Overview: Achieving sustainability in the events industry is both a challenge and an opportunity. At NetNada, we are committed to empowering event planners, business leaders, and sustainability advocates with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate this essential journey toward sustainable event practices.
Join our NetNada Masterclass featuring our guest speaker, Chetan Dwivedi, founder of ConCater. Chetan and his team focus on making events more nature-positive by connecting event organisers with a network of sustainability-oriented venues, caterers, waste management, and decorators. His expertise will provide invaluable insights into how to implement sustainable practices in your events.
Resources:
Event Emissions Calculator
NetNada Information Pack
Follow-up Session: Basic Carbon Accounting for Events
Key Takeaways:
Events Industry Carbon Emissions: The events sector contributes up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it a key area for sustainability improvement. Measuring and reducing event emissions is crucial for making a significant environmental impact.
- Measuring Emissions: Understanding the key emission sources of events—energy, waste, travel, food, and more—helps identify opportunities for reduction. Data-driven approaches, like spend-based and activity-based methods, enable more effective planning.
- Planning Sustainable Events: Successful sustainable event planning starts with assessing what is relevant and within control. Collaborating with suppliers and venues to reduce emissions and ensuring better data capture can lead to more impactful results.
- Leveraging Technology and Tools: Tools like the NetNada Event Emissions Calculator and frameworks such as decision trees simplify the process of measuring and reducing emissions, providing practical solutions for event planners at all levels.
- Engaging Attendees and Stakeholders: Incorporating sustainability into events isn’t just about reducing emissions; it's also about educating attendees. Engaging them in sustainability efforts, like raising funds for carbon offset projects, helps create a deeper connection with your event’s sustainability goals.
- Food and Catering Impact: Catering can contribute significantly to an event's carbon footprint. Switching to plant-based food options and reducing food waste can have a large environmental impact, while also helping reduce costs and increase sustainability at events.
Question & Answer:
Q: How can I engage my suppliers and partners to help reduce the environmental impact of my events, especially if some of them are not yet focused on sustainability?
Start by communicating your sustainability priorities during the procurement stage. Ask suppliers about their sustainability practices and commitment to reducing their environmental footprint. Even if they don’t yet have detailed data, expressing the importance of sustainability in your decision-making can help signal market demand and encourage change. Over time, as you work with suppliers, you can also request more detailed sustainability documentation like Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) or Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) to get more precise data. This will not only help you but could also push suppliers to adopt more sustainable practices.
Q: Do online events have emissions, and should we be concerned about them?
Yes, online events still have an emissions profile, though it’s significantly lower than in-person events. Emissions mainly come from the energy used to run servers, data storage, and attendee devices. While the impact is smaller, it’s still worth measuring and factoring into your sustainability strategy. Calculating these emissions helps you communicate your commitment to sustainability, even for virtual events. It’s important to walk the talk and make data-driven decisions, like choosing green hosting services or offsetting your online event emissions.
Q: How can we reduce emissions from catering and food at our events?
The biggest impact comes from the farming stage of food production. To reduce emissions, focus on offering plant-based meals, as these have a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to animal-based products. For example, plant-based meals like tofu or vegetables can reduce emissions by up to 20 times compared to meat-based options like steak. Additionally, reduce food waste by ordering accurately, using reusable plates and cutlery, or opting for compostable packaging. Working with sustainable catering partners who provide emissions data can also help guide your food sustainability choices.
Q: How do I measure and reduce emissions from travel, especially when attendees are flying in from different locations?
Travel, particularly air travel, is a major source of emissions for events. One way to reduce the impact is by encouraging attendees to use public transport or carpool where possible. For international events, it's important to track travel emissions and calculate their contribution to the event’s carbon footprint. Consider incentivizing low-emission travel options by providing resources like public transport maps or offering discounts for eco-friendly travel options. The key is to measure your travel data accurately and focus your efforts on the areas with the highest emissions.
Q: How do we engage attendees in our sustainability efforts during an event?
Engaging attendees can make your sustainability initiatives more impactful. One way to do this is by using transparent communication, such as displaying carbon footprint labels on food items or using educational materials that explain your sustainability efforts. During the event, you can invite attendees to take part in initiatives like offsetting their travel emissions or contributing to carbon offset projects. For example, at the World Vegan Day event, attendees were encouraged to contribute funds to offset their carbon emissions, creating an interactive and empowering sustainability experience.
Q: What are the main challenges when planning a sustainable event?
One of the biggest challenges is access to reliable data on emissions, particularly when working with suppliers. Gathering accurate data for all aspects of the event—from food and waste management to transport—can be difficult, especially when working with new or smaller suppliers. However, using tools like the NetNada Event Emissions Calculator and collaborating with venues and suppliers who provide clear sustainability data can help. Additionally, understanding the key emission sources and setting realistic goals for reduction is essential in driving sustainable event planning forward.
