environmental sustainability in the singapore business...

Commissioned by Prepared by

November 2015

Environmental Sustainability in the

Singapore Business Events Industry

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ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE SINGAPORE BUSINESS EVENTS INDUSTRY

Contents

Contents ..................................................................................................................................... 1

Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... 3

Acronyms and Abbreviations ..................................................................................................... 4

1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 5

2. Background ........................................................................................................................ 7

2.1 Singapore and regional initiatives ............................................................................... 8

2.2 Exemplary green events ............................................................................................ 10

2.3 Singapore’s advantage as a green destination ......................................................... 13

2.4 Singapore’s national sustainability commitments .................................................... 18

3. Study Methodology.......................................................................................................... 21

4. Challenges in Realizing Sustainable Business Events ....................................................... 23

4.1 Venues ....................................................................................................................... 23

4.2 Hotels ........................................................................................................................ 24

4.3 Event organisers ........................................................................................................ 24

4.4 Suppliers .................................................................................................................... 26

5. Opportunities in Promoting Sustainability in the Business Events Industry ................... 27

5.1 Venues ....................................................................................................................... 27

5.2 Hotels ........................................................................................................................ 28

5.3 Event organisers ........................................................................................................ 29

5.4 Suppliers .................................................................................................................... 30

6. Best Practices in the Business Events Industry ................................................................ 33

6.1 Offering green event options (venues) ..................................................................... 33

6.2 Nature preservation during construction (venues and hotels) ................................ 33

6.3 Water conservation in building premises (venues and hotels) ................................ 34

6.4 Clean energy generation at the building (venues and hotels) .................................. 35

6.5 Reuse of waste heat (venues and hotels) ................................................................. 36

6.6 Good waste minimisation practices (venues and hotels) ......................................... 36

6.7 Upcycling event materials (event organisers) ........................................................... 37

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6.8 Green event management initiatives (event organisers) ......................................... 38

6.9 Sustainable food sourcing (food caterers) ................................................................ 38

6.10 Responsible procurement (any stakeholder) ............................................................ 39

7. Recommendations for Greening Business Events ........................................................... 40

7.1 Track and monitor the environment impact of business event activities ................ 40

7.2 Pursue green certification and comply with environmental standards ................... 42

7.3 Get support from senior management to promote sustainable practices ............... 42

7.4 Promote greater recognition and awareness for sustainability achievements ........ 43

7.5 Train the workforce to internalise sustainability ...................................................... 43

7.6 Increase government support for sustainability ....................................................... 44

8. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 45

References ............................................................................................................................... 47

Appendix 1. List of Green Mark-certified hotels and venues .................................................. 52

Appendix 2. List of establishments interviewed for this study ............................................... 55

Appendix 3. Venues considered for estimating carbon emissions from transport ................. 57

Index ......................................................................................................................................... 59

Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. 61

Credits ...................................................................................................................................... 62

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Executive Summary

Singapore is a well-established destination for business events, such as Meetings, Incentive Travel,

Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE). This MICE industry contributes about 1.1% of the country’s GDP.

In this report, we explore the environmental sustainability of this industry in Singapore and identify

areas of excellence, challenges and opportunities for industry stakeholders.

Environmental sustainability involves making decisions and taking actions that are in the interests of

protecting the natural world and preserving the capability of the environment to support human life.

Singapore currently has two major environmental advantages over other destinations in the region: a

clean electrical grid and low transport emissions. Furthermore, interest in environmental sustainability

is gaining ground in Singapore, with support from the government as well as industry stakeholders.

Current challenges to pursuing environmental sustainability in this industry include perceived

additional costs, low market demand for sustainable products and services, and lack of technology and

expertise. Nonetheless, there is growing market interest in sustainability.

Stakeholders involved in business events can secure an early competitive edge and serve the needs of

their clients by building a green reputation around their companies. We recommend tracking energy

consumption and waste production and pursuing eco-certifications like ISO 20121 for sustainable

events management or BCA Green Mark for green buildings.

With commitment and conviction, it is possible for any stakeholder to take steps towards reducing

resource use, mitigating the environmental impact of business events and achieving greater

environmental sustainability.

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Acronyms and Abbreviations

APEX Accepted Practices Exchange

ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials

BCA Building and Construction Authority

BEX Asia Build Eco Xpo Asia

COP Conference of Parties

EMA Energy Market Authority

EOSS Event Organisers Sector Supplement

F&B Food and Beverage

FSC Forest Stewardship Council

GDP Gross Domestic Product

GRI Global Reporting Initiative

ICCA International Congress and Convention Association

ISO International Organization for Standardization

JNTO Japan National Tourist Organization

MEWR Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources

MICE Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions and Exhibitions

MND Ministry of National Development

MSC Marine Stewardship Council

NCCS National Climate Change Secretariat

NEA National Environment Agency

SACEOS Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers

SHA Singapore Hotel Association

SIM University Singapore Institute of Management University

STB Singapore Tourism Board

TCEB Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme

UNFCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

UNWTO World Tourism Organization

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1. Introduction

Singapore has become a premier destination for business events or Meetings, Incentive Travel,

Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE). Ranked as Asia’s Top Convention City for the 13th consecutive year

in 2014 by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA, 2015); (STB, 2014a)),

Singapore is also recognised as the world’s top business events destination among the International

Meeting Countries, having won accolades over the years from the Union of International Associations

(STB, 2014a).

Worldwide, this industry is one of the fastest growing sectors within global tourism due to its potential

to increase economic engagement (UNWTO, 2012). It is also a high growth-potential sector in

Singapore. In 2012, the business events or MICE industry garnered a total revenue of over S$3.7 billion

in value added, which was 1.1% of Singapore’s gross domestic product that year (STB, 2014b).

However, the environmental impact from the tourism sector, including business tourism, is not trivial

and needs to be addressed. At the Davos International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism in

2007, a commissioned report estimated that global tourism contributed to 5% of global carbon dioxide

(CO2) emissions (UNWTO and UNEP, 2008).

To mitigate the environmental impacts of tourism, the concept of sustainable tourism has been

introduced (Gössling, 2002). Sustainable tourism is "tourism that takes full account of its current and

future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of delegates, the industry,

the environment and host communities". A related concept is green meetings or events which

incorporate environmental considerations to minimise its negative impact on the environment

(Convention Industry Council, 2010). Sustainable tourism development requires the involvement of all

relevant stakeholders, including tourists, and a strong political infrastructure (UNEP and UNWTO,

2005).

In Singapore, stakeholders in the business events industry have varying degrees of commitment and

readiness to support green events. Nonetheless, there is growing interest in environmental

sustainability from event organisers and delegates. As such, government and industry stakeholders

need to have an unwavering commitment to drive sustainability and retain Singapore’s attractiveness

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as a destination for business events. The local industry needs to continually assess industry-wide

sustainability capabilities and plan future roadmaps for more sustainable business events in Singapore.

The objective of this report is to review local business events sustainability practices, examine key

challenges that the industry faces in adopting sustainable operations and uncover opportunities that

lie ahead.

The organisation of this report is as follows: in the next section, we define the business events industry

and describe its economic significance in the Singapore context. We highlight some of the initiatives

that Singapore and regional destinations have implemented to improve sustainability as well as

Singapore’s infrastructural advantages. We then show how greening business events is in line with

Singapore’s broader national sustainability agenda. Section 3 details the study methodology. Section 4

reports challenges perceived by local industry stakeholders, while section 5 discusses opportunity areas.

In section 6, we examine best practices in the local business events industry. Finally, in section 7, we

formulate recommendations for the Singapore industry to reduce its environmental impact, thereby

maintaining Singapore’s leadership position in hosting business events.

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2. Background

In 2014, Singapore attracted 15.1 million visitors and registered S$23.6 billion of tourism receipts (STB,

2015). As informed by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), business events delegates made up about

20% of total international visitor arrivals in 2014 and generated an estimated revenue of S$5.2 billion

in business tourism receipts1 (STB, 2014b). This underlines the importance of the business events to

Singapore’s economy.

In its Sustainability Guidelines for the Singapore MICE Industry (STB, 2013), the Singapore Tourism Board

defines the MICE or business events industry as comprising of the following sectors:

Destination management companies

Association management companies

Venue or hotel management

Professional conference or exhibition organisers

Suppliers

o Booth contractors: Suppliers for booth design and construction

o Sub-contractors: Suppliers for event material requirements (e.g. pamphlets)

o Audio-visual (AV) contractors: Contractors that provide audio visual technical support

for business events

o Waste contractors: Suppliers for cleaning, waste disposal and/or recycling services for

business events

o Freight: Logistics service providers for trade fairs and exhibitions

o Food & Beverage (F&B): Independent caterers as well as in-house caterers at venues

o Passenger transport service providers: Shuttle bus and taxi operators, and car rental

companies

1 Excludes sightseeing, entertainment and gaming.

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Figure 1 below depicts key stakeholders in the business events ecosystem as well as its process flow.

Figure 1: The business events industry ecosystem

2.1 Singapore and regional initiatives

Singapore and its neighbouring countries have taken several measures to promote sustainable tourism

and green events.

