By Anthia Papageorgiou
Senior Officer, LCCI
The Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, being environmentally aware and supportive of sustainable development and circular economy, implements internal procedures and actions, to minimize the impact of the organization's activities on the environment. In this context, the Limassol Chamber has been certified with the eco-label of environmental quality for buildings and offices - Green Office. The Chamber, since the creation of its own building in 2005, has adopted environmentally friendly practices and procedures for the proper management of waste by ensuring the recycling of almost all waste it produces, by placing bins for paper, plastic, batteries and glass.
Collaborations have also been made with licensed waste contractors for ink recycling and printing toners, as well as for computers and other devices. In addition, water and energy consumption are constantly monitored. Turning to renewable energy sources and trying to help reduce energy consumption from non-renewable sources, a photovoltaic system was installed at the end of 2019 and the benefits in energy savings are now obvious.
The Secretariat of the Chamber, by constantly informing the Chamber staff on environmental issues, has now managed to create ecological behavior. The Chamber has also been established as an environmentally friendly workplace. The waste, mainly paper, plastics and toners end up in the recycling bins, which is a regular practice of all our staff members.
The Chamber constantly monitors the actions of both the government and the European Union on environmental issues. Regular contacts and meetings are held between the President and members of the Board of Directors on issues related to green matters, including the promotion of proper waste management, the establishment of composting units, the upgrading of the OEDA plant in Pentakomo and the provision of the right tools to the local authorities to enable the application of the Pay as you throw practice.
The Chamber organizes and/or participates in events/seminars promoting green development issues. Also, through the Chamber's collaborators, such as with the European Parliament Delegation in Cyprus and Green Dot, articles on the environment and green development are published in the Chamber's monthly newspaper, ‘Entrepreneurial Limassol’. The Chamber has been participating since October 2021 in the SME Climate Hub initiative, which aims to guide businesses to become net zero businesses.
