Destinations are desperate to get a piece of the ever-expanding sustainable event market. Greenwashing ranges from questionable claims to the truly absurd.
There is a common misconception that sustainability is a subjective evaluation. Sustainability accreditation is in fact managed on a national level in many countries and those suppliers can be assumed to provide ‘sustainable’ services and products. Where the water is muddied is in the national certification where standards for accreditation vary – sustainable suppliers might have to meet far higher performance indicators in country x than say y.
The United Nations however offer absolute clarity in terms of sustainability. They have codified 17 social, economic, and environmental indicators which need to be met, to be considered sustainable. So, what a destination or supplier says about their sustainable credentials can be corroborated. And what we see is that the rhetoric doesn’t always match the actions. UN sustainability Goal 5 on ‘Gender Equality’ - that alone could rule out whole regions where women fight for basic rights.
HOW TO AVOID THE GREENWASHING HYPE
As the market for sustainable events grows it is reasonable to assume that the clamour to get a slice of this lucrative segment grows – attempts at green washing may get more sophisticated and brazen. Yet against this unscrupulous and damaging behaviour there are global bodies who rank destinations on their sustainability performance. One such body is the ‘Global Destination Management Movement’ whose GDS index ranks the leading destinations globally, through a framework that is closely aligned to the 17 UN sustainability goals.
Find an event agency that is interested in delivering a truly sustainable event, rather than a PR exercise. In many cases, the event agency will have developed the sustainable event programme from scratch, rather than bolting on a few appealing bits to an existing programme. Often these aren’t appealing anyway – collecting plastic waste in the desert - really????? Coasteering wild Atlantic cliffs, transferred by electric buses, drinking cider from the on-site orchard and lunching on locally caught seafood in a women-led restaurant – amazing and impactful on many levels.
DELIVERING A GENUINELY SUSTAINABLE EVENT
Corporate social responsibility (CSR), Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) or something more tailor-made, corporations know the framework they operate in. This should be the basis of any event planning process.
Use an event agency who can contract suppliers to deliver on verifiable sustainability targets, who operate within, and are accredited by national sustainability bodies.
Ensure that the meeting or incentive event is inspiring and engaging. The idea that sustainability impedes enjoyment is tragically wide of the mark. A well planned, sustainable event programme should eclipse all previous events.
Challenge your event agency to strive for additional sustainability – it is only by ratcheting the framework targets that real economic and societal progress is achieved.
THE PILLARS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The codification of the 17 United Nations sustainable development goals represents the foundation of all credible, sustainability frameworks.
These 17 goals can be categorised into 3 main pillars of sustainability, those of environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
SUSTAINABLE EVENT FOOD FOR THOUGHT
An event planner arranging a sustainable corporate event is likely to be concerned with a fairly narrow set of sustainability considerations.
The supply chain of a sustainable corporate event is likely to include travel, hotels and activities around the event.
Organise a sustainable corporate event with us.
Email or call us on +44 (0) 20 8123 7817.
Provide a little information as to your trip / event needs and we can begin to develop some initial ideas for you.