Singapore’s government takes a wide-sweep approach, with several government agencies working

together to improve environmental sustainability. The MICE 2020 Roadmap (STB, 2014c) published by

STB emphasises the importance of environmental sustainability in the business events industry and

schedules funds for research and development in this area. STB also offers grants to companies that

play key supporting roles in local business events through its Tourism Capability Development Scheme

(STB, 2014d) and sharing know-how such as publishing the Sustainability Guidelines for the Singapore

MICE Industry2 (STB, 2013). The Singapore Building & Construction Authority (BCA) encourages green

2Download the guidelines at http://www.yoursingapore.com/content/mice/en/why-singapore/be-sustainable.html

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building practices for convention and exposition halls, event venues and hotels, and commits to make

80% of all buildings in Singapore Green Mark certified by 2030 (MEWR and MND, 2014). A 3R (Reduce,

Reuse, Recycle) Programme for Hotels, launched by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and

Singapore Hotel Association, promotes waste minimisation and recycling practices in the hotel industry

(NEA and SHA, 2011).

Some industry stakeholders have also been motivated to pursue sustainability initiatives. For example,

a number of hotels and venues around the world are committed to EarthCheck, Green Globe and

GreenBizCheck sustainability certification programmes. Singapore's Marina Bay Sands integrated resort

became the first venue in Southeast Asia to be ISO 20121 certified in 2014. The integrated resort also

hosted the Responsible Business Forum in 2013, the first event to adopt STB’s Sustainability Guidelines

for the Singapore MICE Industry which was launched that year (Careem, 2014).

Event organisers and suppliers are also providing more services to cater to green events in Singapore,

as witnessed in green meetings such as the aforementioned Responsible Business Forum in 2013, and

the Singapore Green Building Week in 2015 (see next section for event details).

The issue of environmental sustainability in the business events industry is gaining momentum in other

countries in Asia as well, such as Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and South Korea. Table 1 shows

a selection of initiatives that have been taken by these countries.

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Country / Territory Green Initiatives

Japan

Encourages energy conservation, waste and CO2 emission reduction and use of

eco-friendly products during events (JNTO, 2013).

Subsidises conferences that meet at least two-thirds of green business events

criteria (JNTO, 2013).

Thailand

Targeted 15% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the business events

sector between 2010-2012 (Royal Thai Embassy, 2010).

Subsidises 70% of consultancy fees for venues that adopt green certification

(TTGMICE, 2011).

Passenger carbon offset and green transportation projects (TCEB, 2014).

Malaysia Organises conferences to promote and implement sustainable business events

activities (Hamid, Ismail, Fuza, & Ahmad, 2013).

Hong Kong

Provides guidelines for green meetings including criteria for site selection, printed

and promotional materials, and food and beverages (Lau, 2009).

Certifies hotels that have green initiatives, e.g., Novotel-Hong Kong (EarthCheck,

Ecolabel and Ecocert) (TTGMICE, 2012).

Korea Promotes use of hybrid vehicles and renewable energy to make Jeju Island a

green business events destination (Hudoyo, 2010).

Table 1: Examples of regional initiatives in promoting sustainable business events.

2.2 Exemplary green events

There are many environmental sustainability practices in the running of business events. In this section,

we provide some examples, briefly summarising these practices and their demonstrated benefits.

Singapore Green Building Week, Singapore, 2015

The Singapore Green Building Week played host to various talks, dialogues as well as workshops on

green living and infrastructure through the International Green Building Conference and Build Expo Asia

Exhibition. The events, organised jointly by Building & Construction Authority (BCA) and Reed

Exhibitions, was held at Marina Bay Sands, a Green Mark Platinum-certified venue. The hall lights were

limited to 50% power during the event setup and 75% power during the event itself. To reduce the

energy demand for the amount of cooling required, air conditioning temperature for the exhibition

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halls were set at 25 degrees Celsius and delegates and trade visitors were advised to follow a “no coat,

no tie” dress code. Event lanyards were collected at exit points to be reused in future events. Finally,

unfinished breads were donated to charity wherever applicable (International Green Building

Conference, 2015).

Responsible Business Forum, Singapore, 2013

Acting as the event’s designated environmental auditor, the MCI Group tracked delegates’ carbon

emissions generated by transportation (including air travel) and energy consumption through Marina

Bay Sands’ energy usage monitoring system, as well as the event’s overall environmental sustainability

using a MeetGreen®3 calculator. Subsequently, the cumulative carbon emissions of the entire event

were offset with an investment of S$16,000 in a geothermal power project in Indonesia. To reduce

waste, conference bags and booklets were not provided, while signs, lanyards and badge holders were

made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved materials, recycled PET bottles or banana fibre.

The organisers used Marina Bay Sands’ sustainable event planning tool, the Sands ECO360° Meetings

Planning Tool4, to select environmentally friendly meeting options, such as providing water dispensers

and reusable glasses instead of bottled water and serving condiments in bulk rather than in individual

sachets. In addition, the event diverted 90% of its total waste generated by recycling 50% of it. MCI

Group’s event planning approach was also guided by the ISO 20121 sustainable events management

standard, which involved steps such as sustainability strategy planning, supplier engagement,

sustainable procurement, on-site audit and review of sustainability initiatives performance (MCI, 2013).

3 The MeetGreen® system is aligned with APEX-ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting standards, and evaluates compliance with over 150 best practices to measure environmental sustainability and determine an overall meeting sustainability score (MCI, 2013). 4 The Sands ECO360° Meetings Planning Tool offers meeting planners and clients with sustainable meeting options to achieve their green meeting goals (Marina Bay Sands, 2015a).

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UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum, Nairobi, Kenya, 2011

During this event, all working and information documents were accessible via the web, reducing the

use of paper by 85% and its accompanying carbon footprint of 15 tonnes worth of carbon emissions.

The event organisers implemented a “zero plastic” waste approach: drinking water was provided to

delegates in large dispensers and recyclable paper cups as well as reusable UN gift cups instead of

plastic bottles, avoiding the disposal of 8,000 to 10,000 plastic bottles. In addition, the venue selected

had undergone major greening processes such as improved water management (dual flush toilets and

recycling of greywater5 for irrigation), reduced energy consumption (efficient light bulbs in conference

rooms), and separation of waste for recycling and on-site composting. (UNEP, 2012).

Since no green accommodation or green transport were available, delegates were given a list of hotels

that were within walking distance to the event venue. To promote further awareness of the issue, the

event website as well as information stands and conference computers in the venue provided

information on environmentally sustainable practices. Following the meeting, a sustainability report

that included lessons learned and recommendations for the next meeting was published.

In addition to these three examples, the UNEP Sustainable Events Guide shares several success stories

of other sustainable business events around the world and their growing market acceptance. For

example, Oracle Corporation’s OpenWorld Conference in San Francisco (2009), Climate Change COP15

Sustainability in Copenhagen (2009) and International AIDS Conference in Vienna (2010) eliminated

printed collateral and opted for water refill stations instead of handing out single-use water bottles.

The International AIDS Conference and European Wind Energy Association’s annual event in Brussels

(2011) also distributed discounted public transport tickets to encourage guests to reduce their travel

carbon footprint. Climate Change COP17 in Durban (2011) constructed a Climate Smart Pavilion from

recycled plastic milk crates and bottles; these pavilion construction materials were reused after the

event, and solar and wind energy were used to power the structure (UNEP, 2012).

These cases exemplify how sustainable event management achieves cost savings and reduces material

and energy consumption. In essence, sustainable events are feasible if the business events industry

stakeholders involved commit to a long-term strategy for environmental accountability.

5 Greywater refers to untreated used water which has not come into contact with toilet waste. It includes used water from showers, bathtubs, wash basins and water from clothes-washing and laundry tubs.

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2.3 Singapore’s advantage as a green destination

In Asia, several destination cities offer amenities like world-class infrastructure, preferential air fares,

special rates for accommodation and transportation, and attractive convention venues. However, with

increasing awareness of sustainability among event organisers and delegates, the potential

environmental impact is emerging as a differentiating factor. As such, there is a significant push from

governments around the world to drive sustainable event management.

In this section, we examine the green potential of eight regional business events destinations by

comparing their carbon footprint for activities within the city, using a hypothetical test case of a three-

day business event with 100 delegates. We assume that the size of the venue is similar in every city and

each delegate uses taxis as the sole means of transportation for return travel between the airport and

the hotel, and return travel between the hotel and the event venue. Emissions due to air travel are not

included since the distribution of delegates’ origin countries can vary for different events. We then

calculate and compare the amount of CO2 (in kilograms) emitted from the venues and local

transportation in each city during the event.

Carbon emissions from energy consumption

Energy consumption from the delegates’ accommodation and venue usage leads to significant carbon

emissions (IMEX and MeetGreen, 2014). This can differ based on the type of fuels used to generate

electricity as well as the efficiency of the electrical grid (Brander, Sood, Wylie, Haughton, & Lovell,

2011). As such, we will also use the grid emission factor as a basis of comparison.

