating Social and Sustainable Experience – The Biodiversity Haat ......................................................... 29

Community Outreach Donation ........................................................................................................ 32

Leaving a Positive Legacy in Andhra Pradesh ........................................................................................ 34

Waste Management Approach ............................................................................................................ 36

Summary of Waste Diversion and Recycling ......................................................................................... 38

Increasing Sustainability Performance .................................................................................................. 39

1. Build Engagement Early ............................................................................................................ 39

2. Carbon Responsibility............................................................................................................... 39

3. Scale up Social....................................................................................................................... 40

4. Structuring Sustainability .......................................................................................................... 40

5. Take Bold Steps ..................................................................................................................... 40

6. Amplify Communication ............................................................................................................ 41

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 42

Credits ....................................................................................................................................... 43

Authors and Contributors ............................................................................................................... 43


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About MCI Sustainability Services ..................................................................................................... 44

Contact .................................................................................................................................... 44

Photo Credits ............................................................................................................................. 44


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INTRODUCTION

The principles of the United Nations, the Ministry of the Environment and Forests India and the ethos of the XI Conference

of Parties (CoP) Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) command that a responsible approach be taken to organising a

large event such as COP11, the leading global gathering of policy makers and stakeholders in the planet’s biodiversity.

Working collaboratively all bodies were committed to promoting environmental, fiscal and social responsibility and event

partner MCI was committed to leading by example and demonstrating ethical and sustainable operating practices. As a

result, the organisers aimed to minimize the environmental impacts of the COP 11 Convention on Biological Diversity by

organising as responsible and sustainable event as possible given the short lead time in preparation and unprecedented

scale.

This summary report prepared by MCI provides a sustainability assessment of the event. It details a perspective of the

environmental footprint of the event, analysis of the event management system and process concerning sustainable event

practices. Recommendations are provided to increase sustainable performance of future events.

EVENT BACKGROUND

Hosted by the Ministry of the Environment and Forests India, in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Convention on

Biological Diversity (SCBD) in Montréal and the United Nations Environment Programme, the XI Conference of Parties

Convention on Biological Diversity (8-19 October 2012) was organised to support and promote biodiversity and the Aichi

Biodiversity Targets. As a platform for collaboration its goal is to mainstream biodiversity at different levels. Throughout

the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, governments around the world have been encouraged to develop, implement

and communicate the results of national strategies for implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity. With more

than 11,500 participants in attendance, the convention featured over 900 sessions focused on elements of the Strategic

Plan including: Marine & Coastal Biodiversity, Climate Change & Biodiversity, Development & Biodiversity and Biodiversity

http://www.cbd.int/sp/targets/

http://www.cbd.int/sp/targets/


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of dry and sub-humid lands, Forests, Inland waters, Agricultural biodiversity, Sustainable use of biodiversity, Plant

Conservation, Biofuels and Invasive alien species.

The resounding commitment from the XI Conference of Parties Convention on Biological Diversity was that countries agreed

to double resources for biodiversity protection by 2015; developed countries agreed to double funding to support efforts

in developing states towards meeting the internationally-agreed biodiversity targets, and the main goals of the Strategic

Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.

Developed countries agreed to double funding to support efforts in developing states towards meeting the internationally-

agreed Biodiversity Targets, and the main goals of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.

See www.cbd.int/cop11 or www.cbdcop11india.in for more information on the event.

http://www.cbd.int/cop11

http://www.cbdcop11india.in/


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11,638 delegates attended

the ground breaking event

from over 173 countries.


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ORGANISATION

The event was organised by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD), based in Montréal, Canada,

with the support of the host government - the Ministry of the Environment and Forests, Government of India and the

assistance of the professional conference organisers – MCI Management India. The event was held at Hyderabad

International Convention Centre (HICC) and HITEX Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad, India. Creative production and

technical services at the conference were provided by Dorier Perfectus Asia. Several other local suppliers provided their

servicers for audio-visuals, signage, printing, catering, transportation, etc.

Sustainability advisory was provided by MCI Sustainability Services.


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“Biodiversity sustains our food supply,

is a source of medicines and supports

the provision of clean air and fresh

water while also contributing to

economic development, cultural and

spiritual enlightenment.” CBD.


