Sustainability is the buzz word

BANGKOK, 10 August 2012: Thailand’s events business needs to embrace sustainable management practices to tap the latest trends in the industry.

Speaking at an events seminar on sustainability, Wednesday, MCI Group sustainability director Guy Bigwood, said events players needed to change the way they do business and move away from a profit only mentality to consider environmental-friendly business models.

“Sustainability is one of the defining issues of our time as we see from the global warming situation caused climate change in various areas of the world.

“Today, there is a decline in resource, but an increase in consumption as can be seen the waste that is left behind after a convention.”

He recommended that hotels and events’ organisers embrace recycling wholeheartedly, citing the health hazards related to chemicals used by hotel housekeeping staff.

“30% of hotel cleaning staff suffer skin and respiratory problems,” he told delegates at the seminar without elaborating on why hotels continue to use chemicals if they are a health risk.

“About 93% CEOs think sustainability is critical to their future success thus we have to consider this matter now and to deliver more creativity .”

He recommended companies go for sustainability and green economy, low-carbon and environmental services.

“There are three key words — people, planet and profit — if taken together the MICE industry will achieve a sustainability.”

He added that 58% of Asian meeting suppliers said that corporate social responsibility and environmental issues were  influential on their events business.

Mr Bigwood presented a case study of the Olympics London 2012 claiming that 60% of the steel used in the entire roof was recycled saving over US$700,000. This compared to just 10% of steel in Beijing four years earlier; 60% less water, while all timber was from sustainable forests and the building’s carbon footprint was reduced by 50%.