Reducing waste at Sibos

With corporate social responsibility on the conference agenda at Sibos for the first time, I thought it would be interesting to have a chat with Swift's own CSR manager to talk about the co-operative's efforts to be greener and leaner.

As a major operator of data centres, and organiser of large global events, calculating the carbon footprint is a complex process that they are currently engaged in. Meanwhile Swift is gathering input from all its employees worldwide to provide ideas for how it can do more in three areas: social, cultural and environmental.

The CSR breakfast session yesterday from author and political scientist Bjorn Lomborg should provide some interesting approaches to help them prioritise these ideas. I spoke with him briefly after the breakfast, and you can see the video here.

As for Sibos, Swift has made some small steps this year to make it less wasteful of resources (as have quite a few exhibitors).

Swift has reduced paper on its stand, and is distributing marketing collateral and information electronically or on USB sticks. Other exhibitors to take this approach include the Euro Banking Association, Deutsche Bank, Bank of America and Fundtech.

Swift has also used re-cycled carpet throughout the venue. Re-cycled materials are being featured in many exhibition stands too, with Bank of America claiming that the majority of their stand is re-cycled material, and that they will be re-using it at future events.

Finally, Swift will be gathering leftover give-aways from vendors at the end of the event - things that might otherwise have been dumped - and giving them to a charity, Caritas. Everything from pens and notepads to soft toys and gadgets will hopefully make their way to schools, orphanages and other needy groups.

Finextra has been doing its own bit to be green this year too. Obviously being an online business means we don't tend to print much anyway. But in partnership with Fundtech, Deutsche Bank and the EBA we launched the Green Zone on SibosOnline to aggregate relevant content from the show, as well as promising to off-set 200 tonnes of carbon as part of the e-invoicing quiz we're running. It's not too late to take the quiz for your chance to win a very nice mountain bike too, so get clicking.