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SUSTAINABILITY APPROACH

COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

The convention aimed to be a “leading sustainable

event for India, leaving long term positive social and

environmental legacies in Andhra Pradesh.”

SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES

The conference organising team identified the

following key sustainability issues and risks when

planning:

Low levels of awareness by suppliers of event

sustainability issues and wider communities of

Andhra Pradesh;

Waste created by official documents and hand-

outs, delegate communication and exhibition;

Low level of maturity of the hotels sustainability processes (waste, energy & measurement);

Unreliable energy supply (in India energy spikes and brown-outs are very common);

Lack of availability and price of organic produce.


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SUSTAINABILITY OBJECTIVES

The following overall sustainability objectives were set to lessen the environmental impact of the event:

Objective Status

Understand and benchmark sustainability performance of event Achieved

Divert 80% of waste away from landfill Achieved

Use 90% local (India) catering at event venue Achieved

Offset water and event carbon emissions Not reached

Raise awareness and educate participants Achieved

Engage Community, youth & tribal groups in event Achieved

SUSTAINABLE EVENT MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

Sustainability concerns were addressed through all phases of event design and execution, including the following activities:

Strategic Planning: The planning team leaders met to identify a strategy for the sustainable performance of the

event and created customized targets.

Supplier Engagement: Through a two hour educational event and a series of interviews, 50 entities were educated

about the objectives of the event; key suppliers were questioned about sustainable practices and offered coaching

and recommendations for improved results. In particular, the MCI team worked with HICC, waste management

company and caterers to improve waste management, catering and sustainability measurement processes.

Sustainable Procurement: The event management team and the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government

of India made a series of conscious decisions in the purchasing of material and services. This includes congress bags,

stage set, exhibition construction, USB sticks, printing, catering, communications as well as the selection of logistics

teams that reduced transport requirements.

“A leading sustainable event for

India, leaving long term positive

social and environmental

legacies in Andhra Pradesh”

Organisers


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EVENT IMPACTS

IMPACTS KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR VALUE

ECONOMIC

Investment in Event Sustainability

Total expenditures to improve event sustainability and offset emissions Over INR 10 Million

Investment in Biodiversity Park, Pylon and Museum INR 1 Billion / USD 18,264,858

Participation Number of Official delegates (MOP6 + COP11) 11,683

SOCIAL

Stakeholder Engagement

Key supplies being evaluated for sustainability No cost

Number of Social Enterprises & NGOs in attendance at event 80+

Health and quality of air

Space designated smoke free in venue No cost

Labour Rights Employees covered by collective bargaining agreements broken down by region/country.

No cost

ENVIRONMENTAL

GHG emissions Total Carbon footprint (tonnes CO2 equivalents) 8634 mt CO2e

Flight Emissions (tonnes CO2) 4966 mt CO2e

Local transport emissions (tonnes CO2) 688 mt CO2e

Venue based emissions (Generators & electricity) 1956 mt CO2e


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Food and paper emissions (excluding concession stands) 244 mt CO2e

Average Emissions per delegate 0.75 mt CO2e

Energy Total electricity consumed (Wh) 730,840 KWH UNITS

Total diesel consumed on official transport (l) 12,0000

Total diesel consumed on diesel generators (l) 323,190 L

Total gas consumed (m³) 0

Renewable energy certificates procured to offset electricity 0

Water Total water used (m³) 11,134 KL

Paper and materials usage

Sheets of paper used for printing 1,220,000

100% recycled paper Delegate handbooks (46 pages, A5) 15,000

Carpet landfilled through event 0

Waste management Total waste from event (tonnes) excluding food 24.55 tonnes

Total recycling captured from event including food (total Kg) 17.7. tonnes

Paper (kg) 9,924

Glass (kg) 991

Metal (kg) 595

Plastic (kg) 4,621

Organic (food) waste 8,424

Waste Diversion from landfill 91%


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Food Number meals produced 64,438

Percentage local (India) food sourced for meals 90%

Percentage organic food sourced for meals 2%

Estimated number of 250 ml plastic bottles not served due to bulk water dispenser

493,600


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SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE

EVENT FOOTPRINT

The Event produced a measurable total of 8634 metric tons

of Carbon dioxide, or an average of 0.75 tonnes of CO2 per

participant. This is equivalent to the average yearly emissions

of over 8000 Indians or 435 US citizens.

