Neptunus' temporary structure is hailed as UN's most eco-friendly event

Temporary and sustainable structures designed and built by Neptunus helped COP23 in Bonn to be the first United Nations Climate Change Conference to receive official certification for eco-friendly performance.

The Eco-management Audit Scheme (EMAS) certificate verifies the event management’s successful and environmentally-friendly organisation of the conference. Ovais Sarmad, Deputy Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, described COP 23 (the 23rd Conference of the Parties of the United Nations) as ‘the greenest ever’. He said achieving the high EMAS certification had raised the sustainability bar of UN conferences.

Almost 29,000 people, including thousands of Government delegates’ and world media, participated at COP 23 over a two week period from November 6th to 17th in a temporary venue constructed by Neptunus. The reusable material of Neptunus’ temporary buildings contributed to the overall sustainability performance at the event which also scored impressive eco-friendly results for waste avoidance and strict waste separation, climate friendly catering, transport and even the delegates’ water consumption.

Technicians from Neptunus erected two temporary buildings from the company’s Evolution range, covering a total of more than 15,000 square metres, which formed a temporary conference centre that was dismantled after the event to be re-used elsewhere. Neptunus’ Evolution structures have the appearance and feel of a permanent building but are fully sustainable and designed from re-useable materials.

The largest hall, which incorporated a mezzanine floor, provided over 10,000 square metres of mainly exhibition space. A second temporary building of over 5,000 square metres housed conference rooms and private meeting areas for a host of prominent world political leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Neptunus has a renowned reputation for supplying high quality temporary buildings that can be swiftly erected and dismantled while at the same time creating environments that are safe, extremely stable with insulated walls and rigid flooring, and with excellent sound proofing and top-class acoustics.

Neptunus has vast experience in building stylish temporary conference centres for international global events including other UN Climate Change Conferences in Bonn, Copenhagen and Warsaw; the Energy & Climate Summit in Switzerland and, more recently, the temporary convention centre for the EU Presidency in Amsterdam which was in use for six months.

Tom Ambaum, Global Sales Director at Neptunus, said: “We are proud to have delivered the temporary accommodation for the COP 23. Our temporary conference halls and our building methods do not only meet the stringent safety and quality requirements but, in terms of sustainability, our products also support the key message of the climate conference.”

About COP 23
The climate conference takes place annually between the countries that have signed the UN Climate Convention. In general, the COP meetings take place in Bonn, where the secretariat is located, unless another party wants to be a host. In 2017, the Climate Summit was organized for the 23rd time with Fiji as its chairman. It was the first Climate Conference since US President Donald Trump announced that the USA would step out of the Paris agreement. During this conference in Paris in 2015, ambitious targets were set to prevent global warming. At the 2017 COP conference, negotiators from around two hundred countries met to discuss the effects of the measures that were taken after the Paris Agreement to improve and protect the climate. COP23 also determined which measures still have to be taken.

About Neptunus
Founded nearly 80 years ago, Neptunus remains a family-run business known for the creativity and innovation of its temporary structures. With a head office in The Netherlands and divisions in the UK, Belgium, Germany, France, Poland and Austria, Neptunus has a proven track record in the design, manufacture and delivery of all types of temporary buildings. Neptunus Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Neptunus BV based in The Netherlands. Its UK operation is located in Swan Valley, Northampton, where the company has purpose built offices, storage and maintenance facilities. Neptunus has over 450,000 square metres of high quality structures in a wide range of styles. With cassette flooring systems, Neptunus' flexible and spacious structures provide ideal solutions for short-term or longer-term rental requirements. For more information visit: www.neptunus.co.uk

For more information, please see:
www.neptunus.co.uk

PAUL SMITH ASSOCIATES
24th November 2017