Environmental
The MCH Group invests continuously in the optimisation of its ecological indicators, including in its buildings and systems, in logistics and in the production of stands and equipment. The group promotes the environmentally aware behaviour of its employees at their workplace and provides the necessary resources for further reducing the burden on the environment.
While the MCH Group is the owner of the exhibition sites in Basel and Zurich, it operates just a part of Beaulieu Lausanne as a tenant. Reporting on energy consumption and emissions is thus focused on the exhibition grounds in Basel and Zurich. As “production locations”, these account for the biggest share of the company in respect of energy efficiency and emissions and are thus of great relevance for the environment. A further focus is on the stand construction company Expomobilia, whose sustainability strategy and sustainability measures are of relevance for a large number of customers.
Photovoltaic system Messe Basel, Hall 1
Messe Basel and Messe Zürich
Photovoltaic systems
A photovoltaic system was installed on the roof of Hall 1 in Basel in 1999 already, making it possible to use solar energy. Vegetation was also planted on the roof in conjunction with this. The panels have an area of 1900 m² and an output of 215,000 kWh per year. A system four times this size was set up on the green roof of the new Messe Basel complex which was completed in 2013. This photovoltaic system, which was installed in cooperation with an investor, feeds approximately 1,080,000 kWh electricity per year into the grid of the Industrielle Werke Basel (IWB), which took over the system in 2014. The MCH Group also supports the "Wettstein 21" platform, which was responsible for the installation of a further photovoltaic system on the roof of the Congress Center Basel. This was completed at the end of 2014 and will deliver around 180,000 kWh electricity each year. The roof space was made available free of charge.
Since 2009 a photovoltaic system with a panel area of 1,200 m² and an output of 150,000 kWh per year has been in operation on the roof of Messe Zürich.
Minergie certificate
For the new complex at Messe Basel that was completed in 2013, great value was attached to attaining the maximum possible energy efficiency. The new complex satisfies stringent energy standards in respect of both the insulation of the shell and resource-saving provision of the necessary heat and refrigeration energy. All the heating, ventilation and refrigeration systems are operated only when required, and the majority of the waste heat generated is used.
The Basel-Stadt Minergie certification agency has awarded the new Messe Basel complex the BS-054 Minergie label, which was developed especially for the new exhibition hall building at Messe Basel. In addition to this, the target values of SIA Standard 380/4 are met with regard to lighting and ventilation/air-conditioning.
Logistics
Delivery traffic to the MCH Group's exhibition and congress site is steered via a checkpoint-based system. An online logistics tool has been developed in Basel which supports this measure. All journeys to transport goods to and from the exhibition site must be registered in advance for a specific time slot. Drivers are required to drive to a checkpoint, from where they are directed to the delivery zone of the hall in question at the specified time, via a specified route. Their vehicle must then be unloaded/loaded within a specific period of time. To ensure that this process can be steered in the optimum manner, all movements on the exhibition site are performed by Messe Basel's logistics partner.
Waste management
Waste disposal at the events is organised according to the “polluter-pays” principle, with waste being sorted and disposed of in the correct manner.
Transport
The MCH Group promotes the use of public transport to its events by offering a range of special tickets in partnership with SBB RailAway and Deutsche Bahn DB.
Exhibition & Event Structures – Expomobilia
Expomobilia places great value on ensuring that stand structures have a long life and can be re-used many times over. This it achieves, among other things, by using a wide range of materials incorporating re-usable or biologically degradable components, as well as lights equipped with long-life bulbs.
Expomobilia operates two photovoltaic systems at its sites in Effretikon and Fehraltorf with a total surface area of 3,000 m². These generate approximately 435 MWh per year. Since 2014, Expomobilia has covered its entire electricity requirements with Swiss green electricity obtained from FAIR POWER, an independent green electricity specialist. The FAIR POWER certificate guarantees that this electricity has been generated ecologically and is fed into the grid for Expomobilia. The CO2 share from hydroelectric power generation is fully offset by the Fair Recycling Foundation.