As expected, the biggest CO2 emissions impact derived from

air transport due to the international nature of the event, the

venue provides the second largest source due to the overall

length of the event compared to others of a comparable size.

Emissions created in the production and transportation of the

Exhibitor Stands were not included in the report nor from the

concession food stalls, though all official onsite catering

function figures are included.

Fig 1. CO2 emission sources

Air57.52%

Local car and bus

7.96%

Hotel9.04%

Venue22.65%

Food and Paper2.83%

CoP11 to CBD (tCO2e)

Air Local car and bus Hotel Venue Food and Paper


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EVENT AUDIT SYSTEM

MeetGreenSM was used as the system to evaluate the performance of the event management system.

MeetGreenSM employs the philosophy of continuous improvement that challenges organizations to work to maintain and

improve their environmental and social performance.

MeetGreenSM aligns with the APEX-ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting standards, and evaluates over 150 event

criteria in nine separate categories to provide advice on how to increase the sustainability and business results of an event.

SUSTAINABLE EVENT MANAGEMENT PROCESS PERFORMANCE

Using the MeetGreen system, the UNCBD earned a total average score of 47% of a possible maximum of 100%. For

benchmarking purposes, the following chart compares the sustainability practices of the Forum against the UN Global

Compact Leaders Summit and the many other events in the MeetGreen system. As can be seen the UNCSF score is just

above average, and demonstrates the results of the event team’s commitment to improving processes and working with

suppliers to increase event sustainability.

http://www.conventionindustry.org/StandardsPractices/APEXASTM.aspx


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24 sets of 5 bins each with clear

colour coding, recognisable symbols

and descriptions in the 6 Official UN

languages were strategically placed

around the venue, supported by a

staff of 30 people focused on waste

management.


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AUDITED EVENT SUSTAINABILITY BENCHMARKING USING MEETGREENTM CALCULATOR

60%

74%

69%

54%

47%

45%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum

UN Global Compact Leaders Forum, NewYork

Climate Change COP 15

European Ecological Federation 2011

Biodiversity COP 11

Average Audited Event


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WASTE GENERATION BREAKDOWN

19%

34%

41%

2%4%

Plastic

Food

Paper/cloth

Metal

Glass


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In order to better understand sustainable event management performance, the next chart looks at the different MeetGreen

categories:


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STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

AREA KEY STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Destination Choosing a destination of this type allows for

strong education and economic multiplier benefit

Poor public transport offering.

Low levels of sustainable event management

experience within local supply chain.

Accommodation

Management of Novotel were very committed to

demonstrating best practice and promoting Planet

21 Initiative

Hotel operated towel & sheet reuse cards,

provided information booklet as part of customer

engagement and communication programme,

constructed 2 sculptures of recycled material and

eco-friendly staff uniforms

Headquarters Hotel had previous experience

providing event measurement data. However

satellite hotels had no experience and in some

cases no understanding of wider sustainability

practice.

More engagement of 18 other official hotels

required and off site hotel recycling required.

Meeting Venue

Excellent partner in waste management - Ramky

provided 24 sets of 5 bins each with clear marking

in 6 UN languages and staff of 30 people at venue.

A number of initiatives were not

implementable due to late planning.

Transportation

Venue and main hotel were in the same complex,

which significantly reduced the need for transfers.

Shuttles were provided for LDC ministers instead

of the individual cars

Distance from airport and lack of public

transport required most delegates to use

taxis.


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Food and

Beverage

90% of food was sourced within India.

Delegates were encouraged to use reusable water

bottles and dispensers, resulting in an estimated

493,600 plastic water bottles being avoided.

Plates in the food court were made of Areca palm

accompanied by wooden cutlery. The paper cups

used at the water dispensers were biodegradable.

Menus printed on Recycled paper

Low availability and high cost of organic

products, and lack of supplier awareness of

sustainability.

Leftover food was unable to be donated to

wet/oil mix and distance of distributors from

venue and liability issues.

Water pitchers were not used for Higher

Level Segment due to image concerns

Single sachets of sugar were unable to be

eliminated due to rainy season & high

humidity

Exhibition

All shell schemes were hired and modular. Flex

signage was donated to shanty town inhabitants

and stands and staging featured bamboo

constructions.

UNEP Exhibitor guidelines integrated into manual

Solar powered lighting for external signage

too costly.

