EmiratesGBC Congress to Explore How Green Buildings Create Value Within A Circular Economy

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24 Mar 2019

In its eighth year, the Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) Congress will host experts and stakeholders from the building and construction industry to discuss the role of a circular economy in promoting sustainable development. Building on last year’s landmark Congress on Net Zero Buildings and Cities, the discussion will focus on how a shift to a circular economy is integral to a net zero carbon future in the UAE and the region.

Organised by EmiratesGBC, an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, the Congress will be held under the theme ‘Circling in on Zero: Circular Economy in the Built Environment’, on May 1-2, 2019 at the Pullman Dubai Creek City Centre hotel.

The Annual EmiratesGBC Congress brings together international experts in diverse aspects of energy management and sustainable development to discuss strategies for promoting sustainable built environments for the cities of the future in line with UAE Vision 2021 and the objectives of the Paris COP21 Climate Agreement. The event aims to influence sustainable practices in the UAE’s built environment and to help identify key industry challenges and solutions as well as catalyse innovation in green buildings to create new models that support the country’s efforts to be a leader in sustainability.

The 2019 Congress’ discussions will focus on how a circular economy approach within the building and construction sector can support the UAE to decarbonise and achieve the sustainable development goals of Vision 2021. The building sector is a major contributor to climate change globally and there is an urgent need for the industry to innovate across all aspects of the supply chain and lifecycle of buildings to reduce the environmental impact of our cities.

Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman of EmiratesGBC said: “This year, the Congress will further build on the conversation of how we can attain our goal of net zero carbon buildings and cities through the adoption of an efficient circular economy. As populations and consumption levels continue to rise, we increasingly face challenges in accessing resources, reducing consumption and implementing appropriate waste management strategies. By making better use of our resources through increasing their lifecycle and reducing waste, the UAE can achieve its objectives of long-term sustainable development within the context of Vision 2021 across all industries, including the built sector.”

This year the congress will be held over two days. The first day will focus on a series of presentations and panel discussions across three main sessions that will deliberate the role of circular economy in built environments, with a specific emphasis on building materials. For the first time, the Congress will address embodied carbon, which refers to the carbon emissions created during a material’s lifecycle including manufacture, transport and construction phases of the building material. Discussions during the congress will explore how sustainable building materials can reduce the total carbon emissions of buildings to support the target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. On the final day, the Congress will screen ‘Closing the Loop,’ an award-winning documentary highlighting the urgent need to switch to a circular economy to reduce waste globally.

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