UBM and the Environment
As a leading organiser of events all around the world we recognise the impacts that our business can have on the environment. We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint, and are proud to take the lead on raising environmental awareness at our events, by running events to share best practice in environmental matters, by reducing event waste and driving improvements in sustainability across all our event activities.
Core principle
Monitor and seek to reduce our impact on the environment.
Objectives
Identify and pursue targets for reduction of energy
consumption.
Continue to progress waste recycling initiatives.
Incorporate environmentally friendly features into new or refurbished offices.
Reduce paper usage and set minimum criteria for use of paper from sustainable sources.
Reduce emissions attributable to business travel.
Our principal environmental issues are energy usage, waste recycling, transport and paper sourcing and usage. We are focused on reducing energy usage and energy waste in the workplace and at events, and on improving recycling. Our employees are integral to achieving these aims and we are fostering a culture of environmental awareness and responsibility, with regular electronic communications and environmental awareness campaigns, the sharing of ideas and good practice on the UBM Wiki, and changes to the office environment, all of which have enhanced employee engagement to help us move towards a low carbon future.
Our monitoring process has begun at our largest UK office, Ludgate House – where over 75% of our UK workforce is based. We are looking to roll out the best practice from Ludgate House to the rest of the UBM network worldwide. Our people at Ludgate House helped us to achieve, for the third consecutive year, a record annual rate of recycling of total waste, up to 89% from 86% in 2008.
Ludgate House – Recycling
Electricity consumption at Ludgate House fell by 15.9% during the year, exceeding our target of 10% reduction, and has fallen by 49.1% since 2004. Gas consumption rose by 10.3% during the year, due mainly to a spike caused by the cold winter weather at the start and end of the year, while total carbon emissions at Ludgate House fell by 13.4% to 3,380 tCO2e (2008: 3,903 tCO2e).
Ludgate House – Electricity and gas usage
During 2009 UBM was runner-up in ‘Best Campaign’ at the Low Carbon Performance Awards, having previously won in 2007 and been shortlisted in 2008; UBM Live became the first major event organiser to be self-accredited on the BS8901 register for sustainable event management; and our purpose built Cheshire Oaks office, which we made as environmentally friendly as possible, was awarded a ‘very good’ Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (‘BREEAM’) rating – BREEAM is the code for sustainable buildings and is the most widely recognised environmental assessment method for sustainable building design. During 2010 UBM Live will be seeking to attain the BS8901 external accreditation.
Some of our businesses are particularly close to many of the key environmental issues facing us today, and in December 2009 our Build Environment division ran ‘Sustainability Now’, a free virtual event bringing together professionals working across architecture, engineering, quantity surveying, project management and construction to discuss, tackle and collaborate on sustainability issues in the built environment, focussing on techniques for designing new-build low carbon buildings as well as how best to tackle the huge challenge of refurbishing the UK’s existing stock of buildings.
We are consistently seeking to improve the environmental footprint of each event that we run through a variety of measures. Recent changes for example have seen teams either not using any floor coverings or, where they are used, using only recyclable carpets; using recyclable PVC banners; having online-only bookings and operations manuals and electronic Press Offices; working with venues to reduce energy and water usage; encouraging an awareness of, and a commitment to, improved environmental performance amongst suppliers, exhibitors and event sponsors, including ‘Green’ awards for event exhibitors. There are also a number of experiments engaged in reducing the number of printed and posted materials to ascertain if electronic-only versions will suffice.
