Holcim hosts Asia's first Carbon Neutral Awards

The Carbon Consulting Company helped Geocycle, a subsidiary of Holcim Lanka (Ltd) to hold its Geo Responsible Awards, the first Carbon Neutral Awards ceremony to be held in the Asian region.

Delegates at the Geo Responsible Awards held at Mihilaka Medura

The Carbon Consulting Company (CCC) considered factors such as energy consumption, delegation travel, waste disposal, and supplier travel in determining the carbon footprint of the ceremony.

This came to an average value of 24-kg CO2 equivalent per delegate.

CCC as part of its consulting services, assisted Geocycle in reducing the footprint of the event. Geocycle held the event at the climate friendly 'Mihilaka Medura', BMICH, between 4 pm-6 pm to avoid rush hour traffic and the resulting additional emissions.

The organisers advised delegates to maximise carpooling travel and set the dress code as smart casual so as to retain the room temperature at the optimum 26°C.

Once Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) associated with the event were established and all possible GHG reduction options considered, Geocycle sourced and purchased the necessary offsets from a Sri Lankan fuel switching project in the central province to make this a completely certified carbon neutral event.

CCC calculations were validated by a third party verifier Ecometrica, and thereafter offered Carbon Neutral certification from the CarbonNeutral Company UK, one of Europe's leading providers of carbon reduction solutions.

Director CCC Subramaniam Eassuwaren said, "Making the event Carbon Neutral is an expression of Holcim's commitment to environmental responsibility.

We are proud to be associated with the Geocycle award.

By recognising environmentally committed companies in Sri Lanka, they are helping the country."