The grid emission factor is the measure of CO2 emission intensity per unit of electricity generated in the

grid system (in kg CO2/kWh). In essence, it indicates the amount of CO2 that is produced from

generating each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity. A lower grid emission factor would indicate a cleaner

electrical grid.

In Figure 2 below, we compare the grid emission factors of different cities in Asia. We assume that the

grid emission factor of a city is similar to the grid emission factor of the country it resides in. The data

on the grid emission factors of different business events destinations are obtained from reports

published by Institute of Global Environmental Strategies (Kuriyama, 2015) and Ecometrica (Brander,

Sood, Wylie, Haughton, & Lovell, 2011) in 2015 and 2011 respectively.

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Figure 2: Comparison of grid emission factors across different business events destinations in Asia.

Of all the business events destinations investigated, Singapore has the lowest grid emission factor and

the cleanest grid. One of the reasons for this is the use of natural gas instead of petroleum products to

power the grid. In Singapore, the share of natural gas in the fuel mix for electricity production has

increased from 74% in 2005 to 96% in 2015 (Energy Market Authority, 2015).

Figure 3 below shows the varying levels of carbon emissions from energy consumption across different

cities for our hypothetical three-day business events with 100 delegates. We assume a venue area of

3000 ft2 (279 m2) to host this event and a total energy consumption of 670 kWh (0.8 kWh per m2 per

day6) (BCA, 2014a).

6 Assuming an Energy Utilization Index of 272 kWh/m2/yr.

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

Singapore Bangkok Taipei KualaLumpur

Hong Kong Tokyo Beijing Shanghai

Gri

d E

mis

sio

n F

acto

r (K

gCO

2/kW

h)

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Figure 3: Comparison of total CO2 emissions from venues between different business events destinations in Asia.

While the energy consumption is the same, the amount of carbon emissions differs due to differences

in the grid emission factor. It follows naturally that Singapore, with the lowest grid emission factors,

has the smallest carbon footprint among the eight Asian business events destinations investigated.

Carbon emissions from local transport

The amount of carbon emissions from local or domestic transport depends on the distance travelled

by the delegates (between airport, place of accommodation, and event venue), mode of transport, and

congestion level of the city. In this report, we assume that the accommodation is located in the city

centre and that the event is held at a major convention centre in the city. Refer to Appendix 3 for the

list of convention centres considered for each city. We also assume that all delegates take only four

return taxi trips: one between the airport and the hotel, and three between the hotel and the

convention venue (one per day).

To calculate the generated CO2 per person, Google Maps was used to estimate the distance and time

taken to travel from the airport to the city centre on a Wednesday. As travel time varies with

congestion, we recorded samples of estimated travel time every four hours between 6am and 2am and

took the average travel time as our basis of comparison.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Singapore Bangkok Taipei Kuala Lumpur Hong Kong Tokyo Beijing Shanghai

CO

2Em

issi

on

(kg

)

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Figure 4 below compares the distance from each city’s airport to the city centre and Figure 5 on the

following page shows the average travel time (averaged over all the samples during a day) for a one-

way trip from the airport to the city centre.

Figure 4: Average distance between the airport and the city centre for different destinations in Asia.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Singapore Taipei Bangkok Beijing Hong Kong Shanghai Tokyo Kuala Lumpur

Dis

tan

ce (

km)

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Figure 5: Average travel time from the airport to the city centre in different cities.

To calculate the amount of carbon emissions, we first determine the average speed of a taxi trip from

the airport to the city centre, using data from Figure 4 and Figure 5. Then, we calculate the amount of

CO2 generated in kilograms per kilometre based on the determined average speed, as discussed in a

paper, Traffic Congestion and Greenhouse Gases (Barth & Boriboonsomsin, 2009). Finally, from the total

distance and the calculated CO2 per kilometre, we obtain the total CO2 generated for a two-way trip

between the city centre and the airport.

We assume that each traveller also makes a return journey from the accommodation to the event

venue on each of the three days during his stay. For each city, we calculate the CO2 emissions from the

trips between the city centre and all major business events venues, and take the average CO2 emission

amount among these trips for comparison. This calculation follows the same process as explained in

the paragraph above.

Figure 6 below shows the CO2 emission per person from local transport during our hypothetical

business event. According to this figure, Singapore is the best performing city, followed by Tokyo.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Singapore Taipei Bangkok Hong Kong Beijing Shanghai Tokyo Kuala Lumpur

Trav

el T

ime

(min

s)

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Figure 6: Average CO2 produced per person from local transportation during a business event.

Some performance indicator comparisons presented in this report may be affected by different local

contexts. For instance, in cities like Singapore, public transport is the most popular mode of

transportation. Public transportation emits lower amounts of CO2 per person-mile compared to taxi

travel. However, to keep the comparison fair and comparable across different cities, we use the same

mode of transport (i.e., taxi) in all the cities examined.

Based on this analysis, Singapore enjoys environmental sustainability advantages in terms of lower

electrical grid and transport emissions. This attests to Singapore’s performance leadership as a green

destination for business events.

2.4 Singapore’s national sustainability commitments

In Singapore, the push towards environmental sustainability is not exclusive to the business events

industry; this is in line with a broader nationwide vision.

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

50.0

Singapore Tokyo Taipei Bangkok Beijing Hong Kong Shanghai KualaLumpur

CO

2Em

issi

on

Per

Per

son

(kg

)

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Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 2015

In 2015, the Singapore government launched a roadmap with new initiatives and goals to guide the

nation in its pursuit of sustainability, with targets to be achieved by 2030 (MEWR and MND, 2014).

Singapore’s 2030 vision include targets such as:

• 35% increase in energy efficiency from 2005 levels

• Recycle 70% of all waste

• Reduce average water consumption to 140 litres per person per day

• Increase public transport utility to 70% of all trips

Climate change and Singapore

Singapore has started to implement climate change mitigation and energy efficiency measures to

reduce our carbon emissions by 7% to 11% from the 2020 business-as-usual levels (NCCS, 2012).

Recently, Singapore also submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

(UNFCCC), its intended targets of reducing its carbon intensity7 by 36% from 2005 levels by 2030 (NCCS,

2015).

To fulfil its commitment to attain the 2020 and 2030 carbon targets, the government has introduced

many initiatives (NCCS, 2015):

Environmental sustainability regulations under the Building Control Act

Energy Conservation Act that requires large-scale commercial premises to have energy

management measures

Grants for promoting the adoption of energy efficient technologies

Building & Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark certification for buildings

Mandatory energy performance standards and labelling for household appliances

Carbon Emissions-based Vehicle Scheme that incentivises the purchase of vehicles with lower

carbon emissions

Business events industry stakeholders can participate in the above initiatives and influence their

suppliers, peers and clients to achieve Singapore’s carbon emission targets by 2020 and 2030.

7 Emissions Intensity refers to the amount of greenhouse gas emitted per dollar GDP.

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Green Mark-certified buildings

The buildings (hotels and venues) where business events take place have a substantial impact on

environmental sustainability. Making sure that these buildings operate in an environmentally friendly

manner is one of the best ways to reduce waste and carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency.

In 2005, BCA introduced the Green Mark benchmarking system to rate buildings according to five key

criteria (BCA, 2015a):

Energy efficiency

Water efficiency

Environmental protection

Indoor environmental quality

Other green features that improve eco-friendliness

Today, other countries – notably, China and Malaysia – use the BCA ratings system as well. New

buildings in Singapore are designed with environmental sustainability from the start and Singapore aims

for 80% of its buildings to be at least BCA Green Mark certified by 2030 (MEWR and MND, 2014). More

business events venues and hotels have recognised and are working towards achieving the Green Mark

certification, as can be seen in Appendix 1.

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3. Study Methodology

To understand the challenges, opportunities, and best practices among local industry stakeholders for

greening business events, interviews were conducted. Stakeholders interviewed include venues, hotels,

event organisers, and suppliers who specifically target the business events audience and directly

influence the environmental impact of activities surrounding business events.

We reviewed the list of members in the Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers

and Suppliers (SACEOS) and the STB’s network of business events players and selected the following

stakeholders to interview:

i. Venues – Five of the major business events venues, as listed in YourSingapore8 website

ii. Hotels – Hotels which had and had not earned the Green Mark certification

iii. Event organisers – Professional exhibition/conference/trade fair organisers

iv. Suppliers – From the interviews with selected venues, hotels, and organisers, we learnt of

and contacted their suppliers, e.g. food caterers (in-house and independent), booth

contractors, and waste contractors

Face-to-face interviews and e-mail correspondences were conducted with the following stakeholders

to identify environmental areas of concern and accountability:

Two (2) Venues, three (3) Venue-hotels and three (3) Hotels

Seven (7) Event organisers

Eight (8) Suppliers, and separately,

Four (4) Food caterers

Appendix 2 reveals a complete list of industry stakeholders interviewed.

