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The Expo we learned – the legacy of a mega event in a circular economy perspective
Published on 07 June 2021
Italy
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About this good practice
The temporary nature and the size of mega events in terms of investments, areas and persons involved can lead to significant environmental impacts, if sustainability practices are not applied in the whole life-cycle of the event. Expo Milano 2015, focused on “feeding the planet, energy for life”, implemented actions towards sustainability goals, in line with national and European policies, guided by the principles of prevention, planning and management, stakeholders’ involvement, monitoring and reporting.
Expo Milano 2015 sustainability practices, applied in the whole life-cycle of the event, from the planning/design to the operation/management and the closure/dismantling, were articulated into 4 main pillars:
- “buildings: temporary yet efficient”: energy and resource efficiency of temporary buildings constructed;
- “purchase of goods and services: green is better”: adoption of Green Procurement criteria for goods and services;
- “waste: no more waste but new resources”: strategic selection of materials aimed at reducing waste production and on the complex management of wastes produced;
- “cross-cutting initiatives for a more sustainable event”: adoption of environment-related certification schemes, the communication related to sustainability topics, etc.
The main stekholders were: Bureau International des Expositions, Expo 2015 S.p.A., Milano Municipality, Italian Ministry for Environment
The main cooperation bodies were: Università Bocconi and Politecnico di Milano
Expo Milano 2015 sustainability practices, applied in the whole life-cycle of the event, from the planning/design to the operation/management and the closure/dismantling, were articulated into 4 main pillars:
- “buildings: temporary yet efficient”: energy and resource efficiency of temporary buildings constructed;
- “purchase of goods and services: green is better”: adoption of Green Procurement criteria for goods and services;
- “waste: no more waste but new resources”: strategic selection of materials aimed at reducing waste production and on the complex management of wastes produced;
- “cross-cutting initiatives for a more sustainable event”: adoption of environment-related certification schemes, the communication related to sustainability topics, etc.
The main stekholders were: Bureau International des Expositions, Expo 2015 S.p.A., Milano Municipality, Italian Ministry for Environment
The main cooperation bodies were: Università Bocconi and Politecnico di Milano
Resources needed
The cost was 3.27 billion €. The adoption of sustainable construction’s materials/technologies of new assets (estimated as a not negligible share over the total cost) is expected to have allowed a reduction also of operational costs for the structure, in addition to lower environmental impacts.
Evidence of success
- vegetation covered 20% of exhibition site
- 50% of green pavilion roofing, 50% recycled construction materials
- 50% savings in water consumption
- 90 GWh of primary energy and 21,000 tCO2 savings
- 100% of the residual electricity demand produced from renewable sources
- 67% of waste generated subjected of separate collection
- ecological value lost with the urbanization, compensated with a balanced ecological reconstruction program in North-West Milano.
- 50% of green pavilion roofing, 50% recycled construction materials
- 50% savings in water consumption
- 90 GWh of primary energy and 21,000 tCO2 savings
- 100% of the residual electricity demand produced from renewable sources
- 67% of waste generated subjected of separate collection
- ecological value lost with the urbanization, compensated with a balanced ecological reconstruction program in North-West Milano.
Potential for learning or transfer
The strategies adopted at Expo Milano 2015 can be replicated and enhanced in future mega-events (having more than 1 million visitors), but also adopted for smaller events (e.g.: concerts, festivals, exhibitions, etc. – having between 10,000 and 1 million visitors).
For instance, the adoption of sustainability practices in the whole life-cycle of the event could become a mandatory requirement or be included among the award criteria in public tendering procedures for the organization of such events.
A potential for learning or transfer also exists regarding the methodological documents realized by Politecnico di Milano related to mega events, i.e.:
• Methodological guidelines for the LCA of temporary buildings in mega events
• Guidelines for the reduction of the environmental impact of temporary building and structures in mega events
• Models for end-of-life management of temporary buildings
• Carbon Footprint of food products
• Methodological approach to account for travels
For instance, the adoption of sustainability practices in the whole life-cycle of the event could become a mandatory requirement or be included among the award criteria in public tendering procedures for the organization of such events.
A potential for learning or transfer also exists regarding the methodological documents realized by Politecnico di Milano related to mega events, i.e.:
• Methodological guidelines for the LCA of temporary buildings in mega events
• Guidelines for the reduction of the environmental impact of temporary building and structures in mega events
• Models for end-of-life management of temporary buildings
• Carbon Footprint of food products
• Methodological approach to account for travels
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
Ministero della Transizione Ecologica della Repubblica Italiana
Italy
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Contact
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