Start an event sustainability plan with decisions you can control and evidence you can collect. “Green” is too vague to serve as a brief for a venue, stand builder or caterer. Define the intended outcomes, the person responsible for each action and the records you will use to evaluate them.
Start from a management framework
ISO 20121:2024 is an event sustainability management standard covering environmental, social and economic impacts. ISO describes it as applicable to events of different types and sizes, with ways to demonstrate conformity including self-declaration, supplier validation and third-party certification. When evaluating a claim, ask which route is being used and what its scope covers.
The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard provides guidance for organisational greenhouse-gas inventories. It distinguishes emissions accounting from project accounting for offsets and from the verification process. An event emissions report should therefore explain its method and boundaries and state whether it has been independently verified.
Set priorities before procurement
- Choose the scope: decide whether the plan covers the organiser's operations, the venue, exhibitor stands, travel, catering or a wider combination.
- Establish the baseline: record what you know and where estimates are required. Keep the units, dates and assumptions with the data.
- Assign actions: write a named owner and deadline for each procurement, transport or waste action.
- Agree the evidence: request service records and a reporting format before signing supplier contracts.
Ask the venue and suppliers specific questions
- Ask the venue what energy and water data it can provide for your event and how shared consumption is allocated.
- Ask the waste contractor which streams it collects, where they go and whether final weights or destination records will be available.
- Compare stand reuse, storage, transport and disposal options on their full quoted cost.
- Ask catering teams to plan quantities, provide appropriate dietary options and specify arrangements for any surplus food.
- Offer practical travel information and assess whether your venue choice supports the journeys attendees need to make.
Keep exhibitors involved
Publish the stand and materials brief early enough for suppliers to respond. Ask exhibitors what they intend to reuse and what records they can provide after breakdown. If you request digital materials, plan for accessibility and connectivity, and keep digital delivery within the scope you assess.
Report results and gaps separately
Publish actions completed, quantities measured and items estimated. State the reporting boundary and distinguish emission reductions from any separate offset activity. Describe a waste diversion claim precisely, including any exclusions and the available destination evidence. Use labels such as “zero waste”, “carbon neutral” or “net zero” only when your records substantiate their intended meaning.
After the event, choose the next action from the largest measured gap. If that gap is in food and catering, use our guide to reducing waste in event catering to plan quantities and surplus food. Use the same definitions for the next edition so comparisons are meaningful.