UNEP guidelines provided as guidance rather

than policy.


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Communication &

marketing

15,000 delegate bags handmade from 100 %

natural Jute.

15,000 Delegate hand books and diaries were

printed on 100 % recycled paper.

Event used 1,220,000 sheets of paper

No mobile application

Limited website and brochure

communication around sustainability.

Limited use of electronic signage

Audio Visual Bamboo stage set used for main room

Modern energy efficient equipment deployed

AV was powered using smokeless, silent

diesel generators due to no hotel backup and

risk of power cuts.

Offsets Partnership established with Carbon offset and

unique website developed for conference

Low adoption and promotion of carbon offset

opportunity.

0% of the onsite or delegate emissions were

offset.


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STRENGTHS, OPPORTUNITIES AND INNOVATIONS

CATERING RESPONSIBILITY

Each stand in the food court featured vegetarian food and

used menus printed on recycled paper. The event caterer

agreed to display calories for catering on demand food

packaging (not a common practice in India) and nutritious,

healthy foods were actively promoted over sugary healthy

snacks with items such as fruit smoothies. A significant

reduction in waste was achieved through the rejection of

plastic utensils which were completely eliminated from the

food court eating area, including plates, cutlery, and water

bottles. Food court plates were made from Arecanut leaf

and wooden knives, forks and spoons were used to dine

with. Cups were made of paper rather than plastic or

polystyrene.

Replacing individual sachets of sugar and condiments was investigated as a means to save waste but was not implementable

due to the high level of humidity combined with heat in the rainy season in India. Water safety in India was an issue that

needed to be well balanced with the impact of individual plastic bottles which generate a huge amount of waste. Instead

of serving bottles of water in either plastic or indeed glass, water was sourced locally and served from 20 litre re-usable

containers. Delegates were provided with a branded water bottle for refill and re-use to reduce the use of cups and

individual water bottles. A total of 90,000 litres was consumed onsite.


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RESPONSIBLE PROCUREMENT

Ensuring your supply chain is as responsible as possible is a critical component

of sustainable event management and critical components of the event were

reviewed using sustainability principles. The delegate bags were made using

deaf and dumb staff employed in a workshop in Delhi who embroidered tribal

images and biodiversity native to India on a 100% natural jute material bag.

Delegate gifts were selected for their cultural relevance, employment of

disadvantaged minorities in their manufacture and choice of materials. The

delegate pouches were manufactured with recycled textiles. Although the

organizers opted not to use a mobile application and implement a zero paper

policy, steps were taken to ensure that where paper was used it was procured

from responsible sources.

The 15,000 delegate conference handbooks and diaries were printed on 100%

recycled paper. When organizing an event on the scale of the COP 11, power

and wider resource issues are important considerations, efforts were made to

investigate green energy sources locally but due to the high likelihood of

unreliability, generators were considered the wisest choice of energy source.

Silent and smokeless modern technology was sourced and measured. Fuel

consumption is included in our reporting metrics.


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ITEM MOST COMMON OPTION USED AT COP11

Kit Bag Bag made of leather/raxine/Nylon Bags made of 100% jute, which is recyclable and

produced from green sources

Gift Items Pen Holders, Crystal Souvenirs, etc.

Photo frames and Jewellery Box made of

Traditional tribal art called – Dokra

Stoles made of silk and locally by

underprivileged groups.

Shoulder pouches made by tribal women group

using waste cloth material.

Notepads Regular notepads with virgin 70/100

gsm paper

Notepads made of 100% handmade paper, which is

recycled and recyclable.

Conference Delegate

Handbook

Made of 150 gsm glossy paper with

high usage of colours

Made of 100% certified recycled paper. Standard ink

used, but reduced usage of full page coloured

graphics.

Storage Medium for

Conference material CDs/DVDs, printed material

USB Pen Drives given to all delegates as part of the

kit. All conference documents made available online

in real time.

Limited number of print material.

Total printing of 2.3 million copies, which is far less

than that of COP10 at approx. 3.8 million copies.


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ITEM MOST COMMON OPTION USED AT COP11

Water Containers Use of plastic water bottles

Water fountains were installed across the

conference venue. Recyclable plastic bottles were

given as part of the conference kits for drinking

water.

Paper glasses were also provided at the water

fountains. All paper glass were recycled.