Expomobilia acquires the heat it needs for its company buildings from the district heating network run by the Canton of Zurich's electricity utility.
Energy consumption and emissions
Messe Basel and Messe Zürich
Messe Basel and Messe Zürich cover their entire electricity requirements with electricity from the Industrielle Werke Basel (IWB). IWB electricity is 100% renewable energy that is mainly generated with IWB’s own power plant capacities from Swiss hydropower, photovoltaics, wind power and biomass.
Overall energy consumption at Messe Basel and Messe Zürich in 2017 fell by 2.6% compared with 2016 (2017: 31,588 MWh; 2016: 32,430 MWh). While energy consumption increased in Zurich, a reduction was registered at the Basel exhibition site. This reflects the key figures for the events staged at the two exhibition venues over the past two years.
Emissions in 2017 increased by 6.4% compared with 2016 (2017: 1,160 kg CO2-e; 2016: 1,090 kg CO2-e). The main reason for this is a higher emission factor for district heating.
Since the 2016 electricity mix for the exhibition sites in Basel and Zurich was only known in detail in February 2017, the emissions for 2016 have been recalculated accordingly.
Messe Basel
Messe Basel has exhibition space totalling 141,000 m², of which 122,000 m² is in the two main halls 1 and 2. The Congress Center Basel also belongs to Messe Basel, with 25 rooms and capacities of up to 5,000 persons, as does the Musical Theater Basel which seats 1,500. The north section of Hall 1 was brought into operation in 1999 and the south section in 2013. The entire complex satisfies stringent functional and operational requirements. The new complex brought into operation in 2013 is certified with the BS-054 Minergie Label.
Energy and emissions
Energy consumption in 2017 fell by 4.4% compared with 2016 (2017: 25,229 MWh; 2016: 26,398 MWh).
Emissions in 2017 increased by 9% compared with 2016 (2017: 768,407 kg CO2-e; 2016: 705,105 kg CO2-e). This is essentially due to the indirect emissions, or to a higher emission factor (for district heating).
Since the 2016 electricity mix was only known in detail in February 2017, the emissions for 2016 have been recalculated accordingly.
Messe Zürich
Messe Zürich has exhibition space totalling 30,000 m². Some 27,000 m² are located in Halls 1 to 7 in the main building, while the separate hall, Hall 9, has some 3,000 m². The main building additionally has seven smallish conference rooms for 30 to 80 people. Messe Zürich also includes Theater 11 Zürich seating 1500.
The main exhibition building, which was commissioned in its present form in 1998, is characterised by its operational functionality, which is reflected in a very high capacity utilisation.
In 2016 and 2017, Hall 9 was made available to the Asyl Organisation Zürich (AOZ) for the accommodation and care of around 250 refugees.
Energy and emissions
Energy consumption increased by 7.3% in 2017 (2017: 5,902 MWh; 2016: 5,500 MWh). It is almost exclusively the consumption of renewable energies that has risen. Emissions in 2017 increased by 1.2% (2017: 362,688 kg CO2-e; 2016: 358,505 kg CO2-e).
Since the 2016 electricity mix was only known in detail in February 2017, the emissions for 2016 have been recalculated accordingly.
Expomobilia
Expomobilia, which was founded in Switzerland in 1973, specialises in exhibition stands and event structures – design, concept, production and assembly. The production operations, from the inscription workshop through to the metalworking shop, are all located under a single roof and closely networked with each other.
In 2017, Expomobilia implemented 307 (2015: 317) projects, of which 220 (2016: 267) were in Switzerland. Most of these projects involved the full range of services, from design through to production and assembly.
Energy and emissions
Energy consumption fell by 1% in 2017 (2017: 1,115 MWh; 2016: 1,136 MWh), and emissions in 2017 fell by 2% (2017: 177,975 kg CO2-e; 2016: 181,744 kg CO2-e). This is due primarily to lower energy consumption and lower emission factors.
