Claude Molinari, general manager of SMG/Cobo Center, announced that Cobo Center has achieved recertification to the Event Industry Council’s (EIC) Accepted Practices Exchange/American Society for Testing and Materials International (APEX/ASTM) Sustainable Meeting Standard for venues.
The Cobo Center Green Committee is also in the process of attaining LEED (Leadership in Energy and 
Environmental Design) certification with the U.S Green Buildings Council, a venue rating for design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings with environmental responsible practices that utilize resources efficiently.
Cobo’s sustainable operations gained the attention of the trade show industry and the facility was chosen as the site of this year’s Sustainable Brands (SB’19) conference. Detroit’s main convention and exhibition venue was the host site for Sustainable Brands’17 Detroit, and will again host the event June 4-6 this year.
“Sustainable Brands is excited to continue to partner with suppliers and venues like Cobo who demonstrate a commitment to sustainable practices. Cobo’s commitment to innovation and sustainability has demonstrated how leadership and teamwork can achieve very high goals,” said David Fiss, CMP and director of business development and event strategy for Sustainable Brands. “Doing so helps our event meet our sustainability goals, educate our attendees, and encourage other suppliers to the meeting and events industry to do the same. A sustainable event is more thoughtful and creates a better participant experience.”
A number of leading companies and organizations will be supporting the Sustainable Brands event, including Ford Motor Company, the Dow Chemical Company, BASF, General Motors, Nestle, NSF International, The Erb Institute for Global sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan and the Detroit Experience Factory.
“We continue to make strides in improving the sustainability of our offerings, including a new post event donation program,” Molinari said. “Getting recertified to the APEX/ASTM Green Meeting Standard and hosting Sustainable Brands for the second time signals that our efforts are truly world class.”