Document Printing Single Side printing and “Minus one

concept"

All document printing was back to back to reduce

the paper usage. Further, no or extremely few

documents were coloured prints (not including the

documents brought by side event hosts) and official

onsite documents printed by the organiser practiced

the ‘Minus One’ concept, which involves reducing

the font size by one point over the existing size.

During COP11, all the official documents used font

size 11 instead of preferred 12


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MANAGING EXHIBITIONS

When planning the exhibition, it was vital that materials used were

as responsible as possible and would be either re-usable or donated

to a worthy cause. A huge amount of waste is often generated

through the use of disposable carpet and exhibition stands. The

temporary carpet used for COP11 was specially selected for its

sustainability merits; it was woven from hessian and jute, without

a foam base and was 100% biodegradable. The exhibition company

were a solid partner and ensured all materials from the event

infrastructure were diverted from landfill, re used for other events

or donated to impoverished communities locally. The team opted

for Octanorm exhibition booths ensuring that 100% would re-usable

and natural enhancements were added as decoration from

local bamboo sources. Reinforced flex fabric signage was

donated to slum dwellers in Hyderabad to construct homes and

protect from adverse weather conditions. A responsible

exhibitors policy was integrated with the exhibition manual

using the UNEP Exhibitor guidelines guiding exhibitors to

reduce unnecessary waste by only shipping what was needed

and choosing responsible materials for giveaways. To

supplement the official exhibition a complimentary exhibition

featuring local artisans was constructed called the

“Biodiversity Haat”.


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STIMULATING SOCIAL AND SUSTAINABLE EXPERIENCE – THE BIODIVERSITY HAAT

In order to support social enterprises and sustainable businesses

from the region, a unique market place was constructed within

the perimeter of the HICC-HITEX Complex and 40 local artisans

and community groups were invited by Centre for Environment

Education (CEE). The haat featured groups selling organic

produce, handmade artefacts and those using responsible

materials showcasing the best example of Access & Benefit

Sharing. The area gave local producers a platform and ready

consumer not always so accessible and delegates frequented

the Biodiversity Haat throughout the event.

Examples of local producers

included the “Bodhana Tiruvalla

Social Science Society” who use

bee products to fund and operate

a Social Rehabilitation

Programme; the Uravu Indigenous

Science & Technology Study

Centre, a registered, non-profit

trust supporting the livelihood of

rural woman through end-to-end

programmes in bamboo growth, harvest and product manufacturing. Projects like these within the Biodiversity Haat

supported a vast number of Indian social development objectives including training in natural resource management,

improving literacy, providing employment and women’s rights through to stimulating organic farming and renewable

energy sources.


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Biodiversity Haat - A unique market

place constructed within the

perimeter of the HICC-HITEX

Complex, with participation by

over 40 artisans from across India.


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The Biodiversity Haat demonstrated

the economic multiplier effect of

large scale events in a practical

manner and ensured delegates took

home souvenirs that were

sustainable and supported some of

the most impoverished communities

in Andhra Pradesh.


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COMMUNITY OUTREACH DONATION

Large scale events by their nature generate waste and in many cases many

leftover materials of value. The organisers partnered with their suppliers to

collect as many donatable items as possible and identified a number of local

charities to support, providing a lifeline for those living below the poverty line

including the Sphoorti orphanage and a community outreach centre in Ameerpet

supporting the children of1134 Female sex workers in 12 wards (blocks) of

Hyderabad, looking after their health needs, and prevention of HIV/AIDS.

Similarly, flex used in the event signage and conference backdrops was cut into

large panels and donated to local residents in Hyderabad’s poorest communities

for use as building materials and shields against adverse weather conditions.

Materials Donated to Ameerpet Community Outreach Centre:

S. No. Item No. of Packets Quantity in each Packet Total Quantity

1 Stationery Kits 3 115 345

2 Stationery Kits (loose) 29 29

3 Water Bottles 4 25 100

4 Spiral Books 4 72 288

5 Spiral Books (loose) 59 59

6 Gifts 5 100 500

7 Printed Books – Compendium on Indian

Biosphere Reserves

4 25 100

8 Rio Conventions Calendar 2 35 70

A further 50 Bags, Pen sets, Bottles, Note books, Pouches, 2013 Calendars were donated to the Sphoorti orphanage.


