Ecology pays off – for everyone and anyone. Kraków5020 with the help of the Carbon Footprint Foundation will create the ESG policy for ICE Kraków

According to IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports, carbon dioxide emissions significantly impact the changing climate. The only way to avoid catastrophic consequences is to drastically reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we release into the atmosphere. This is the moment when the whole world faces one of the greatest challenges in human history. ‘We cannot wait for developments with folded arms. We read reports, look at the best solutions, and want to implement them for ourselves. ICE Kraków has welcomed over 1.5 million visitors from all over the world in the nine years of its existence. They ask how they can contribute to caring for ecology, society and the environment. Based on the ESG policy for the Congress Centre, we will implement the best solutions,’ assures Izabela Błaszczyk, President of Kraków5020, the operator of ICE Kraków.

Since its inception, the ICE Kraków Congress Centre has been more than just a space for event organisers. It is also where the entire event industry unites – the Kraków Network. ‘It is an initiative that is ahead of the curve. We started with joint CSR activities; to unite and show strength, we introduced the Kraków Network protocol supporting cooperation for sustainable tourism in Kraków. We have already implemented some of the activities carried out at the facility in line with ESG principles. And most importantly, all the knowledge we have gained is shared at Kraków Network community meetings. The same will happen with the ESG policy. It will be created for ICE Kraków, but it will show several directions and solutions useful for the entire industry,’ says Paula Fanderowska, Vice-President of Kraków5020, the operator of ICE Kraków.

Reliable experts will help create an ESG policy for the ICE Kraków Congress Centre. ‘The Carbon Footprint Foundation, established at the beginning of 2019, answers the challenges organisations, companies or associations face. It works to build public awareness through educational projects and the publication of substantive content. It collaborates with other NGOs, responsible businesses and experts and co-creates a platform to share experiences in implementing sustainable solutions. The coordinated efforts of people from different backgrounds and public education are the key to making fundamental changes that effectively prevent the climate crisis. One of the sectors that the Foundation wants to help is the MICE industry, which organises significant national and international events that leave a carbon footprint,’ explains Agnieszka Rozwadowska, the President of the Carbon Footprint Foundation

‘Over the four years of the Carbon Footprint Foundation, we have built solid and reliable working standards with organisations, partners and businesses. Since the beginning of the Foundation, the competencies of the analytical team have been strengthened and developed. Therefore, I am pleased that we can realistically and actively support the green transformation by building decarbonisation strategies not only for organisations but also for events, products or services. The green transformation we are participating in today is, first and foremost, a mental change. The carbon footprint is the most universal indicator of human environmental impact. It helps us measure, analyse, identify areas and finally take concrete steps to decarbonise human activity – as an individual and a whole,’ she adds.

Amongst other things, the Carbon Footprint Foundation pursues its objectives through a social Think Tank, providing a space for the accessible communication of the world of science, business and activism by developing the #idea #fact #tech format of the international climate summit Carbon Footprint Summit, whose carbon footprint it has been analysing and optimising since the beginning, since the first edition. ‘We know how to do it, we understand the challenges of the event industry, we recognise doubts, we dispel fears, we teach how to communicate about the carbon footprint. Today, we don’t ask ‘why’ but ‘how.’ That is why we want to dynamise activity in the ESG transformation of the meetings industry in our region. Not only does this provide a competitive advantage for the entire value chain in this sector, but above all, businesses will not be able to generate stable profit without identifying, securing and mitigating sustainability risks. Ecology pays off – for everyone and everything. Quite simply,’ states Rozwadowska.

The letter of intent signed today between Kraków5020 – the operator of ICE Kraków, and the Carbon Footprint Foundation marks the start of work on an ESG policy. A team to be set up in the next few days will also develop criteria for a carbon footprint calculator, which is being asked for by an increasing number of clients in the meetings industry.

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Kraków5020 is a municipal company established by the Kraków City Council to build and manage the city’s image and its promotion in cooperation with numerous partners. The main task is to strengthen Kraków’s brand as a modern, attractive, open and tolerant European metropolis, a city of world cultural heritage, and a thriving academic centre. The company is responsible for, among others, the ICE Kraków Congress Centre and the hybrid studio located there, the urban VOD platform PLAY KRAKÓW, projects: Kraków Network and Power of 4, the ICE Classic and Good Morning ICE Kraków series, Kraków Story in the Wyspiański Pavilion and the Official City Information Network InfoKraków.