Author Archives: Marcel van Meesche

  1. EMAS contributes to the transition to a circular economy

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    New report published highlighting best practices

    The European Commission has just published a report on EMAS and the circular economy. With it, the Commission wants to address the urgent need to increase resource efficiency and highlight the contribution of EMAS organisations to the circular economy.

    A circular economy keeps the value of products, materials and resources in the economy for as long as possible and eliminates waste.

    In evaluating, reporting on, and improving their environmental performance, organisations that have implemented EMAS have already taken an important first step towards achieving a circular economy

    The report is a guidance document for EMAS organisations that want to participate in the circular economy and for other organisations that would like to use EMAS in their circular economy strategy. It also targets authorities committed to making their economic regions more circular by highlighting how EMAS can contribute to their objectives, thus also fostering more support for EMAS.

    Circular economy in practice

    The report highlights five best practices for getting started and provides examples of leading EMAS organisations.

    Furthermore the report features three case studies illustrating the measures that EMAS organisations can put in place to become more circular. As circular economy measures can focus on varying business aspects (procurement, product design, waste management etc.) and be implemented by many different types of organisations from different sectors and of different sizes, the case studies can serve as a source of inspiration for developing circular economy measures.

    Finally, the report reveals how:

    • circular organisations can experience multiple benefits like increased competitiveness, better resource control and continuous environmental impact reduction;
    • the transition to a circular economy can be started in just a few steps;
    • EMAS can be used to support this process by allowing organisations to measure resource efficiency, identify innovative actions and continuously improve;
    • future and current EMAS-registered organisations can develop their environmental management systems with the circular economy in mind and
    • public authorities can further encourage EMAS as a means of moving towards a circular economy through legal, economic and promotional instruments.

    Take a look into the report now!

     

  2. The High Level Conference on Sustainable Tourism – 2017-05-08 – Malta

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    This Conference is being organized by Adelphi, 21 Solutions and Arctik in the context of the United Nations’ (UN) decision to adopt 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.It aims at discussing the role of authorities and businesses to address the challenges and benefits of more sustainable tourism sector. In keynote speeches and panel discussions the conference will look at key trends and opportunities within sustainable tourism, present case studies on sustainable tourism in practice and assess the role of EMAS and the EU Ecolabel for promoting sustainable tourism within European Union Member states.

    Please click here to download the full programme. 

    Confirmed speakers are:

    And many more: Paul Bugeja, Chief Executive Officer, Malta Tourism Authority; Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director, European Environment Agency (EEA); Lídice Felizola, Public Relations, Quality and Environmental System Manager, Hotel Jardín Tecina; Renzo Iorio, Chief Operating Officer for the Mediterranean Region,AccorHotels; Angelos Loizou, Chairman, Cyprus Tourism Organisation; Mario Morana, Marketing Manager, Hilton Malta and Miguel Tiago de Oliveira, Head of Operations, Quality Assurance, Environmental, Safe&Security and Social Responsibility, Oceanario Lisboa; etc.

    EMAS Awards

    Since 2005, the European Commission has been organising the European EMAS Awards, described as the most prestigious awards in environmental management.The EMAS Awards 2017 will honour registered organisations that are contributing to making the European economy more circular. The Awards Ceremony will take place on the evening of 8 May 2017.

    Participating organisations from throughout the European Union are applying for one of these three categories:

    1. private micro, small and medium-sized organisations (SMEs);
    2. private large organisations;
    3. public organisations.

    About EMAS

    EMAS is a premium management instrument developed by the European Commission for companies and other organisations to evaluate, report, and improve their environmental performance. EMAS is open to every type of organisation. It spans all economic and service sectors and is applicable worldwide.

    What is the registration process?

    Please note that attendance at the Conference and Awards is free but registration is required.  The High Level Conference on Sustainable Tourism will start at 14:00 and end at 18:10. Conference participants are invited to attend a cocktail reception, from 18:10 to 19:00. The reception will be followed by the EMAS Awards 2017.

    We welcome your presence and look forward to your active participation.

  3. Meetings Go Green : our latest guide on circular economy practices for the event industry

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    Your solutions for a zero waste event : How the event industry meets the circular economy

    Our latest 24 pages guide will help make your meetings green & resource efficient

     

    The purpose of this guide is to provide tools, best practices and courses of action to event managers for organizing eco-friendly low-waste activities, highlighting several existing innovative solutions.

