Why is this important?
In 2017, more than 1.5 billion participants across over 180 countries were involved in professional events. This number will likely increase as the number of regular international events doubles every ten years. (1) Travel constitutes a significant portion of the environmental impact of events, ranging from 70% to 90% of an event’s carbon emissions. (2) The impact of events and conferences can also be significant when it comes to waste generation, energy utilisation and water-use. While conferences generate around 1.89 kg of waste per attendee per day, energy consumption for powering the venue can account for about 4% of the total event footprint. (3)
What's the solution?
Before organising an event, the purpose and utility of the event itself should be questioned. Consider whether it can be organised virtually, in a hybrid format or regrouped with another event/meetings. Virtual conferences reduce the carbon footprint of events by around 94% and energy use by 90%, clearly making the case for switching to virtual or hybrid formats. (4)
Given the generally high impact of participant travel, a number of practices should be adopted to reduce travel-related emissions, notably air travel. Actions include: choosing central venues close to public transport hubs, promoting train travel and soft mobility, and preferring online participation for distant attendees. (5) Spatially optimal hubs for hybrid conferences have the potential to reduce the climate impact and energy use by two thirds while maintaining in-person participation at more than 50%. (6)
To limit the climate and environmental impact of an event further away, choose hotels that take steps to reduce their climate and environmental impact, switch to plant-based protein catering and reduce animal-based dishes, reduce food waste, ban single-use items, and reduce energy consumption. Procure sustainable products and avoid giveaways or choose more sustainable options. Finally, reduce water use and optimise waste management.
Key actions
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#1 Optimise in-person events
Review the event schedule and identify ways to reduce the frequency of in-person events and to mutualise where possible. Keep only necessary in-person conferences and gatherings.
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#2 Shift to virtual and hybrid events
Shifting to a virtual or hybrid format constitutes the most powerful lever to reduce the footprint of an event. Notably participants from distant locations can be incentivised to assist online. Consider holding international events in travel-optimised regional hubs and offer virtual participation.
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#3 Select optimal venue and accommodation
Find the optimal event location to minimise travel-related emissions. Choose venues accessible by public transport or soft mobility. Choose venues that run on renewable energy and consider sustainable/environmental certifications for the venue (e.g. LEED, BREAM) and service providers (e.g. ISO 14001, ISO 20121). However, privilege location and mobility over those certifications.
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#4 Incentivise land-based travel
Incentivise participants to use less impactful transport, like train or shared vehicles, for medium distances and soft mobility and public transport for short distance attendees. Consider providing discounts for participants that do not fly to the event. Provide local public transport passes free of charge.
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#5 Minimise impact of catering
Reduce food waste by improving menu planning. Put in place partnerships with food banks to distribute leftovers. Choose sustainable food options by prioritising plant-based as well as local, seasonal, and organic food.
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#6 Reduce energy consumption
Consider optimal heating/cooling and lighting options for the selected venue with energy efficient provisions in place. Set temperature standards to 19°C for heating and 26°C for air-conditioning. Choose a venue that runs on renewable energy.
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#7 Procure sustainable products and services
Ban single-use items and opt for reduced packaging. As applicable, prefer second-hand items or rentals and shift to certified products with ecolabels wherever possible. Avoid or reduce giveaways but, if unavoidable, choose long-lasting, sustainable, locally procured goods that are of use to participants.
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#8 Reduce water use
Question the venue on their water management practices, notably water-saving appliances. Work with the venue to promote sustainable usage of water in the washrooms. Do not distribute single-use plastic bottles.
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#9 Optimise waste management
Minimise waste production throughout the event, select a venue that has in place a waste management plan, including waste sorting and collection.
Tools and good practices
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European Commission – 7 steps for greener events, 2021
An easy-to-use checklist to reduce the climate and environmental impact of events.
Read here -
Green event checklist from Lehigh University Sustainable program
The students of Lehigh university developed within its sustainability program a checklist to organise green events. The list explores key actions regarding food, waste, transport, and communication.
Explore here -
Guidelines on Sustainable Event Organisation by the German Government, 2020
The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU) published this comprehensive guideline for organizing sustainable events. It includes objectives and measures with exhaustive checklists on 12 action areas like mobility, venue, energy, catering, waste management and water use.