8 YourSingapore is the destination brand for Singapore launched by the Singapore Tourism Board in 2010. The website is at www.yoursingapore.com.

http://www.yoursingapore.com/

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For each interview, the discussion focused on the following topics:

i. Key operations, processes or activities in their supply chain that have a significant

environmental impact;

ii. Possible actions on their part that can influence their operations and partners in their supply

chain;

iii. Challenges preventing the adoption of sustainable practices;

iv. Successful implementation of sustainable practices by the company and the motivations

behind them;

v. Their perception of market demand for green business events;

vi. Awareness of their industry’s (peer) efforts on sustainability;

vii. Types of assistance or support that can help them promote greener business events.

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4. Challenges in Realizing Sustainable Business Events

In this section, we report challenges faced by industry stakeholders in a bid to be more sustainable. This

information is based on available literature as well as the collective input of stakeholders from the

interviews that were conducted.

4.1 Venues

Challenges for venues

Lack of event impact monitoring capability

Low market take-up of green event packages

No control over the waste practices of organisers and delegates

Lack of event impact monitoring capability

Not many venues are equipped to track their resource use (electricity consumption and waste

production). Venue managers shared that organisers do not normally ask for event impact reports and

are unsure if they will review such reports sent to them. Some venues are equipped to measure their

entire facility or entire floors but not individual halls, and measurement methods employed may not

be reliable. As such, it is not easy to estimate energy consumption accurately for individual events.

(Arup , 2012)

Low market take-up of green event packages

Some venues experience low take-up rates for green events. They believe that clients assume that they

cost more, or that they consist of lower quality products and services if they are cost-neutral. From

their point of view, sustainability is not yet a top concern for their clients.

No control over the waste practices of organisers and delegates

Venue managers have observed that most business event delegates do not make a conscious effort to

utilise recycling bins correctly, leading to a move away from the bins entirely or simply leaving them as

marketing tools and resorting to back-end waste sorting to recycle effectively. The venues believe that

delegates are not familiar with proper waste segregation practices and need to be better educated in

this regard. Organisers also often mistake cleaning costs for waste management costs, and execute

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their events with little consideration for waste management. Venue managers feel that they have very

little influence on delegates and organisers regarding waste management.

4.2 Hotels

Challenges for hotels

Green Mark certification difficulties

Green Mark certification difficulties

The BCA Green Mark certification is highly recognised in Singapore as the gold standard for green

buildings. However, many older hotels have difficulties meeting the certification criteria as it requires

them to make structural overhauls that are cost-prohibitive, logistically difficult for hotels situated in

dense central city locations, and may render parts of the building out of commission during

reconstruction. Respondents also mentioned that the cost of attaining the Green Mark certification is

too high. It is challenging for hotels to pursue this eco-certification, especially for smaller companies

with limited resources or lack senior management buy-in for Green Mark certification.

4.3 Event organisers

Challenges for event organisers

Dependent on venue for sustainable operations and practices

Clients – delegates and exhibitors – are unwilling to pay for green events

Little to no control over clients’ demands

Do not see business value add from investing in sustainability in Asia

Difficulties finding and working with suppliers for sustainable practices

Dependent on venue for sustainable operations and practices

Event organisers feel that there is not much they can do on their part in terms of sustainability, and

that this depends mostly on the capabilities and facilities of the venue. For instance, energy efficiency

depends on the efficiency of the lighting and air-conditioning. Moreover, organisers are not able to

track resource use during an event as this capability relies on the infrastructure of the venue and

building itself. Waste streaming will also only be possible if the necessary bins are provided by the venue

in the first place.

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In addition, according to event organisers, there are no benefits for them to implement sustainability

measures like event energy audits or waste management for individual events. In their view, venues

stand more to gain as they can offer the facilities and capabilities for future events. Organisers have

also stated that they do not have the required expertise or necessary equipment, and that they are

unable to dedicate anyone exclusively to look into sustainability efforts due to manpower constraints.

Only one organiser (out of 6) interviewed has dedicated sustainability personnel and, to their

knowledge, they are the only organiser showing their commitment to sustainability in this manner.

Clients are unwilling to pay for green events

Respondents reflected that many exhibitors and delegates have expressed interest in taking up

sustainable options but are unwilling to foot additional costs, as their main priorities lie in creating

business opportunities and establishing networks. For instance, when it comes to exhibition booth

design, storage and aesthetics take precedence over sustainability. Exhibitors are less likely to invest in

sustainability for one-off events. It is also not a common industry practice for clients to request event

impact statements. Organisers agree that in general, the awareness of sustainability is not high in

Singapore.

Little or no control over clients’ demands

Delegates attending business events have high expectations of luxury when travelling to developed

countries such as Singapore. Some of these expectations like 24-hour air-conditioning and disposable

water bottles are at odds with sustainability. Organisers say that they can advise their clients but cannot

compel them to go green. Organisers also think that expecting all delegates to comply with

sustainability practices is asking too much of their clients.

Do not see business value-add from investing in sustainability in Asia

Organisers say that the concept of sustainability is not yet mature in the Asian market. Green

certifications are expensive and offer little value add to their business as market demand is too low to

warrant the investment. They are willing to take small steps towards sustainability as long as the

measures are not cost-prohibitive, but are unwilling to engage consultants for impact measurement

and advice on the issue, as there are no external incentives or assistance to help them become greener.

Organisers feel that Singapore could benefit from learning from other countries when it comes to

enforcing sustainability legislation, citing Germany as an example where the government enforces

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sustainability laws that affect every industry. Finally, organisers also expressed concerns over the

quality and reliability of green labels and eco-certifications.

Difficulties finding and working with suppliers for sustainable practices

Organisers are able to find greener suppliers if needed. However, aside from the additional cost, they

feel that forging new working relationships will introduce unnecessary hassle. Organisers also say that

operational limitations hinder sustainable practices. For instance, they are only given a small time

window to move out after their events, as venue owners will charge them if they continue to occupy

the venue space after this period. This makes it difficult for them and their suppliers to carry out

attempts at proper waste management.

4.4 Suppliers

Challenges for suppliers

Inadequate time to carry out sustainable practices during/after events

Lack of preparedness in offering sustainable products and services

Lack of incentive to reuse exhibition booth materials

Inadequate time to carry out sustainable practices during/after events

As mentioned in the previous subsection, event organisers and their suppliers such as booth

contractors and freight forwarders only have a short time window to move out of the venue, making it

difficult to carry out proper waste sorting.

Lack of preparedness in offering sustainable products and services

Sustainable products and services may not be as cost-competitive as regular options. On top of that,

the low demand for green events in Singapore makes it difficult for suppliers to promote them to clients.

Lack of incentive to reuse exhibition booth materials

Booth contractors and exhibitors rarely reuse exhibition booth materials as high land rental costs in

Singapore make it cost ineffective to store and reuse exhibition booths and collateral. Moreover, the

materials required to produce new booths can be acquired cheaply from neighbouring countries. In

addition, it is uncertain whether stored booths will be reused in future, as exhibitors’ needs may change.

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5. Opportunities in Promoting Sustainability in the Business Events

Industry

During the interviews, stakeholders also collectively identified many opportunities in promoting

sustainability. Aside from lowering resource use and costs, other motivations to pursue sustainable

practices include risk mitigation and branding for greater competitive advantage.

5.1 Venues

Opportunities for venues

Track and report facilities energy consumption for event

Select waste contractors based on recycling capability

Practice back-of-house waste sorting

Capture demand for greener venues

Track and report facilities energy consumption for events

Monitoring energy consumption of individual areas can help venues identify potential areas of

improvement for themselves as well as their clients, the event organisers. Organisers are typically

charged a flat fee for electricity use at the venue, and have no incentive to reduce their energy

consumption. Many clients are also unaware of their energy usage and its associated costs and

environmental impact. Tracking and reporting energy consumption for lighting and air conditioning

usage can encourage organisers to save electricity, more so if venues charge clients based on electricity

usage. Venues that do not have sub-meters to monitor electricity use in individual event halls can

estimate energy consumption using simpler electricity usage calculations by floor area.

Select waste contractors based on recycling capability

Selecting a waste contractor with recycling capabilities is an effective way to reduce waste. Venues and

hotels that have greater sustainability performance hired waste contractors based on the contractors’

recycling capabilities, such as material recovery facilities, which sort through the waste to recover

recyclables and avoid landfilling.

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Practice back-of-house waste sorting

Venues can sort recyclables, oil waste and food waste in back-of-house operations and implement a

circular economy where waste is productively reused or repurposed. Food waste can be diverted to

food waste digesters and waste cooking oil can be converted to biofuel.

Capture demand for greener venues

Green venues stand to gain from growing market interest and the nationwide push towards green

events. For instance, under the 3rd Green Building Masterplan initiatives, government-run events and

functions have to be held in Green Mark-certified venues (BCA, 2014b).

To incorporate sustainability in their operations, venues can consider working with consultancy. For

instance, Marina Bay Sands worked with MCI to integrate the ISO 20121 Event Sustainability

Management System for the Sands ECO360° meeting programme and their daily operations (MCI,

2014a). MCI also provides training sessions for businesses to facilitate the adoption of sustainability

practices in the business events industry.