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Please accept our heartfelt thanks

for your distinguished contribution

of Bags, Stationery, Pouches,

water bottles and diaries to

Sphoorti. It is an honour that

Sphoorti was chosen as a partner

organization for CoP 11. Please

know that your support has made

a significant impact on our mission

towards rehabilitation and

empowerment of children in need.

Srivyal Vuyyuri

Founder/Director

Sphoorti


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LEAVING A POSITIVE LEGACY IN ANDHRA PRADESH

One of the key event objectives for the government of India and the Ministry of

Environment and Forests was to raise awareness and educate participants about

India’s challenges, but also to reach beyond the event itself and have respect for

India’s biodiversity filter down into the communities and villages of rural India. This

was achieved in a number of ways, firstly a kick-off education workshop was organised

in Hyderabad for all key suppliers including hotels, vendors and invited NGOs. A

discussion took place about the event objectives, their roles in the supply chain,

commitment and benefits in making CoP11 a sustainable event. 50 organisations

attended the two hour workshop and follow on meetings were organised.

The Biodiversity Haat and procurement process were deployed to ensure that the

economic impact of the event was funnelled to the most responsible businesses and

beyond direct economic benefit the event provided a platform to exhibit and sell their

organic produce and raise the profile of the social enterprises present.

Focusing on education in the wider Andhra Pradesh Community, the MOEF launched

both an educational campaign and legacy project for the city. A special educational

pamphlet was designed and distributed to 250,000 people within Andhra Pradesh

promoting the value and importance of preserving India’s biodiversity and architects

were contracted to design an impactful and lasting gift to the local community; the

Biodiversity pylon and Park in Hyderabad. A 15 acre plot of land in Gachibowli was

earmarked for the development of an architectural monument, park and museum for

the city and representative ministers and VIPS attending the event from around the

world planted over 300 rare and endangered plant species in the proposed park.


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A total of 100 crore rupees ($18,264,858) was invested in

the development and the site was inaugurated by

Hon. Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh during

the event. The centrepiece of the park is a 46 ft steel and

800 kg stone pillar symbolizing the 23 male and 23 female

chromosomes and wealth of nature. Around the pillar,

educational panels and designs instruct and inform visitors

about the richness and value of the earth’s

biodiversity. A PR agency was appointed

to ensure that the contents and value of

the meeting were spread beyond the walls

of the convention centre and a number of

informative articles made it into the local

press including articles linking biodiversity

to health.

On the occasion of this

conference, I am pleased to

launch the Hyderabad

Pledge and announce that

our Government has

decided to earmark a sum

of US$ 50 million during

India’s presidency of the

Conference of Parties to the

Convention on Biological

Diversity to strengthen the

institutional mechanism for

biodiversity conservation in

India.

Dr. Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister of India


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WASTE MANAGEMENT APPROACH

The management of waste was a key sustainability objective for the

event with an ambitious 80% waste diversion rate, higher than many

conferences in the United States or Europe. A strong and able partner

was appointed in the shape of “Ramky Enviro Engineers” and in

partnership with the event management team an excellent 91% waste

diversion rate was achieved. 24 sets of 5 bins each with clear colour

coding, recognisable symbols and descriptions in the 6 Official UN

languages were strategically placed around the venue.

The MCI team worked with the venue to improve the placement of the

bins during the conference and to ensure sufficient receptacles were

provided throughout the setup and breakdown of the event. The clusters

of colour coded bins were each managed by a dedicated housekeeper

who were available to educate and guide the delegates in the correct

segregation of waste. Waste was further segregated at source and

transported between 11.30PM and 6AM to avoid traffic. Ramky staff

maintained an interactive stand onsite detailing the process of collection

segregation, disposal, recycling and reuse.

The entire waste management was conducted in accordance with the

guidelines of Municipal Solid Waste (Management & Handling) Rules,

2000 as laid down by Ministry Environment & Forest, Govt. of India. Over

19 days the event generated a whopping 24.55 metric tonnes of trash. An astounding 9,924 kg of waste comprised of paper

and cloth alone, 8,424 kg was generated by half eaten and left over food by the delegates and this was followed by plastic


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(4,621 kg), glass (991 kg) and metal (595 kg). 85 percent of event waste was directly recycled, 3% turned to energy at a

refuse derived fuel (RDF) plant, 16% evaporate as moisture and the remaining 9% went to landfill.

