A small principality of just two square kilometres that is perhaps best known for its glittering blue seas and its Formula One Monaco Grand Prix, Monaco might not be the first name that comes to mind when you think about sustainable destinations. However, the Principality has been acting as a pioneer in the matter for a few years, thanks to outstanding initiatives across the whole value and supply chain.
Beneath the surface of Monaco’s deep blue sea lie some very good creative activities and ideas designed to create – and protect – a sustainable environment that safeguards its inherent beauty. Over the last two decades, the Principality has witnessed a boom in sustainable tourism practices, and organizations of all kinds and formats have embraced the sustainability message wholeheartedly.
As a dynamic, competitive and innovative community of experts in the key sectors of science, industry and sustainability, Monaco has repositioned itself as a destination that is responsible and sustainably managed. At a time when the environment and the problems of climate change increasingly affect business decisions, it has, in 2018, joined the Global Destination Sustainable Index and was ranked 13th for its first participation (out of 60 participating destinations) with very high supplier performance. The Principality also recently won the Green Palm for Europe’s best carbon balance sheet, with a reduction of 15 to 40 % of your carbon footprint compared to other European cities, should you choose to spend some time there.
The initial push came from Prince Albert II via his Foundation in 2006, which set out to promote sustainable development on a global scale. Now it’s the whole country that is mobilized by its Sovereign on the over-arching theme of the environment. “Thanks to the pioneer work of its Sovereign, H.S.H. Prince Albert II, Monaco has been tackling environmental challenges for some time now. The official partner of many international conventions such as Kyoto Protocol, Paris agreement, the UN Sustainable Development Goals and now the GDS Index, we are raising awareness and providing high standard sustainability practices through all our activities,” says Sandrine Camia, Director of Monaco Convention Bureau.
In this context, all hotels, representing a total of 2,500 rooms and Monaco’s main convention centre, the Grimaldi Forum, are eco-certified, while all its tourism professionals are committed to energy transition, the aim being to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality in 2050.
The Principality of Monaco has also recently given the starting signal to its new offshore extension project and will expand its territory by six hectares in 2025. The project includes the construction of an eco-district mainly offering housing, public parking and facilities, a lively harbor with pedestrian quays, a green park, a coastal promenade, a shaded passage along the Japanese Garden as well as an extension to the Grimaldi Forum – all sustainably managed of course.
More information: scamia@gouv.mc/ www.monaconventionbureau.com. This article was written by Boardroom Chief Editor Rémi Dévé and is part of an extensive France feature in the next edition of Boardroom. https://boardroom.global/be-responsible-in-green-monaco/