    This guide has been developed as part of the project, led by the MPI Belgium Chapter and funded by the Brussels Institute for environmental Management (Bruxelles Environnement) within the Brussels Waste Network (BWN) programme. The BWN assists and advises Brussels-based companies in the field of waste prevention and management.

    The programme ensures networking between environmental advisors from different sectors of activity to enable the exchange of best practices in business waste prevention and/or management. The Meetings Go Green project aimed to increase awareness among event managers (e.g. hotels, businesses, caterers, conference centres, etc.) through four workshops that took place in 2016 and were coordinated by the environmental consultancy ‘21solutions’ and the event agency ‘Yuzu’.

    This guide is the result of many discussions, presentations and exchanges of ideas between the participants. Several aspects considered essential for greening events have been addressed: sustainable procurement, reduction of food waste, waste sorting, recycling, eco-design (a concept detailed later in this guide) and material reuse.

    A total of about sixty participants benefited from many example-rich interventions by sector professionals and actors active in the event industry (companies, associations…). This guide is designed for all planners and suppliers who organise or work on events throughout Belgium, including Brussels.

    We can help make your meetings green & resource efficient Don’t hesitate to contact Laure Dupuy from 21 Solutions : laure@21solutions.eu ou +32 2 502 99 93 for more information.

    Download the guide in  FR – NL – ENG

  5. 21 Solutions is partner of the Martin’s Hotels’ eco-responsible Run – 2016 Edition 

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    Save the date: the 2nd edition of Martin’s Run will take place on Sunday 22 May in Genval!

    Following on from the success of the 2015 edition, Martin’s Château du Lac in Genval is repeating this initiative and invites you to come and stretch your legs on a 7- or 14-km run. This year we propose 2 new features: The Corporate Martin’s Run for companies and a 7-kilometer walk.

    Having having coached the Martin’s Hotel group in his environmental management system and helped them to obtain the EMAS, ISO 14001, Green Key and Brussel’s Eco-dynamic labels, 21 Solutions supports the organisation of the Martin’s Green Run !

    We’ll also be present that day to promote EMAS, the European Label of Environmental excellence.

    To Register

     

    partenaires6

  6. 20 years of premium environmental management 13/11/15

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    20 years of premium environmental management will be celebrated during the upcoming High Level ‪#‎EMAS‬ Conference on 13 November in the brand-new sustainable building of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany. The purpose of the conference is to learn from front runners, promote best practices and exploit the full potential of ‪#‎green‬ growth. More info: www.euconf.eu/emas
    To learn more about EMAS & EU Ecolabel: ec.europa.eu/environment/emas/index_en.htm

  7. Call for applications OPEN for the European EMAS Awards 2015 !

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    The 2015 EMAS Awards will honour registered organisations taking innovative steps to improve their environmental performance

    The European Commission is inviting submission to the 2015 EMAS Awards until 30 January 2015. The theme will be, as in 2014, ‘Effective eco-innovations supporting improvements in environmental performance’. The high number of applications and great levels of creativity, excellence and engagement shown by the entries to the EMAS Awards in 2014 led to the European Commission’s decision to also focus on eco-innovation for2015. The EMAS Awards are aimed at rewarding public and private organisations fordemonstrating in practicea greener and more sustainable model of producing goods and delivering services.

    The European Commission considers EMAS as instrumental in the transition to a resource-efficient economy and environmental and eco-innovative front runners document that it is possible to be green while writing black numbers!

    EMAS-registered organisations can enter the competition by completing the application form and submitting it together with supporting information to their national Competent Body by 30 January 2015. Application forms can be obtained directly from the respective Competent Bodies.

    As being part of the EMAS Helpdesk consortium, 21 Solutions is involved in the preparation of the EMAS Awards 2015.

    You can download the EMAS Awards Factsheet here.

  8. Volunteers tackle invasive plants in the Sonian Forest

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    End of june two groups of volunteers went into the forest and tackled invasive plants. Those interested could pay a visit to the open campaign day or roll up their sleeves and join in.

     

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    Due to human interference, more and more exotic species are entering our nature. Also in the Sonian Forest, invasive exotic species afflict the native animals and plants.

    For this reason, volunteers organised a common campaign day on 29 June against invasive plants. They went into the forest in Ukkel and Terhulpen. In areas where invasive plants have advanced greatly, they pulled out the seedlings by hand and using pitchforks and shovels.
    During the campaign day, the volunteers took on two demarcated areas of the forest. Therefore, the work is not finished, so a new campaign day is scheduled for this autumn.

    Keep an eye out on www.sonianforest.be for the location and exact date!