Resistance to sustainability initiatives often focuses on them being anti-business, that policies are designed to curtail enterprise. This couldn’t be further from the truth - sustainability is all about reducing inequalities, eradicating poverty, creating good jobs, and furnishing local economies through local supply chains – it is pro, sound development.
Admittedly, this shouldn’t come at the expense of the environment, but sustainability is all about beneficial development. What makes an event destination and its suppliers completely unsustainable are financial flows which aren’t retained locally, where products are produced outside of the locality and hotel, activity, and restaurant profits flow out of the region.
The sustainability framework is crystal clear on this matter, and the UN devotes several goals to the economic sustainability issue – from basic poverty alleviation to quality of employment.
A concise explanation of sustainable practices is that they build & maintain a local socio-economic fabric for future generations. The memorable aspects of an event experience are often the first-class service in independent hotels, experiencing regional cuisine in local restaurants, or understanding the culture and nature of an area through immersive activities.
These destination-specific experiences are only available, whilst the local enterprises are profitable. Consider Amazon's impact on local retailers – the same decimation of local enterprise is evident in numerous unsustainable global destinations.
The key difference however is that Amazon sells like-for-like products, whereas local event supply chains offer something unique and priceless. The onus is on event planners to contract with local suppliers, not out of charity, but because they provide something so valuable.
There is some debate amongst business ethicists as to the role charity plays in a corporate social responsibility scheme. Some argue that CSR isn’t about charity but rather, about making sound spending decisions in the supply chain. There is no more powerful supporter of economic sustainability than spending on local supply chains.
Companies have a considerable impact on local economies by simply deciding to work with sustainable suppliers. Whether it is a CSR issue or not, charity should complement, not replace economic sustainability through contracting with local, sustainable suppliers.
The remarkable aspect of pursuing a sustainable event strategy is that the outcome is often far better for the client, besides the socio-economic and environmental good it can do. Using local suppliers takes the client far closer to the genuine destination experience, in locations with enviable local cultures and lifestyles.
Sustainable events are the polar opposite of the dull, homogeneity that our globalised world is hurtling toward. Event planners who embrace sustainability will never look back.
Good for the sustainable economy - good for the environment – sustainable restaurants offer an illustration of what can be achieved by sustainable supply chains. Michelin is synonymous with fine dining, yet this stalwart of gastronomic excellence now offers a Green Star system for sustainable restaurants. The Green Star is awarded to Michelin restaurants which (amongst other things) use local produce and supply chains, working directly with local fisherwomen/men and farmers.
In the leading sustainability frameworks, hotels are denied sustainable accreditation unless they work with local supply chains – accreditation being the best way to ensure compliance and the continual ratcheting of standards.
The beauty of embracing sustainability is that its ethos ties you fundamentally to a destination. Eating reindeer in Chamonix would be ridiculous, whilst a fondue in Tromsø would be absurd. Not only would it be economically disadvantageous to the local supply chains, but it would also result in missed cultural experiences. An event is the sum of many parts and fully embracing a destination (in sustainable ways), leads to a richer experience.
Think of coasteering in Spain, cycling in the Netherlands, surfing in Portugal, caving in Italy, or land yachting in Belgium. Local supply chains offer activities indelibly linked to the regional identity and whose revenues are retained within the local economy.
The 17 UN sustainable development goals are the basis of all credible sustainability accreditation and national eco-label schemes.
Besides the economic factors, social and environmental measures determine the sustainability level of an event. More information on sustainability frameworks and topics can be found below.
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