The Heart of the Swiss Pavilion...

The towers are the heart of the Swiss Pavilion. Visitors will be invited to discover Switzerland – the diversity of products and values which underlie the success of the Swiss approach – by engaging in a fun exploration of the towers. Switzerland wishes to take part in Expo 2015 as an active, caring and socially responsible stakeholder in the area of food and sustainable development.

The journey through the towers is guided by this leitmotif, thus prompting visitors to reflect – on the basis of their own personal experience – on the global availability of food and sustainable development throughout the food value chain. Visitors will be free to take away or consume any amount of the products. How much will be left for later visitors – and for how long – will be determined by the consumer behaviour and level of awareness of each visitor.

The products in the towers were selected on the basis of this general aim as well as of specific criteria, such as storage properties, sustainability, climate conditions, availability, and the products' relevance in the Swiss agri-food industry.

The four products chosen for the towers (water, salt, coffee and apples) stand for a Switzerland which is sustainable, responsible, innovative and proud of its traditions. Coffee – from the Swiss agri-food industry – is a good example of the public and private sectors' capacity for innovation and commitment to ensuring sustainability throughout the coffee value chain, from crop to cup. Coffee has become the main export food product, overtaking chocolate and cheese in terms of share in foreign trade. Apple rings – from different varieties of Swiss apple trees – represent biodiversity, the capacity for successful economic diversification and the key role played by agriculture in protecting the countryside, in addition to making a positive contribution to a healthy and natural diet. Salt – from underground salt deposits in Switzerland – is essential to nutrition and industrial production alike. The focus on this vital substance is intended to increase public awareness of the initiatives taken to reduce salt consumption, promote healthy living and improve the quality of life.

Water is a key component of the Swiss Pavilion. It is the overarching theme of the exhibition organised by the City of Zurich. The four Gotthard cantons will be presenting an exhibition relating to water. The water in the tower comes from the local aquifer, which feeds the Swiss Pavilion's supply network. The main messages relating to the tower dedicated to the theme of water highlight the fact that water is a precious resource and are intended to serve as a basis for an open debate on the importance of securing a sustainable supply of water through public-private initiatives. After all, 783 million people worldwide have no access to drinking water and 2.5 billion people have no access to sanitation.

Once the world exhibition is over, the towers will be reused as urban greenhouses in several Swiss cities. Seventy-five per cent of the materials used for the Swiss Pavilion and related infrastructures can be recycled after the event.

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