5.2 Hotels

Opportunities for hotels

Capture demand for greener hotels

Capture demand for greener hotels

Organisers can recommend hotels that have received the Singapore Green Hotel Award or the BCA

Green Mark Certification to exhibitors and delegates. As such, pursuing green certification or green

awards can help hotels stand out to attract eco-conscious delegates.

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5.3 Event organisers

Opportunities for organisers

Can influence the sustainability aspects of an event

Capture demand for greener events

Recommend green accommodation options

Discourage bottled water use to reduce plastic waste

Can influence the sustainability aspects of an event

As event organisers bring many industry stakeholders together and directly influence event operations,

they have the opportunity to share and promote best practices like energy conservation, waste

reduction and separation. Organisers can raise awareness about environmental sustainability among

clients and suppliers by offering green event options and by making sustainability requirements known

to suppliers through the Request for Proposals or tendering process, as suggested in the APEX/ASTM

Environmentally Sustainable Meeting Standards (ASTM International, 2011). In addition, organisers can

request event impact statements (estimates of electricity usage, waste generated and other such

environmental impacts) from venues. This would allow organisers and venues to uncover opportunities

for further improvements, and motivate more venues to implement environmental tracking and

sustainable processes.

Capture demand for greener events

The worldwide sustainability movement, coupled with Singapore’s attractiveness as a global business

events destination, will see growing demand for green events by international exhibitors who may be

more eco-conscious. In line with the nation’s commitment to sustainability, eco-friendly practices such

as energy efficiency and waste reduction are being encouraged. This is also made feasible with the

multitude of resources available, such as The Complete Guide to Greener Meetings and Events

(Goldblatt & Goldblatt, 2011), UNEP Sustainable Events Guide (UNEP, 2012) and the Sustainability

Guidelines for the Singapore MICE Industry (STB, 2013).

Recommend green accommodation options

Some organisers stated in the interviews that recommending green hotels in their event packages to

delegates and exhibitors is a simple and important gesture in showing their support for sustainability.

As mentioned in Section 5.2, organisers can promote local hotels that have received the Singapore

Green Hotel Award or the BCA Green Mark Certification.

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Discourage bottled water use to reduce plastic waste

To reduce plastic waste and conserve resources, event organisers can provide guests with viable

alternatives such as water jugs or water dispensers as well as biodegradable cups or reusable glasses.

Several interviewees mentioned that overseas guests are not confident of tap water quality in

Singapore, hence the preference for bottled water. Organisers can allay these fears and raise awareness

of environmental sustainability by publicising the need to minimise waste as well as the safety of

Singapore tap water, which is well within the guidelines for drinking water quality set by the World

Health Organisation (PUB, 2014).

5.4 Suppliers

Opportunities for suppliers

For booth contractors: promote green exhibition booth designs and practices

For caterers: food waste management

For general suppliers: reduce packaging waste

For booth contractors: promote green exhibition booth designs and practices

Some exhibitors are starting to request for “eco-booths” in Singapore. For example, at BEX Asia 2015,

the Singapore Green Building Council requested eco-friendly booths built with responsibly sourced

materials such as compressed wood and reusable plastic boxes, and then stored and reused these

booths at other local exhibitions. In Europe, it is common to construct modular booths, which can be

taken apart, instead of single fixed units. This allows organisers to configure their booths to suit the

floor and height requirements of different venues, making them reusable. An STB-commissioned booth

design project at the Singapore University of Technology and Design led to the creation of ModuGrid,

a custom booth concept which balances customers’ needs, practicality and sustainability. ModuGrid

features panels and connectors made from cardboard that can be assembled in various ways, as seen

in Figure 7.

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Figure 7: Prototype of ModuGrid eco-booth design

Apart from creating and promoting innovative booth construction ideas to their clients, booth suppliers

can also consider using eco-friendly materials such as recycled wood instead of virgin wood, and

actively encourage exhibitors to store and reuse their booths.

Booth contractors can have their waste sub-contractors send waste wood to recycling plants in

Singapore or in Malaysia. In fact, NEA has, since 1 October 2013, been prohibiting the disposal of

recyclable wood waste at the incineration plants in Singapore (NEA, 2013). The onus lies on booth

contractors to enquire about the fate of booth materials after disposal, to ensure that the waste wood

from their operations and products is handled responsibly and recycled.

For caterers: food waste management

Food waste can be fed to food waste digesters and waste cooking oil can be recycled. The 3R Fund by

NEA has financially supported on-site food waste digesters at several hotels, which demonstrates the

growing culture of food waste management (MEWR and NEA, 2015). Caterers can also work with

companies like Alpha Biofuels to reduce oil waste: 18.5% of used cooking oil can be recovered and

potentially recycled into biofuels (Alpha Biodiesel Fact Sheet).

For general suppliers: reduce packaging waste

Suppliers are encouraged to join the Singapore Packaging Agreement and make effort to reduce

packaging to minimise waste. The Singapore Packaging Agreement is a joint initiative by the

government, industry and non-governmental organisations to reduce packaging waste in Singapore.

Under this initiative, signatories which make notable achievements and contributions towards the

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reduction, reuse or recycling of packaging waste would stand to receive the 3R Packaging Awards.

Suppliers may consider the following practices to reduce packaging waste and cut costs (NEA, 2013):

Eliminating unnecessary packaging and additional packaging layers where feasible

Recycling used packaging materials such as shrink wrap and brown packaging paper

Installing an on-site waste crusher that can compact accumulated waste (once sorted), thereby

facilitating recycling and reducing the space required for waste storage

Supplying goods using reusable and durable crates and pallets

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6. Best Practices in the Business Events Industry

In this section, we highlight the best practices and projects of local industry stakeholders who have had

notable success in promoting environmental sustainability.

6.1 Offering green event options (venues)

At Sands Expo and Convention Centre, as part of the cost neutral Sands ECO360° meeting programme,

a Green Meeting Concierge service advises clients on sustainable meeting options, such as providing

water dispensers instead of bottled water to reduce plastic waste. Local, organic and sustainable food

options, Harvest Menu, are offered to allow event owners to consider healthier options and reduce the

environmental impact of importing food from far-flung locations, reducing food miles9 and lowering

the emission of greenhouse gases during transportation (Marina Bay Sands, 2015a).

The package also includes a post-event sustainability report that details the event’s energy and water

consumption, carbon footprint and waste recycling rate. Each floor of the venue is sub-metered,

allowing energy usage to be tracked more accurately (Marina Bay Sands, 2015a). Event impact

statements allow the venue management and event organisers to collaborate and identify process

improvements to reduce impact in the future. Highlighting this impact to other stakeholders, such as

delegates, would also create awareness and encourage them to go green.

6.2 Nature preservation during construction (venues and hotels)

Buildings can be constructed around natural features to avoid deforestation. For instance, Resorts

World Sentosa carried out tree conservation exercise, transplanting 200 mature trees at various parts

of the resort grounds instead of cutting them down during construction. The trees that do get cut down

were reused within the resort (Resorts World Sentosa, 2015).

Siloso Beach Resort too built its hotel structures around over 200 adult trees on the premises (Siloso

Beach Resort, 2014). Construction workers were trained and frequently reminded with signs placed on

the trees, and micro bore piling was used to reduce vibrations that would affect the trees’ roots. Inside

the high-end villas, trees are allowed to grow in the rooms through holes in the floors and ceilings, and

9 Food miles is a factor of measurement of fuel used and resulting carbon emissions for transport of a food item from the producer to the consumer.

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adjustments are made every six months to accommodate new growth. This creates a unique aesthetic

display for guests while preserving nature (NCCS, 2013a).

6.3 Water conservation in building premises (venues and hotels)

Water is conserved in several ways. Resorts World Sentosa collects rainwater and condensate water

from air-conditioning systems to irrigate landscapes. It stores the harvested water in an eco-lagoon the

size of 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools (Resorts World Sentosa, 2015). In Marina Bay Sands, the Art

Science Museum rooftop and the Rain Oculus water feature are used for rainwater collection. The

rainwater is used to flush the building’s toilets and for part of the water features inside the building

(Marina Bay Sands, 2015c).

Figure 4: Trees encased in glass within villas at Siloso Beach Resort (NCCS, 2013a)

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Similarly, at PARKROYAL on Pickering Hotel, roof surfaces collect rainwater for landscape irrigation by

gravity feed, with a drip irrigation system used to optimise water consumption. Collection tanks are

used to hold reserves, which are supplemented with non-potable NEWater10 during periods of dry

weather. All landscaped areas are also fitted with water sensors which cease irrigation when a minimum

water level has been detected, to prevent wastage (NCCS, 2013b). Holiday Inn Express Singapore Clarke

Quay also utilises the reclaimed NEWater for its cooling towers to diversify its water source, thereby

reducing demand of potable water for their building operations.

6.4 Clean energy generation at the building (venues and hotels)

Resorts World Sentosa houses one of Singapore’s largest photovoltaic (PV) installations. This S$3.6

million rooftop system can generate 550 megawatt hours of electricity per year, which is enough to

power 108 four-room flats in Singapore (Resorts World Sentosa, 2015). Likewise, PARKROYAL at

Pickering has a 60-kilowatt PV solar power generator to supplement grid electricity usage and power

the sky gardens’ night lighting and plant growth lamps (NCCS, 2013b).

