Sustainability Mandate

Sustainability is increasingly important to our team, attendees, exhibitors, and the community as a whole. Concerned by the environmental impact of our events, BUILDEX, is striving to identify, understand, and address these impacts to achieve continual improvement year after year. Our areas of focus continue to be: waste management, energy and water conservation and community engagement.

Progress Made

  • Since 2019 we have replaced all single use plastic with China service and compostable ware. 
  • Increased our waste diversion rate by 20% in two years and our goal is to have an additional 20% reduction by 2022.
  • Attendee planner and show guides are now printed on 100% recycled paper.
  • In 2020, 60% of BUILDEX educational content provided a form of sustainable guidance to the market professionals.
     

Waste Diversion

  • Regular communications to exhibitors assisting them to shift to more sustainable practices.
  • Designated cardboard and soft plastics drop off areas allowing larger recycling capture.
  • Back of house materials sorting to maximize waste diverted from the landfill.
  • A 3-bin systems (recycle, compost, landfill) are placed throughout the show floor.
  • In 2020 BUILDEX diverted 3,028kg of waste out of landfills by use of recycling and compost. That is 45% of all our show waste- with an aim to up this to 65% by 2022.

Venue Support

  • Vancouver Convention Centre is a double LEED platinum certified facility.
  • Housing a six-acre living roof featuring more than 400,000 indigenous plant and grasses the VCC’s roof is designed to act as an insulator, reducing heat gains in the summer and heat losses in the winter.
  • Their modern black water treatment plant recycles grey and black water that goes back into the building for washrooms use and rooftop irrigation during warmer weather.
  • A diversion of 75% of the total internal waste generated, this includes batteries, lighting ballasts, wood, organics, metal, glass, plastic and much more.
  • For more information on Vancouver Convention Centre sustainability initiatives click here.

Energy/Water/Carbon

  • The energy consumption is measured and monitored on the show floor during the event.
  • HVAC used on a “need” basis only during move in/move out.
  • Overhead Lighting on exhibition floor are all energy efficient LEDs. Lighting levels are set to 50% during move in/move out, and less than 50% during event hours. 
  • Heat is turned off during move-in and out.
  • Enforcement of non-idling ordinance of 5 minutes or less for suppliers and exhibitors.
  • BC Carbon Offsets were purchased to create a carbon neutral event at BUILDEX Vancouver 2020.  

Community Engagement

  • Partnership with Habitat for Humanity to support their charitable action with the donation of our coat check revenue.
  • 70% of our speakers are active members of the local holistic construction industry in the Lower Mainland.