COMPONENTS PLASTIC METAL GLASS PAPER

AVERAGE

(EXCLUDING

FOOD WASTE)

FOOD

AVERAGE

(INCLUDING FOOD

WASTE)

Weight loss after

dehydration (moisture

content loss) 2% 2% 2% 6% 3% 70% 16%

Total waste recycled 76% 88% 85% 87% 84% 22% 72%

Inerts diverted to Landfill 9% 10% 13% 5% 9% 8% 9%

Diversion to refuse-derived

fuel plant 13% -- -- 2% 4% -- 3%

Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Recycling was conducted as follows:

Paper: Sent to “Wealth out of Waste” Initiative, where the paper is to be used by ITC Bhadrachalam for recycling.

Plastic: Sent to plastic recycling plant at Balanagar, Hyderabad for recycling. End Product is granules/flakes

Food: Is composted for organic manure and being used for gardening

Metal: Sent to metal recycling facility at Hardware Park

Glass: Provided to glass recycling facility in Hyderabad


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SUMMARY OF WASTE DIVERSION AND RECYCLING

Recycled Waste72.00%

Evaporation loss16.00%

Converted to Energy3.00%

Landfilled9.00%

Recycled Waste Evaporation loss Converted to Energy Landfilled


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INCREASING SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE

1. BUILD ENGAGEMENT EARLY

Considering the scale of the event and short notice involved in the appointment of the key suppliers much was

achieved but opportunities exist for improvement. Sustainability is a challenge to integrate late in the process. For

future events there is a clear opportunity to build on the initial achievements and wider integrate and communicate

sustainability expectations to hotel partners.

A recommended step would be to include sustainability criteria as a core component and clause in supplier selection

for every area of the event and follow up commitments with contracting clauses relating to sustainability objectives.

Once destinations and key suppliers are selected, a sustainability team composed of representatives of the

secretariat, local host organization and key event suppliers should be created to drive the process and to ensure

accountability and that objectives are represented at each point of the planning process. Widening the engagement

and starting the process easier would enable wider collection of data (exact data of all hotel energy consumption

and waste production was not collected). A recommended minimum target for COP 12 would be to obtain data from

the key 10 hotels hosting delegates to understand and benchmark performance and improve footprint calculations.

2. CARBON RESPONSIBILITY

The CoP 11 on biodiversity made great strides in recognising the potential emissions of events and collecting the

data relating to the event site, transport and catering. However, with the data collected no offsetting or mitigation

has taken place. Steps to be considered include ensuring delegates take greater responsibility for their travel related

emissions with stronger messaging. Delegates could be invited to voluntary offset their emissions or a small

offsetting fee could be integrated as standard into the registration costs to ensure greater uptake. In line with the

travel impact, the UN could consider seeking a sponsor to offset event emissions or encourage event hosts to be

accountable and offset any emissions relating to the event location. Care should be taken to select a certified

offsetting project in alignment with the UN’s criteria.


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3. SCALE UP SOCIAL

The Biodiversity Haat was a commendable innovation and example to all major events of how to integrate social

enterprises. To build on this success, further efforts can be made to widen the hands on community activity beyond

the VIPs and engage the delegates in a community service event either onsite or offsite. This is especially relevant

in developing nations where need is clearly evident. Opportunities exist to further engage local communities to

produce items needed for the event such as table decorations, organic food supplies and delegate lanyards. An

interesting opportunity for events of this size exists in evaluating the economic impact of the delegates, collecting

stronger data about the attendees’ visits would allow for a clearer picture of the economic multiplier effect in

stimulating employment and spending in host destinations.

4. STRUCTURING SUSTAINABILITY

To support sustainability objectives, event management best practice would recommend further structuring the

process. This would commence from the request for proposal stage through the procurement filter and contracting

and include the definition of an event sustainability policy alongside the goals and objectives. The policy would

allow for clearer communication around sustainability expectations and requirements to suppliers and partners.

This policy would be formally integrated into the procurement processes and communicated through the event

website and supporting communications to suppliers, speakers, exhibitors, delegates and other stakeholders. The

UN could consider adopting the international event sustainability management standard launched in June 2012.