10 NEWater is high-grade reclaimed water produced from treated used water that is purified using advanced membrane technologies (PUB, 2015).

Figure 5: Rainwater harvesting features at Marina Bay Sands- Rain Oculus and Art Science Museum (Marina Bay Sands, 2015c)

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6.5 Reuse of waste heat (venues and hotels)

When Grand Hyatt Singapore's old diesel boilers were due for replacement, its decision to improve its

overall energy efficiency gave rise to the world's first retrofitted trigeneration plant. By operating on

gas, the system avoids energy loss associated with the transport of electricity, and traps and uses waste

heat from energy generation that is normally lost. Waste heat produces hot water and steam via the

hybrid boiler, dehumidifying the air. This trigeneration plant produces up to 30 per cent of the hotel's

own electricity needs, and reduces overall energy consumption by about 10 to 12 per cent. This

translates to a reduction of carbon emissions by approximately 720 metric tonnes per year (NUS, 2012).

6.6 Good waste minimisation practices (venues and hotels)

Many venues and hotels manage their waste by repurposing or recycling. At Siloso Beach Resort,

leftover food from the kitchen (excluding meat, cooked food and acidic food items) is composted using

earthworms. The resulting fertilizer is then used in its organic rooftop garden. Hotels such as Marina

Bay Sands, Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford have installed on-site food digesters and

have trained staff on waste sorting practices to recycle the food waste generated in their premises.

Venues like Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre, Sands Expo and Convention Centre and Raffles City

Convention Centre work with Alpha Biofuels, a company that recycles waste vegetable cooking oil into

biofuel. This practice reduces oil waste and cost. The Westin Singapore, a hotel, also partners with

Alpha Biofuels to recycle waste cooking oil into biodiesel to power its limousines. This blend of biodiesel

Figure 6: Solar installations can be found in Universal Studio Singapore®’s Ancient Egypt Zone. TM & © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. (Resorts World Sentosa, 2015)

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emits less CO2 than ultra-low sulphur diesel, and saves the hotel the cost of hiring a waste management

firm to dispose of its waste oil. Its estimated 7,800 kg of waste cooking oil produced annually can

generate enough biodiesel to fuel over 150,000 kilometres of mileage on its limousines (Eco-business,

2014).

Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre, Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Raffles City Convention

Centre and Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre engage waste contractors that have

substantial recycling capabilities, in line with Singapore’s aim to recycle 70% of all waste by 2030.

Another initiative by Marina Bay Sands is the collection and donation of leftover liquid soap and

shampoo from its hotel rooms to charity instead of being disposed as was done during the Responsible

Business Forum 2013 (MCI, 2013).

6.7 Upcycling event materials (event organisers)

At the World Cities Summit and Singapore International Water Week 2014, event organiser Experia

Events repurposed carpet tubes11 to create benches and mobile charging stations at the event venue.

Post-event, Experia also recycled event banners into bags that were donated to charity. These initiatives

are exemplary instances of creative material upcycling12 and helped the event organiser to stand out in

a saturated market by generating media publicity.

11 Carpet tubes are the cylindrical cores that carpets are packaged with to ease storage and transport. 12 Upcycling is the recycling of discarded objects to create a product of better environmental value.

Figure 7: Photo from Alpha Biofuels of limousines using recycled oil as fuel at The Westin Singapore (Eco-business, 2014)

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6.8 Green event management initiatives (event organisers)

MCI, Experia and Reed Exhibitions have displayed their capability in hosting events with sustainable

event measures such as Responsible Business Forum 2013, Singapore International Water Week 2014

and Singapore Green Building Week 2015. Examples of some of the sustainable events have been

highlighted in section 2.2 of this report. Organisers are endeavouring to act as communication channel

to exhibitors also to encourage them to demand for environmental friendly alternatives. Singapore

Exhibition Services and MCI have made attempts to influence the exhibitors by sharing sustainable

exhibition guidelines with them that encourage adoption of measures such as opting for LED lighting,

environmental friendly paint and floor coverings, alternative materials for booth construction, use of

reusable materials instead of disposables, etc. Additionally, to reduce waste generated at events, Reed

exhibitions, UBM Asia and MCI encourage having e-directory instead of booklets, no plastic casing for

identity cards, recycling lanyards where possible, use of recycled covers or signage, online Exhibitor

Manuals, etc.

6.9 Sustainable food sourcing (food caterers)

The market for sustainably sourced food is growing (Boh, 2015). To address this demand, caterers like

Indoguna, Global Oceanlink, and Lee Fish have received the Chain of Custody certification from the

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), indicating that their entire logistic chain adheres to MSC’s strict

standards. Overfishing is prevented at the source and every single product is traceable to an MSC-

certified fishery (World Wide Fund, 2014). These companies supply sustainably sourced seafood to

establishments such as Marina Bay Sands, Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford. Other

Figure 8: Benches and mobile charging stations created from repurposed carpet tubes [Photo: Experia Events]

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hotels like the Hilton and Grand Hyatt have also received certification from MSC for serving sustainable

seafood at several of their restaurants.

6.10 Responsible procurement (any stakeholder)

Several hotels such as Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford work closely with their suppliers

to source food sustainably and reduce packaging waste. With this strong signal from their clients,

suppliers to these hotel-venues have greater motivation to adopt more sustainable practices. Similarly,

Marina Bay Sands’ sustainable purchasing policy provides guidelines to its vendors, encourages them

to provide solutions, materials and goods that are eco-friendly and sustainably sourced. MCI, an event-

organiser, has been focusing on engaging their supply chain to come on board their sustainability

strategy through Supplier Code of Conduct compliance requirement (for suppliers to become preferred

suppliers) and sustainability workshops for suppliers. The local procurement and Sustainability teams

of MCI are involved in rolling out this initiative in respective markets (MCI, 2014b). By following their

lead, stakeholders mitigate their environmental impact along the entire supply chain.

Figure 9: Logo for MSC certified sustainable seafood (Marine Stewardship Council, 2015)

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7. Recommendations for Greening Business Events

Environmental sustainability is key to Singapore’s continued attractiveness as a business events

destination. The local industry needs to be ready to respond to global demand for more sustainable

tourist destinations and greener events, which is driven by a growing market of environmentally

conscious customers. In this section, we recommend six measures that business events industry

stakeholders and government agencies can take to integrate sustainability into the industry.

Recommendations for greening business events

Track and monitor the environment impact of business event activities

Pursue green certification and comply with environmental standards

Get support from senior management to promote sustainability practices

Promote greater recognition and awareness for sustainability achievements

Train the workforce to internalise sustainability

Increase government support for sustainability

7.1 Track and monitor the environment impact of business event activities

The fundamental notion of environmental management is that one cannot manage what is not

measured; without tracking, there is inadequate understanding of the extent of impact and inability to

measure the effectiveness of solutions. During the course of this study, we found a lack of data and

information about the environmental impact of business events activities in Singapore. Only a few

venues have the ability to compile event impact statements. This limits understanding of environmental

impacts within the business events industry.

Tracking generates tangible data to help stakeholders realise the degree of the impact and take

corrective action. Tracking also justifies the organisation’s sustainable actions to its stakeholders. Some

examples of parameters in need of tracking are shown in Table 3.

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Area of Concern Parameters Tracked by Requested by

Food and oil waste Number of bins Caterer Organiser

Waste diversion rate Waste contractor’s diversion rate

Estimated diversion rate for venue

Waste

contractor

Venue or Organiser

Venue hall electricity use

(for lighting and air

conditioning)

Data from Building Management

system, or estimation of lights and

HVAC electricity use for the venue

hall.

Venue Organiser

Electricity for operations

or offices

Electricity and waste bills that are

received should be documented and

tracked for analysis.

All Upstream business

events stakeholders in

supply chain

Table 3: Examples of proposed environmental parameters to be tracked

Tracking is the first step to mitigate environmental impacts, optimize operations and accrue cost

savings. As evident from Table 3, different organisations benefit from tracking and analysing different

data. For example, tracking food waste can lead to a change in orders placed to conserve food and

financial resources. Food and Beverage caterers can estimate if investing in a waste food digester

instead of hiring a waste management company would benefit their business. Tracking the waste

diversion rate helps in resource recovery and creates opportunities for the organisation to gain

commendation and publicity for their efforts. Tracking electricity data highlights areas in need of

maintenance or retrofitting to conserve energy and cut costs while also reducing carbon footprint.

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has published sustainability reporting guidelines for organizations

to improve economic, environmental, and social performance. Event organisers can refer to the GRI

Event Organisers Sector Supplement (EOSS) for qualitative and quantitative information on their

sustainability performance (Global Reporting Initiative, 2012). Some examples of environmental

performance indicators are the percentage of materials used that are recycled, energy consumption by

primary energy source, and waste by type and disposal method.

