Denmark is renowned for its leading work in sustainable events and meetings. By aiming to certify the sustainability of Denmark’s EU Presidency in 2012, the country hopes to demonstrate that it is possible to have growth and be sustainable at the same time, without incurring extra costs.
Denmark will host the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2012. As a result, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs will organise over 100 meetings of various sizes, attracting more than 15,000 participants to Copenhagen and the town of Horsens in western Denmark.Over the last decade Denmark has become known as a green pioneer. Danish households and businesses have become so successful at implementing energy efficiency measures that last year the country consumed less energy than in 1990. And this has been achieved without increasing costs and reduced growth. In fact, over the same period Denmark’s GDP grew by 37.8 percent!
The Danish Sustainable Events Initiative (DSEI) is approaching the Danish EU Presidency in 2012 with a similar strategy, founded in part on the country’s experiences of hosting COP15 in 2009, which was the world’s first certified sustainable international political summit.
Key players within the Danish meetings industry will team up with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that the logistics of the EU Presidency will be as sustainable as possible. The aim is to achieve an ISO20121 certification of the governmental event management system.
– By aiming to certify the EU Presidency, we are trying to stay ahead of developments by combining a close control of costs and achieving sustainability, explains Andreas Clausen Boor, head of section in the Logistical Unit in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Certified sustainability
The DSEI’s aim is to use the Danish EU Presidency to inspire businesses to greater collaboration, innovation and sustainable development. The project aims to increase the competitive positioning of Denmark as an undisputed leader in sustainable events and clean technology solutions. For Andreas Clausen Boor the ISO20121 certification is a highly effective way to do this.
– The advantage of having the certification as a goal is that we work with a structured approach to the numerous criteria of the certification process which forces us to consider what we prioritize and how to incorporate sustainability into all aspects of the project.
One example from the project is to cut down on the amount of gifts to the delegates. In this way the project will save money and reduce its environmental impact, as most gifts usually get left behind or discarded at a later date.
Include it in the contracts
Another approach is to include sustainability criteria in contracts with suppliers.
– It actually doesn’t scare them away. It makes it more attractive for them to bid for the task, explains Andreas Clausen Boor.
– This means that we can have sustainable benefits without extra costs. For example, one of our caterers thinks it is an exciting challenge to deliver more local ingredients and less meat – it makes healthier food and a lower environmental impact at the same price.
This approach was also used at COP15, which gave Denmark valuable experience in terms of the greening of the meetings industry. One of the areas which was made greener as a result of COP15 were the city’s hotel rooms. At the end of 2008, 12 percent of Copenhagen’s hotel rooms were eco-certified. Following COP15, by the end of 2009 that figure was 53 percent. Today it is at 60 percent.
– Through this project we would like to help to reinforce Denmark’s green position within the meetings industry. I think we have made fantastic progress over the last five years – for example, with the amount of sustainable hotel rooms. Many countries in the world look to Denmark for green ideas, and we want to help to reinforce this image. So, it is an important element of our work that we help to support the initiatives being taken by industry, concludes Andres Clausen Boor.