Read more -
Guides for "Sustainable and Inclusive Events" from ETH Zurich, 2023
ETH Sustainability, Campus Services, ETH Diversity, SGU, Community & Outreach, and the Student Sustainability Committee have launched three guides on “Sustainable and Inclusive Events” to formulate specific measures to support event organisers in planning and implementing sustainable events in line with the 2030 Agenda. One guide for small events, and one for larger conferences are available with suggestions for good practices related to waste management, venue, mobility, etc.
Explore more -
ICAO Green Meetings Calculator
The International Civil Aviation Organization’s Green Meetings Calculator (IGMC) can support decision-making to select venues for meetings with the minimal carbon footprint from air travel. This calculator generates an optimal location for a meeting in terms of CO2 emissions, taking into consideration the city of origin and the number of participants, as well as other parameters.
Read here -
Zero Waste Scotland: Guide for reducing food waste
With the target to reduce food waste in Scotland by 33% by 2050, the guide offers tips for reducing food waste in the hospitality sector.
Explore here
To go further
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Net Zero Roadmap for the events industry, 2023
The Net Zero Roadmap is a product of the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative, a collaborative approach by the 400 plus organisations from 55 countries. The roadmap consists of a priority action framework for the events industry and technical guidelines for companies to construct their net zero pathways.
Explore -
Carbon trust: Energy Efficiency Guide for the Hospitality Sector
This guide introduces the main energy saving opportunities for the hospitality sector, and demonstrates how simple actions save energy, cut costs, and increase profit margins.
Read here -
World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance
The mission of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance is to accelerate the path to net positive hospitality through strategic industry leadership, collaborative action, harmonisation of metrics and regenerative solutions. The organisation provides notably resources on hotel sustainability.
Explore here -
ISO 20121 Event sustainability management systems
ISO 20121 is a standard for sustainable event management, that provides organisation with guidance on how to integrate sustainability into event planning and implementation. However, it does not provide guidance or targets for decarbonisation specifically.
Read more
Updated
Last updated July 2024. Share your success stories, suggestions, and comments with us! contact@climateactionaccelerator.org
Sources
(1) Y. Tao, D. Steckel, J. J. Klemeš, & F. You, “Trend towards virtual and hybrid conferences may be an effective climate change mitigation strategy”, Nature Communications, 12(1), 2021, Available here.
(2) J. Plasencia, “How to Make Carbon-Neutral Events: A Guide to Sustainable Event Planning”, ClimateTrade, 2023, Available here.
(3) J. Plasencia, “How to Make Carbon-Neutral Events: A Guide to Sustainable Event Planning”, ClimateTrade, 2023, Available here.
(4) Y. Tao, D. Steckel, J. J. Klemeš, & F. You, “Trend towards virtual and hybrid conferences may be an effective climate change mitigation strategy”, Nature Communications, 12(1), 2021, Available here.
(5) S. Jäckle, “The Carbon Footprint of Travelling to International Academic Conferences and Options to Minimise It”, Academic Flying and the Means of Communication, 19–52, 2022, Available here.
(6) Y. Tao, D. Steckel, J. J. Klemeš, & F. You, “Trend towards virtual and hybrid conferences may be an effective climate change mitigation strategy”, Nature Communications, 12(1), 2021, Available here.
(7) Y. Tao, D. Steckel, J. J. Klemeš, & F. You, “Trend towards virtual and hybrid conferences may be an effective climate change mitigation strategy”, Nature Communications, 12(1), 2021, Available here.
(8) S. Jäckle, “The Carbon Footprint of Travelling to International Academic Conferences and Options to Minimise It”, Academic Flying and the Means of Communication, 19–52, 2022, Available here.
(9) L. Burtscher et. al., “The carbon footprint of large astronomy meetings”, 2022, Available here.
(10) A. G. Periyasamy, A. Singh, K. Ravindra, “Carbon Emissions from Virtual and Physical Modes of Conference and Prospects for Carbon Neutrality: An Analysis From India. Air, Soil and Water Research”, 2022, Available here.
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Green office – Organisational level
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Cover photo: Sincerely Media/Unsplash