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7.2 Pursue green certification and comply with environmental standards

Standardised certifications allow buyers to compare goods and services and corporations to understand

where they stand in terms of sustainability performance. Clients in the U.S, Europe and Australia

especially recognise standards such as ISO 20121 for sustainable events management, APEX/ASTM

Environmentally Sustainable Meeting standards and EarthCheck 13 (Alderton, 2014). BCA offers

incentives for Green Mark certification for buildings. Suppliers can consider green certifications such as

Green Freight Asia certification (energy efficient transport), Green Labelling (sustainable procurement),

and Marine Stewardship Council certification (sustainable seafood sources). It is acknowledged that the

pursuit of eco-certifications may require higher financial resources than what some companies can

allocate, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. In such cases, it is recommended that the

company take initiatives to carry out feasibility study for the eco-certificate and not rely on perception

of cost. The company can delay attainment of the certificate while initiating action plans for eco-

transformation of its products and services. When all of the eco-certification requirements have been

fulfilled, the certification can be applied for and attained in a shorter amount of time in the future.

7.3 Get support from senior management to promote sustainable practices

Green venue owners emphasised that the vision and policies of top management provided the impetus

for their sustainability practices. Support from the top management was essential in motivating

operational changes and influencing employees to strive for better environmental performance. For

instance, department managers had their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) linked to sustainability

measures. With employees actively doing their part in making operations sustainable, the business

events industry will be able to sustain green businesses in the long run. This requires continual training

and tangible support for all staff. Management buy-in is also needed to exert influence over their

suppliers. This would enhance their brand image as a holistic and environmentally responsible company

that takes steps to reduce impact across the supply chain and not solely within its operations.

Therefore, senior management needs to establish a company culture that embraces sustainability

throughout the value chain and not only as an afterthought.

13 The EarthCheck Responsible Meetings and Events Tool sets out the criteria to meet reporting requirements under the ISO 20121 Events Sustainability Management Systems (Earthcheck, 2015).

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7.4 Promote greater recognition and awareness for sustainability achievements

During our stakeholder interviews, a few business events industry stakeholders have said that they

were not aware of many of the steps their peers in the industry have taken with regards to sustainability

and suggested that greater media coverage on sustainability performance would be welcome. This

serves as a marketing tool for business events stakeholders who have adopted green operations and

increases market understanding and appreciation for the green movement in the business events

industry. Business events stakeholders who have not pursued sustainable operations would then see

the value of going green and follow in their footsteps. More intensive and credible media coverage for

green business events initiatives will further educate the public and influence stakeholders to push for

greener initiatives in the business events industry as well. To encourage the business events industry’s

participation in the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 2015 to reduce carbon emissions, the government,

industry associations and non-governmental organisations can consider periodically promoting

environmental commitments or achievements by the business events industry to the media and the

public.

7.5 Train the workforce to internalise sustainability

A paradigm change is needed to create a more sustainable society. Integrating sustainability awareness

in education and training event organisers and building facilities managers to quantify and address

environmental impacts will inculcate a strong appreciation of sustainability in the workforce. This will

not be an uphill battle; our interviews have indicated that business events stakeholders perceive the

younger generations to be increasingly more aware and interested in sustainability.

For example, BCA, SIM University and Singapore Polytechnic jointly offer a Bachelor of Science in Events

and Sustainable Facilities Management programme that trains future business events professionals to

manage green events and buildings and implement green practices proactively (BCA, SIM University

and Singapore Polytechnic, 2010). Government agencies and/or industry consortiums can also consider

holding an annual challenge for tertiary students to explore innovations in green event management.

Business events stakeholders involved can also benefit from gaining public exposure and potential

employees from such initiatives.

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7.6 Increase government support for sustainability

Business events industry stakeholders such as organisers and suppliers shared that they are at a market

disadvantage if they implement sustainable practices, as they have to invest additional resources in

greener alternatives. The cost of their services or products will have to increase as a result, which makes

it difficult for them to compete with competitors. This discourages them from adopting sustainable

practices. Government support or subsidies would therefore be welcome. For instance, subsidies and

expertise can be offered to carry out energy audits or for industry stakeholders to green their

operations. Small-scale business events stakeholders would otherwise be financially constrained and

unable to invest in equipment, training or other resources required to improve their sustainability

performance.

In addition, introducing regulations on environmental sustainability can drive industry-wide

improvements. The government can mandate green practices such as impact tracking, responsible

procurement, waste management and resource conservation. With a strong environmental compliance

law complementing support for sustainable operations, the government will be able to attain baseline

environmental performance from business events stakeholders and bring about the reduction in

environmental impact envisioned in the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 2015.

45


8. Conclusion

This report explores Singapore’s efforts to develop into a sustainable business tourism destination in

Asia. In this study, we reviewed Singapore’s initiatives to reduce the environmental impact from

business events activities, interviewed stakeholders to understand challenges and opportunities in the

industry, highlighted local best practices and recommended next steps for the industry towards a more

sustainable pathway.

The advantages of pursuing environmental sustainability in the business events industry are numerous

- pollution prevention, resource conservation, cost savings in the long term, risk mitigation and

increased brand value are just a few. Growing market demand for green events leads to burgeoning

opportunities for business events stakeholders to gain competitive advantage and stand out in an

increasingly saturated market.

Singapore already enjoys the advantages of a clean and green environment due to its infrastructure –

we have a clean electrical grid, safe tap water and a good urban transportation system. Yet, it is also

important to safeguard the future and ensure further improvements. To this end, the Singapore

government has developed a framework to guide environmental sustainability for the entire nation. All

sectors, including those in the business events industry, are encouraged to conserve resources and

prevent environmental degradation through government initiatives such as funding support for 3R

projects, encouraging waste and energy management in large commercial premises, and certification

schemes for green buildings.

In general, these strategies have been well received. The Green Mark benchmarking system introduced

by BCA to rate the sustainability of buildings has been adopted by many business events venues and

hotels. Major local business events venues such as Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Suntec

Convention and Exhibition Centre, Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre and Resorts

World Sentosa have invested in the latest energy efficient systems, sought Green Mark certification to

demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, and committed to responsible sourcing and waste

management practices. Along with the green hotels that have conference venue capabilities, these

green venues enable event organisers to host sustainable business events and uphold Singapore’s

reputation as a green destination.

46


The various challenges reported in this study are intended to create awareness across the entire

business events industry and to gain greater understanding of the situation. Some challenges faced

include capital constraints for investment in more efficient technologies, supplies and operations, low

demand for green events and services, and low awareness on green practices within the sector.

Nevertheless, there are also many opportunities identified, including government initiatives on waste

management, growing market demand for green services and products, and cost savings through

innovative waste management practices.

Many business events industry stakeholders have demonstrated heightened awareness of

environmental responsibility, and implemented green practices in their operations. These are reported

in Section 6: Best Practices in the Industry. The measures taken are driven by a need to conserve

resources and internalise the environmental cost of operations, cut business costs in the long run, and

improve accountability to stakeholders. Sustainable events in Singapore like the Responsible Business

Forum and Singapore Green Building Week 2015, to cite a few examples, demonstrate the warm public

reception towards and feasibility of organising green events. We hope this can encourage greater

adoption of green practices in the business events industry.

Finally, we have outlined recommendations for a more sustainable business events industry. Venues,

hotels and organisers can play a bigger role in influencing clients, peers and vendors and raise

awareness of green practices. Apart from active government support, senior management buy-in is

essential in introducing sustainability and embedding environmental awareness in the business events

industry. Support at the organisational level is seen as the driving factor for establishments to improve

their sustainability capabilities through tracking and monitoring, training staff, and implementing

innovative solutions. Integrating sustainability in education and greater publicity of green events and

business events stakeholders would also influence the entire market and industry players to continue

pursuing the path of sustainability.

Neighbouring destinations are actively promoting green events and government initiatives to gain

market share in a saturated international arena and do their part for the world. To maintain our

competitive edge and protect our clean and green environment, Singapore has to continue to develop

its green capabilities. With creativity and conviction, Singapore has boundless potential to be a leading

destination for environmentally sustainable business events.

