Award for Elmia’s environmental initiatives
– The Municipality of Jönköping’s 2009 Environment Award was presented during Elmia Wood
Elmia is not only a major trade show organiser – now the company has also been awarded for its environmental thinking.
Today Elmia accepted the Municipality of Jönköping’s 2009 Environment Award.
“We are proud that our environmental work has been recognised. It also gives our customers peace of mind that we take environmental issues seriously,” says Elmia Managing Director Hans Standàr.
The award was presented on the Friday of Elmia Wood – the world’s largest forestry fair held on 3-6 June. There was the threat of rain in the air as Kent Ly, Deputy Chair of the Environment Committee, presented the award.
“Being environmentally conscious is not only about goodwill but also thinking about the next generation, and this is something you have done,” said Kent Ly as he turned to Hans Standàr and other representatives of Elmia during the ceremony.
It is Elmia’s structured work on environmental issues that the Municipality is recognising. Elmia was awarded an environmental diploma in 2006 and has consciously worked on environmental issues since 2001, and as a result the environment is well integrated into the day-to-day operation, according to the award panel.
“We have managed to get all our personnel to consider the environment. They know what they have to do to identify the best green solutions. The environmental management system we use is very important in this context and we also apply measurable goals, which I consider essential,” says Standàr.
In recent years Elmia has deployed several initiatives to improve waste management and energy consumption.
“Waste management is partly about how we separate our waste. Our investment in district cooling is also important for the environment. Our problem is that we need to cool the exhibition halls to create a comfortable indoor climate. We now use water from Lake Vättern to cool the halls, which has enabled us to reduce our use of CFCs, for example.”
In its comments, the Municipality also mentioned the fact that Elmia organises several trade fairs with a clear environmental theme. World Bioenergy 2008 is one such example.
The Municipality of Jönköping’s Environment Award has been presented annually since 1995. The award can go to individuals, associations, companies or organisations. The prize purse is SEK 25,000.
“The award should primarily be seen as a form of encouragement, the prize money itself may not always be the most important consideration,” says Kent Ly.