ADELAIDE CONVENTION CENTRE CEMENTS GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP WITH COVETED EARTHCHECK PLATINUM CERTIFICATION

Posted 29 August 2018

Adelaide Convention Centre has proudly reinforced its global sustainability leadership by becoming the first convention centre in the world to achieve the coveted EarthCheck Platinum Certification. The achievement represents ‘best practice’ in sustainability and reflects 10 years of continuous certification with the globally recognised EarthCheck program. There are just 34 properties worldwide to have achieved Platinum Certification, including only two convention centres.

“South Australia is widely respected as an innovative, clean, green destination, which is a natural fit with EarthCheck’s positive and proactive approach to sustainability,” comments Simon Burgess, General Manager, Adelaide Convention Centre.

“Over the years we’ve been fortunate to play host to a number of key environmental events and have received lots of attention for our sustainability initiatives, from our worm farm to tree-planting and sustainable buildings and construction. It’s particularly thrilling to achieve EarthCheck Platinum Certification at a time when sustainability and the ‘war on waste’ is such a topical conversation. We’re proud to lead the way when it comes to sustainability in the business events industry, and to do our part in actively promoting environmental awareness and sustainability to not only delegates visiting our venue, but the wider community”.

Since joining the global EarthCheck program in 2007, the Adelaide Convention Centre has consistently performed at ‘above’ best practice in several key areas of social and environmental actions. From sustainable construction to energy and water conservation, responsible sourcing, food redistribution, and participation in community initiatives such as OzHarvest’s ‘Think.Eat.Save’ and the Trees for Life revegetation program, the sustainability message is reinforced and integrated through all aspects of the ACC’s business and culture.

Highlights include:

Food Rescue & Recycling
Food rescue and recycling is a major focus at the Adelaide Convention Centre. Since mid-2007, the venue has virtually eliminated organic waste to landfill via a comprehensive food redistribution program. To date, the ACC has provided more than 160,000 unused meals to OzHarvest and Foodbank. The ACC’s efforts in this area not only help feed the hungry, but also divert food waste from landfill, helping to save greenhouse gas emissions and water usage. Over the past decade, the ACC’s greenhouse gas emission savings have been equivalent to taking 913 cars off the road, while the venue has saved more than 15 million litres of water, enough water to fill six standard Olympic sized swimming pools. When it comes to processing organic waste, the ACC also has its own worm farm (launched in 2009), which serves perfectly for composting gardens surrounding the Centre along with supporting local community garden schemes.

Waging the War on Plastic
The Adelaide Convention Centre has been actively fighting the war on plastic for more than five years, using fully biodegradable and compostable cups and lids for both hot and cold drinks. To ensure the responsible disposal of these vessels and keep them out of landfill, the Centre has dedicated ‘bio bins’ in place across the venue. More recently, the ACC joined other venues across Australia to become plastic straw free.

Sustainable Construction
Sustainability was a key consideration during the Adelaide Convention Centre’s recent $397M redevelopment. The venue integrated sustainability throughout the design and construction process with complex fluid dynamic modelling and clever energy management systems combined with state-of-the-art LED lighting systems to deliver a building with a 27 percent lower energy consumption than the Centre’s original building.

Local Food Policy
The ACC’s sustainability efforts also extend to supporting local producers, with 97 percent of produce used by the venue sourced from local, sustainable environments. This commitment not only provides visiting delegates with a ‘taste of South Australia’ and helps support local business, but reduces the food miles of the Centre.

Further information on the Adelaide Convention Centre’s sustainability initiatives is available, here.

EarthCheck CEO and Founder Stewart Moore says integrating sustainability into the day-to-day operations of an organisation requires commitment from the entire team.

“Achieving EarthCheck Platinum Certification places Adelaide Convention Centre as an industry leader that has consistently benchmarked operational and sustainability performance against internationally recognized criteria and demonstrated responsible business practices across their operations,” comments Mr. Moore.

“Being awarded Platinum Certification is an outstanding achievement that places Adelaide Convention Centre within a unique network of convention centres in the world that can authentically quantify corporate social responsibility and sustainability tests. The ACC team has inspired a number of initiatives in the community and consistently demonstrated commitment to adopting responsible environmental practices and promoting the need for more sustainable operations.”

Since 1987, EarthCheck has helped businesses, communities and governments to coordinate a more strategic approach to sustainable tourism and destination management by delivering clean, safe, prosperous and healthy destinations for travellers to visit, live, work and play. Most importantly everything that EarthCheck undertakes is underpinned by evidence based scientific data and performance based metrics. For further information visit EarthCheck.org.