47


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52


Appendix 1. List of Green Mark-certified hotels and venues

The Green Mark certification programme, introduced by the Singapore Building & Construction

Authority (BCA), is designed to benchmark buildings on criteria such as energy and water efficiency,

water efficiency, environmental protection measures, indoor environmental quality and other green

and innovative features. Many business events hotels and venues that have successfully achieved the

Green Mark certification, displaying their commitment to environmental sustainability. They are listed

below (BCA Green Mark Hotel Directory, 2015b):

Green Mark Certified Hotels (existing)

1. Albert Court Village Platinum

2. Carlton City Hotel Singapore Platinum

3. Copthorne King's Hotel Platinum

4. Furama City Centre Platinum

5. Furama RiverFront, Singapore Platinum

6. Genting Hotel Jurong Platinum

7. Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel Platinum

8. Great World Serviced Apartments Platinum

9. Holiday Inn Express Singapore Orchard Road Platinum

10. Holiday Inn Express Singapore Clarke Quay Platinum

11. Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Platinum

12. ibis Singapore Novena Platinum

13. Marina Bay Sands Platinum

14. One Farrer Hotel & Spa Platinum

15. PARKROYAL on Kitchener Platinum

16. PARKROYAL on Pickering Platinum

17. Sofitel So Singapore Platinum

18. Swissôtel Merchant Court, Singapore Platinum

19. The South Beach Platinum

20. Treetops Executive Residences Platinum

21. W Singapore Sentosa Cove Platinum

22. Capri by Fraser Changi City GoldPlus

53


23. Hotel 81 Star GoldPlus

24. Hotel Fort Canning GoldPlus

25. InterContinental Singapore GoldPlus

26. M Hotel Singapore GoldPlus

27. Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay GoldPlus

28. Resorts World Sentosa - Beach Villas GoldPlus

29. Resorts World Sentosa - Crockfords Towers GoldPlus

30. Resorts World Sentosa - Equarius Hotel GoldPlus

31. Resorts World Sentosa - Festive Hotel GoldPlus

32. Resorts World Sentosa - Hard Rock Hotel GoldPlus

33. Resorts World Sentosa - Hotel Michael GoldPlus

34. St Regis Hotel & Residences GoldPlus

35. The Regent Singapore, A Four Seasons Hotel GoldPlus

36. V Hotel @ Lavender GoldPlus

37. Conrad Centennial Singapore Gold

38. Downtown East Resort Main Block Gold

39. Marina Mandarin Singapore Gold

40. Naumi Hotel Gold

41. Orchard Hotel Singapore Gold

42. Orchard Parade Hotel Gold

43. Park Avenue Changi Hotel Gold

44. Park Avenue Rochester Hotel Gold

45. Royal Plaza on Scotts Gold

46. Singapore Marriott Hotel Gold

47. Studio M Gold

48. The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore Gold

49. Amara Hotel Certified

50. Aqueen Jalan Besar Hotel Certified

51. Bay Hotel Certified

52. BIG Hotel Singapore Certified

53. Concorde Hotel Singapore Certified

54. Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Certified

55. Days Hotel Singapore at Zhongshan Park Certified

54


56. East Village Hotel Certified

57. Fragrance Hotel Riverside Certified

58. Goodwood Park Hotel Certified

59. Hotel Chancellor@Orchard Certified

60. Hotel Ibis Certified

61. Innotel Hotel Certified

62. Moevenpick Heritage Hotel Certified

63. Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Beach Road Certified

64. Parc Sovereign Hotel Certified

65. Park Hotel Alexandra Certified

66. Parkroyal on Beach Road Certified

67. Santa Grand Hotel East Coast Certified

68. Seacare Hotel Certified

69. Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel Certified

70. York Hotel Certified

Green Mark Certified Hotels (under construction)

1. Katong Square Platinum

2. Royal Square @ Novena Platinum

3. Tanjong Pagar Centre Platinum

4. UP @ Robertson Quay (M Social Hotel) Platinum

5. Capitol Development GoldPlus

6. DUO @ Ophir-Rochor GoldPlus

7. Somerset Grand Cairnhill Singapore (15 Cairnhill Road) GoldPlus

Green Mark Convention Centres Project Name Award

1. Max Atria Singapore EXPO Platinum

2. Marina Bay Sands Platinum

3. Resorts World GoldPlus

4. Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre Certified

55


Appendix 2. List of establishments interviewed for this study

Venues:

Raffles City Convention Centre

Resorts World Convention Centre

Sands Expo and Convention Centre

SingEx Venues Pte Ltd (Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre)

Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre

Hotels:

Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford

Grand Hyatt Singapore

Holiday Inn Express Singapore Clarke Quay

Marina Bay Sands Singapore

Resorts World Sentosa

Siloso Beach Resort

Organisers:

Experia Events Pte Ltd

Koelnmesse Pte Ltd

MCI Group Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

Reed Exhibitions Singapore

Singapore Exhibition Services Pte Ltd

SingEx Exhibitions Pte Ltd

UBM Asia Limited

56


Suppliers:

Booth contractors:

Cityneon Holdings Limited

Kingsmen Creatives Ltd

Pico Art International Pte Ltd

Freight/logistics:

Agility Fairs & Events Logistics Pte Ltd

APT ShowFreight & Logistics Group

Waste contractors:

Clean Solutions Pte Ltd

LHT Holdings Limited

SembCorp Tay Paper Recycling Pte Ltd

Food & Beverage – in-house catering:

Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford (applicable to Raffles City Convention Centre)

Marina Bay Sands Singapore (applicable to Sands Expo and Convention Centre)

Food & Beverage – external catering:

Lavish Dine Catering Pte Ltd

Tim’s Fine Catering Services

Others:

National Environment Agency

Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers

57


Appendix 3. Venues considered for estimating carbon emissions from

transport

Singapore


Resorts World Convention Centre


Singapore EXPO


Bangkok

Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC)

Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at Centralworld

IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center

Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre

Thailand Cultural Centre

Tokyo

Keidanren Hall

Sunshine City

Tokyo Big Sight

Tokyo International Forum

Hong Kong

Asia World Expo Center

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre

58


Kuala Lumpur

Connexion@Nexus

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

MATRADE Exhibition and Convention Centre

Putrajaya International Convention Centre

Beijing

Beijing Exhibition Centre

China International Exhibition Center

China International Exhibition Center Shunyi New Hall

China National Convention Centre

Taipei

Taipei International Convention Center

Taipei World Trade Center

Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall

Shanghai

Everbright Convention & Exhibition Center

International Convention Center

Intex Shanghai

National Exhibition and Convention Centre Shanghai

Shanghai New international Expo Centre

World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center

59


Index


40, 41, 59, 64

Fairmont Singapore and Swissotel The Stamford

39, 41, 42, 59, 60, 64


39, 41, 59, 64


38, 56

Marina Bay Sands Singapore

10, 11, 12, 31, 37, 39, 41, 42, 48, 56, 58, 59, 60, 64


12, 31, 41, 42, 59, 64


39, 40, 59, 60, 64


11, 41, 59, 64

Resorts World Sentosa

37, 38, 48, 57, 59, 64


36, 39, 40, 59

Siloso Beach Resort

36, 39, 64


41, 59, 64

60


Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre

40, 48

Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre

48, 58

UBM Asia Limited

41, 59, 64

61


Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the following companies and organisations from the Singapore business events

industry and government agencies for taking the time to share their insights with us and whose inputs

have been instrumental in the production of this report:

Agility Fairs & Events Logistics Pte Ltd

APT Showfreight & Logistics Group

Building & Construction Authority (BCA)

Cityneon Holdings Limited

Clean Solutions Pte Ltd

Energy Market Authority (EMA)


Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford



Kingsmen Creatives Ltd

Koelnmesse Pte Ltd

Lavish Dine Catering Pte Ltd

LHT Holdings Limited

Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd


National Environment Agency (NEA)

Pico Art International Pte Ltd



Resorts World at Sentosa Pte. Ltd.

SembCorp Tay Paper Recycling Pte Ltd

Siloso Beach Resort

Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS)


SingEx Venues Pte Ltd


Tim’s Fine Catering Services

UBM Asia Limited

62


Credits

This study was commissioned by the Singapore Exhibition and Convention BureauTM and carried out by

researchers at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. The study team comprises Lynette

Cheah, Huang Shisheng, Shawn Kong, Mikayla Murphy, Kevin Otto, Selina Patra, and Wayes Tushar.

About the Singapore Exhibition and Convention BureauTM

The Singapore Exhibition and Convention BureauTM (SECB), a group of the Singapore Tourism Board,

has a mission to champion business travel and business events as key drivers of the tourism sector and

enablers for industry growth in Singapore. It aims to establish Singapore as a dynamic business events

destination where people, technology and ideas converge to create great value for customers. As the

leading government agency for the business events sector in Singapore, the Bureau works with

stakeholders to create, attract, and grow business events, as well as ensuring exceptional experiences

in the delivery of these events. The Bureau also develops partnerships with international organisations

and alliances.

www.stb.gov.sg

About the Singapore University of Technology and Design

The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) is Singapore’s fourth public university, and

one of the first universities in the world to incorporate the art and science of design and technology

into a multi-disciplinary curriculum. Established in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology (MIT), SUTD seeks to nurture technically-grounded leaders and innovators in engineering

product development, engineering systems and design, information systems technology and design,

and architecture and sustainable design, to serve societal needs.

www.sutd.edu.sg

http://www.stb.gov.sg/

http://www.sutd.edu.sg/

Singapore Exhibition and Convention BureauTM is a group of the Singapore Tourism Board (“STB”). © 2015 Singapore Tourism Board. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of STB, provided that contents of this publication may be reproduced accurately in part in other publications if STB is acknowledged and attributed as copyright owner. STB makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in this publication. STB, its members, officers, employees and any other persons acting under its direction, shall not be liable for any loss, injury or damage, whether direct or indirect, arising out of or in connection with the use of information in this publication. The contents of this publication are for the purposes of discussion and do not represent or fetter any future STB policy or decision.