ISO20121 provides guidance on how to build a sustainable event management system, incorporating key elements

of ISO14001, ISO26000 (social responsibility) and ISO9001 (quality). Implementation of ISO20121 would help to build

a more robust event management system with clearly defined and documented processes.

5. TAKE BOLD STEPS

Innovating for any reason requires an element of risk and a willingness to change. Great opportunities exist for

event enhancement, cost saving and improvement of the delegate experience by taking bold steps in the planning


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process. Although the organisers of this event were resistant to eliminating paper, clear opportunities are present

in both saving cost and increasing functionality. Over 1 million sheets of paper were used by the organisers alone.

The UN has launched the “Smart Paper initiative” with the introduction of a mobile application eliminating the

need for conference hand-outs and a significant amount of waste, it would also enhance the capability of the

organizers to communicate with delegates.

Further innovation can be used across the board to improve the experience of both the planners and delegates with

electronic signage, the elimination of more transportation and the widening the inclusion of FLOSS (Fresh, local,

organic, sustainable, seasonal) food products. Particularly interesting for a convention on protecting biodiversity is

the concept of event space measurement and “offsetting” to protect wildlife habitat and the “offsetting” of event

water consumption by the construction of a reservoir in accordance with water used. These initiatives would have

left a positive legacy supporting the key issue of the CBD and sustainability challenge of Andhra Pradesh.

6. AMPLIFY COMMUNICATION

Due to the complexity of the organisation for the COP 11 with a number of competing websites maintained by both

the event hosts and CBD secretariat, delegates lacked a single information point for the event. This fragmentation

made the sustainability communication difficult and led to the low uptake of the travel carbon emission offsetting

programme. Delegates registering through CBD but receiving local information through the host destination’s

website.

To further amplify the messaging a solid communication plan with sustainability weaved throughout and the use of

storytelling would improve performance supported by stronger PR celebrating sustainability achievements.

To improve communication and engagement, sustainability messaging needs to be integrated within the mainstream

communication channels and key touch points relevant to the audience, this extends across the event from informing

delegates both pre event and onsite to educating exhibitors about their impact and recognising increased

performance.


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CONCLUSION

The 11th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CoP11 to CBD) took responsible steps to

implement an event in line with the UN Global Compact Principles. Notable progress was made by working with event

partners to improve sustainability in a region where event sustainability is a developing concept and particularly

commendation should be given to the solid waste management approach and performance. With a commitment to constant

improvement and by implementing the practical recommendations outlined in this report, the UN Convention on

Biodiversity serves as a role model and guide for others in the meetings industry.


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CREDITS

AUTHORS AND CONTRIBUTORS

This report has been developed with direction from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 Sustainability Reporting

Guidelines and the Event Organizers Sector Supplement.

Data in this report relates to the COP MOP6 and COP11 to CBD which took place from October 1st through to October 19th,

2012. It covers all areas of event logistics and production that were managed by MCI Management India Pvt. Ltd..

This report was prepared by Roger Simons of MCI Sustainability Services with the valuable input, contribution and support

of Lalit Chadha, Shikhar Gupta and Akash Nath Garg of MCI India with the support of Victor Ogbuneke of Secretariat of the

Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) in Montréal. Special thanks go to Ministry of Environment and Forests,

Government of India and all the event suppliers who supported this tremendous undertaking and supported the

sustainability objectives with commitment and passion.


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ABOUT MCI SUSTAINABILITY SERVICES

MCI is proud to be seen as industry thought leader in sustainable event management and consulting. MCI

is actively engaged in efforts to change the way the world meets through the promotion of smart,

sustainable business solutions.

MCI is the selected Professional Congress Organizer and Sustainability Guide for more than 130 of the

world’s leading events on sustainable development and the renewable energy sectors, including:

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP15), the 11th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity

(CoP11 to CBD), the GRI Global Conference on Sustainability and Reporting, the Climate Group Asian Business Summit on

Climate Leadership, the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum and the United Nations Global Compact Leaders Summit.

www.mci-group.com/csr

CONTACT

In the interest of constant improvement, all ideas and comments about this report are welcome. Please address comments

to Roger Simons, MCI Group Sustainability Manager – [email protected]

PHOTO CREDITS

Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India

Akash Nath Garg – MCI India

Roger Simons – MCI Sustainability Services

http://www.mci-group.com/csr

mailto:[email protected]