At Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Sustainability is in our DNA

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre) has been acknowledged as an environmental leader in the new ‘AEG 1EARTH Sustainability Report’ released recently for its commitment in energy conservation, waste reduction efforts and specifically, its energy-efficient lighting project.

  

This is the second sustainability report by AEG, owner of AEG Ogden Pty Ltd, Australia (AEG Ogden), the report details the progress of the AEG1EARTH environmental program which incorporates a framework for reducing environmental impacts with metrics collected from 58 venues from the AEG global network including the Centre’s, detailing the group’s progress towards its 2020 Environmental Vision Goals.

AEG’s sustainability report is the first of its kind in the live entertainment, sports and convention centre industry. Besides a framework for reducing AEG Ogden’s operations, AEG1EARTH can be considered a blue print for the greening the live entertainment and convention industry as it identifies the challenges and opportunities to merge economic growth with environmental responsibility.

AEG Ogden is KLCC (Holdings) Sdn Bhd’s joint venture partner in Convex Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the manager and operator of the Centre.

“Taking our cue from AEG Ogden,” said Datuk Peter Brokenshire, General Manager, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, “we will continue to explore all avenues and opportunities to enhance our sustainability efforts and in doing so, play our part in reducing environmental impacts within the context of our business.”

As Malaysia’s leading convention facility, the Centre invested RM2 million to retrofit and improve the lighting efficiency for its five exhibition halls totalling 10,000 sq metres in January this year (2012). The initiative entails replacing about 900 250W metal halide lamps with light-emitting diodes (LED) bulbs and in turn, reducing overall electricity consumption by 28%. Based on an estimated 5,000 hours of electricity use per year for all five exhibition halls, the LED bulbs could result in a saving of some 800,000 kWh per year or an annual saving of around RM250,000. More important though, is the reduction in the building’s carbon footprint and overall operating costs.

In the area of waste reduction, the Centre has an on-going 3R Campaign (Reduce, Re-use and Recycle) in place to encourage staff and visitors, to reduce wastage, re-use and recycle where possible. Colour coded sets of bins can be found around the Centre to facilitate the separation of batteries, plastic, glass, metal and paper while items left behind from events, such as a black backdrop curtain from a gala dinner, are often given a new lease of life as furniture storage covers, drop cloths and even curtains for changing rooms. Higher quality fire-retardant and reusable curtains and carpet tiles are now common materials for events held at the Centre.

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

 In addition, the Centre adheres to a number of other eco-friendly practices in its overall effort to remain sustainable. They include using biodegradable cleaning products, minimal use of pesticides, sourcing products from environmentally conscious suppliers, encouraging tree-planting activities and sourcing locally-produced products for the Culinary Department.