From Turin to London under the sign of reduced environmental impact

The model for the reduction of the environmental impact tested at the last three editions of the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre** becomes an example for other big events which want to continue the path started by Slow Food, the Regional Authority of Piedmont and the city of Turin back in 2006.

The ISO 20121 standard adopted by the XXX Olympics is the result of the work of the British Standard Bs 8901, the commission responsible for the definition of a new global standard for the management of sustainable events. In 2008 a representative of this interdisciplinary group came to Turin to meet the scientific coordinators of the Low Environmental Impact Events project applied to the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre: Luigi Bistagnino, president of the Design Course at the Polytechnic University of Turin and Franco Fassio, lecturer at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Systemic Design.

The materials analyzed by the study include Mater-Bi® by Novamont, used by Ecozema and Seda to make disposable biodegradable and naturally compostable cutlery and cups, which were successfully tested at various editions of the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre to serve both hot and cold dishes, as well as drinks.

The outcome of the study was positive, hence the organizers of the Olympic Games decided to equip food stalls with the dishes, cutlery and cups – with their respective lids – developed by the two companies from Novara and Vicenza: the flagships of Italian research in this field.

The system developed for the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre by the scientific coordinators of the Eventi a ridotto impatto ambientale (Low environmental impact events) project – developed within the Design Course of the Polytechnic of Turin and the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo – is very complex and relies on a network of partners who pool their strengths according to the principles of systemic design, whereby the outcome of one action becomes the input for another process.

For the 2012 edition of the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre, Slow Food, the Regional Authority of Piedmont and the City of Turin are once again committed to reducing negative repercussions on the environment of the event. The goal is to do better than the 2010 record, when the total impact had been reduced by 65% in comparison to 2006.

The key strategies focus on waste reduction, smart management of freight transport, responsible use of water and energy and use of eco-friendly materials for layout and graphic materials.

For further information:
www.slowfood.com 
www.novamont.com
www.ecozema.com 

** Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre is the biennial event organized by Slow Food, the City of Turin and the Region of Piedmont in collaboration with the Italian Ministry for Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, which displays the extraordinary diversity of food from all continents and unites small-scale farmers and artisans from around the world who follow the principles of good, clean and fair. For the first time this year, Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre merge to create a single event that will be held on October 25-29, 2012 in Turin, Italy.