BLOG

Members of MPI’s MPI Sustainability Advisory Council discuss positive trends and areas where more leadership and improvement are needed. 

MPI's sustainability spotlight brought to you by 

Can you tell us about an event sustainability trend that you’re happy to see progressing and gaining traction?   

I have noticed during this past year that most meetings are eliminating paper signage and using electronic signage. I have also seen more wooden items such as containers, cutlery and key cards being used during F&B events and at hotels. Furthermore, there are more recyclable receptacles and less plastic used throughout each meeting.
Elizabeth A. Kretchmer, CMP Fellow, CMM, HMCC, DES
Strategic Meeting Manager

______________________________________

We are more increasingly into digital and that’s a positive thing. A printed brochure folded into a nice paper pocket is lost or left behind most of the time. What I’ve noticed is less goodies distributed at trade shows and workshops. Sales reps used to travel loaded with goodies such as booklets, keychains, chocolates, pens, etc. Most of time it ended up thrown into the garbage or left in hotel rooms.

The trend gaining traction is carbon-neutral events. We have made efforts to measure and calculate emissions from travel, venue and catering. Meeting planners prefer venues with green certification (such as Green Key or ISO 20121).

Elodie Morini
Key Account Manager US & Canada
Le Méridien Paris Arc De Triomphe​​​​

​______________________________________ 

One encouraging trend is the wider adoption of independent frameworks such as ISO 20121 that help organizations measure, benchmark and improve sustainability efforts in a structured way. We are also seeing strong momentum around the Event Industry Council’s sustainability standards, which MPI co-developed to give the event industry a common language and set of standards. Beyond compliance, more venues and organizers are embracing circularity, reducing waste, reusing materials and designing events with positive legacy outcomes for host communities.

Robbert Weddepohl
Group Director Venues
Stage Entertainment B.V.

______________________________________ 

Are there any ways in which we’re moving backwards or stalled when it comes to events industry or broader societal sustainability efforts?

I continue to attend events that pre-set BOTH water and tea. It is wasteful to pre-set just one beverage but extremely wasteful to pre-set two when attendees don’t drink both. A sustainable approach to offering two options is to have a pitcher of each on the table and allow the attendee to pour their own or have a server pour. This also cuts down on the number of glasses that will need to be washed.

Another observation I see at events is providing to-go coffee cups. These should only be offered if the attendees are grabbing and leaving—otherwise, the venue should use ceramic or china that can be reused.

These are basic level sustainable efforts that can be made which cost nothing to implement and would save the organization money.

Molly Johnson, CMP-Fellow
Vice President of Sales & Services
Wilmington and Beaches CVB

______________________________________  

The only way I see us moving backwards is due to government regulations. Our environment cannot afford to go backwards with the global warming that is going on throughout the world and we need to think and operate smartly.
-Kretchmer

______________________________________ 

Unfortunately, progress is not linear everywhere. In Europe, the rollout of E(nvironment) S(ocial) G(overnance) legislation with its CSRD (sustainability directives) has been delayed and simplified, which risks slowing down the momentum of structured reporting and accountability. In the U.S. and other regions, regulatory frameworks remain fragmented or politically contested, creating uneven adoption. For our industry, this means we must continue to lead voluntarily, setting higher standards and educating our stakeholders, even when policy lags behind.
-Weddepohl

______________________________________

Yes, despite the progress made, there are areas where our industry stalled and there are differences between regions of the world.

Meeting professionals are more attentive to the quantities and adjusting their orders based on accurate numbers of attendees and not “over ordering,” but then we still lack a better system to redistribute the food left behind after a large banquet event.

Return of single-use items. Because of cost or because of hygiene, many venues have gone back to single-use plastics such as water bottles and disposable cutlery. 

Travel emissions. Air travel for meetings and conferences has returned post pandemic and remains the largest carbon contributor. 

Lack of global standards. Sustainability claims are widespread, but measurement and verification are inconsistent.
-Morini