Environmental Task Force

ACC Liverpool is one of the greenest venues in Europe, innovative, environmentally friendly and the only BREEAM and ISO 14001 accredited venue in the UK. We have been awarded Gold status by the Green Tourism Business Scheme and know our business practice and policy has a huge impact on our sustainability.

It’s not just about where we started, it’s where we’re going. Our in-house Environmental Task Force is a steering group, meeting regularly to share and develop ideas about how ACC Liverpool can become a greener and more sustainable business. Its main aim is to continually reduce the carbon footprint of ACC Liverpool and make the organisation as green as possible, delivering high quality, sustainable events and becoming an example of best practice for sustainable businesses. The Environmental Task Force is led by three Super Champions who manage and develop the company strategy for the three key strands of green, ISO 14001 and energy reduction.

Achievements so far include

• The Environmental Task Force led ACC Liverpool through the Green Tourism Business Scheme, gaining Gold status

• ISO 14001 Accreditation

• Zero waste to landfill

• Recycling bins in all public areas and office spaces and recycling messages on all plasma screens in public areas and promotional print material

• Posters around staff areas encourage paper recycling and staff to turn off lights

• Incentives for innovative green ideas

• A no direct mail policy for marketing is in place – all direct marketing is done electronically

• Staff are given regular and detailed information regarding public transport and encouraged to use it. Bus and train timetables are available and updates on local public transport are e-mailed weekly.

• The Environmental Task Force has worked closely with cleaning partner ISS to ensure its practices are as green as possible. ISS at ACC Liverpool is now chlorine free and won a Green Apple award for its practices.

Targets include

• Reducing energy consumption by 20%

• Reducing paper use by 20%

• Commenting on a minimum of four green debates in industry media 

• Offer event organisers the option of making their events carbon neutral

Despite 2009's target for waste sent to landfill being set at 25%, ACC Liverpool far exceeded expectations, making it one of only a few 'Zero to Landfill' arenas and convention centres in the world.

Working with local Widnes power station, PDM, all food waste from ACC Liverpool is transported to the power station where it is mulched to form a homogenous puree. The puree is then injected into boilers and incinerated at 1,000C, thereby creating steam to power a turbine to generate electricity.

Waste from exhibitions and conferences is sent to Blakely's Waste management where raw unsorted waste enters the plant and is sorted and ready to re -use, or reprocessed into diesel biofuel.

The Environmental Task Force has also led the venue to a string of awards and accreditations, including a Gold Award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme, Sustainable Tourism award in the NorthWest Tourism Awards; Healthy Stadia accreditation; a BREEAM rating of ‘very good’; ISO 14001 accreditation, a Green Apple award for the building; a Green Apple award for ISS’s cleaning & waste services and a C&IT Gold Award for 'Best Venue for Sustainability' and a 'Green Award' at the Exhibition News awards.