Savex, an upcoming retail expo in Dubai, has achieved the distinction of being the first Business-To-Consumer exhibition in the Middle East region to get carbon neutral status, said EcoVentures, a premier emissions reduction firm in the region.

EcoVentures was the consultant for this ‘green initiative’ aimed at offsetting the eco-impact caused by the event, through implementation of a carbon management strategy and purchase of carbon credits.

Savex will run from February 11 to 14 and April 29 to May 1 at the Dubai Airport Expo Centre, said Ramesh Chuggani, managing director of Reignite Advertising, event organisers.

'Organizers have to take responsibility for the fact that their events create carbon footprint which contributes, in however small measure, to global warming. Over the past three years, Savex has grown substantially in terms of number of exhibitors as well as visitors attending the exhibition,' Chuggani noted.

'We decided to take the lead and make a firm commitment to creating a sustainable carbon neutral event that will serve as an example to other events across the region. We believe that carbon offsetting should not be looked upon as a cost, but rather an investment in our future and the future of generations to come,' he added.

Scientific consensus states that carbon emissions must be reduced by 80 per cent before 2050 to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Businesses have an important and essential role to play in meeting these targets. Events generate waste, consume electricity and encourage mass travel and use of local natural resources, he pointed out.

To become carbon neutral, an event must ensure that the amount of CO2 produced by its existence is balanced by reducing its CO2 output to the smallest level possible and then netting the remaining output to a zero sum through carbon offsetting.

'Carbon offsetting means that for every one tonne of CO2 that is produced by an event, the organizer pays for an equivalent one tonne of CO2 to be saved through a project somewhere else in the world – reducing net emission to zero.'

EcoVentures provided consultancy, advisory and management services to help Savex achieve Carbon Neutral status.

“We commend the organizers of Savex for their commitment to protecting the environment. We hope that through increased education by industry experts, media focus as well as government legislation in the areas of reducing and offsetting carbon footprint, many more businesses will play a larger role and take active steps in helping reduce global warming”, said Karan Yadav, emissions reduction specialist, EcoVentures.

As part of the stringent certification process, EcoVentures made an estimation of Savex’s carbon footprint based on key drivers and drew up an internal reduction plan that set reduction targets for forthcoming events.

It also developed content to educate Savex's stakeholders about the effects of climate change. Post event, the company will calculate CO2 emissions from each specific activity, process or operation, with a particular focus on energy, consumption, waste and transport.

The resulting carbon report will provide a breakdown of CO2 emissions by source, he added.

For unavoidable CO2 emissions, EcoVentures, on behalf of Savex, will purchase carbon credits that will help fund the ‘Tieling Coal Mine Methane Capture’ project in China.

This unique one-of-its-kind project in the country prevents the potent greenhouse gas, methane, from being released into the atmosphere during coal mining. It captures Coal Mine Methane (CMM) and uses it as an energy source to supply gas to homes and local industry.

Each of the two editions of Savex this year will have around 40 retailers offering over 150 top notch brands of electronics, diamond jewelery, watches, fashion clothing, fragrances, footwear, handbags, sunglasses, sporting goods and other products at cost and in some cases even below cost price.-TradeArabia News Service