Yokohama Applies Blue Carbon Offset System at First International Conference

Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau (YCVB) announced that the 2nd ICCA Asia Pacific Chapter Summit 2020 (ICCA AP Summit 2020) was the first international conference to put the aforementioned system (Blue Carbon Offset) into practice.

In recent years, sustainability has become an increasingly important aspect of the meetings industry. YCVB is committed to being a leader in this area and is taking bold initiatives to maximise the sustainability of conferences and events hosted by the city. In December of 2020 the ICCA AP Summit 2020 was held at the PACIFICO Yokohama North (YCVB chaired the organizing committee). A carbon offset program was initiated in accordance with the Yokohama Blue Carbon Offset System. This system is a global warming countermeasure project developed by the port city of Yokohama. This one-of-a-kind project utilises local marine resources to achieve carbon offsets.

In order to put the aforementioned system into practice at the ICCA AP Summit 2020, first, the total distance traveled by all 294 conference attendees was tallied. Then the carbon emissions resulting from their travel and the energy required to power the venue itself was computed. The resulting sum was 9.2 tonnes of CO2. The entirety of this was successfully offset by using part of the participants registration fee as offset funds. These funds were then used for programs focusing on supporting marine life that absorbs CO2. If you plan to hold a conference in Yokohama, we highly encourage the use of the Yokohama Blue Carbon Offset System. YCVB is here to offer any assistance you may require in making your event successful and sustainable.