As UK businesses become more eco-conscious, we are finding the interest in hosting a green and sustainable event’s becoming increasingly popular – any rightly so. Businesses are starting to recognise that they can play a part, becoming more accountable with their decision-making process, making small changes to their events to support this positive movement.

The two main impacts to come from any type of event is the amount of waste they generate and the high CO2 emissions they produce. So why is sustainability such a focus in Events now?

Environmental Concerns: With the increasing awareness of climate change, pollution, and environmental degradation, people are becoming more conscious of the impact that events can have on the environment. Events can generate a significant amount of waste and carbon emissions, and by adopting sustainable practices, event organizers can help to mitigate these impacts.

Social Responsibility: Many event attendees, sponsors, and stakeholders are now prioritizing social and environmental responsibility in their decision-making. By demonstrating a commitment to sustainability, event organizers can attract more socially conscious attendees, sponsors, and stakeholders.

Cost Savings: Sustainable practices can often lead to cost savings for event organizers. For example, reducing waste can lead to lower disposal costs, while energy-efficient lighting and equipment can reduce electricity bills.

Legislation: In many regions, there are now regulations and guidelines in place that require event organisers to adopt sustainable practices. By complying with these regulations, event organizers can avoid fines and penalties.

So, how can we be more sustainable in our events?

– Make your event carbon neutral by only inviting local guests, offering guests from further afield the option to join the event virtually, serving vegetarian food or encouraging public transport to attend the event.
– Offsetting your event’s carbon footprint through financially supporting projects that work to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
– Employ a zero or low waste policy by avoiding printing agendas etc, have no single use plastics, serve food that can be donated rather than thrown away.
– Use local suppliers and locally sourced products.

There are event venues who have already started implementing great schemes to support the sustainable movement. On a global scale, Hilton is the first major hotel company to establish science based targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris agreement. On a more local scale, the ACC Liverpool is the first large-scale conference venue in the UK to join isla (a scheme set up to work with agencies, brands and suppliers to provide guidance and expertise on how to confidently and consistently deliver sustainable events).

Hippo offer Event Project Management and Global Venue Finding services. Contact us today on 01372 460 100 or events@hippoevents.co.uk to see how we can assist.