Sustainability
exhibition industry , said that the release of the guidance documents signalled the completion of the NZCE initiative ’ s initial work . James Rees , president of JMIC , noted that Part Two of the initiative followed three phases of development and guidance and needed total buy-in and active engagement from the industry to achieve .
To that end , participants will continue to be held accountable by reporting their net zero progress to NZCE . Rees explained : “ Part of committing to the pledge is committing to regular reporting , every two years minimum , which is a fundamental part of this industry-wide initiative . This allows us to report our progress back to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC ).
“ Previously the industry didn ’ t have a measurement tool to pick a starting point and benchmark progress . We ’ ve seen the impact of NZCE at ExCeL so far , which is showing us how to achieve net zero by 2050 .”
Where we ’ re going According to Hattendorf , from 2024 the focus will shift from development to implementation . “ We achieved in record time what no one deemed possible initially – a united industry response to the climate challenge . Going forward , NZCE will focus on supporting and guiding NZCE supporters and pledgees with their implementation of the guidelines and emerging standards ,” Hattendorf said .
Going forward , the NZCE will focus on three ‘ tentpoles ’ for its structure and workflows – Measurement , Reporting , and Verification ; Activation and Adaptation ; Communication and Education . A series of projects will cover topics such as Reporting , Standards , Certifications , Reusable Stands , and other priorities in the events industries that drive greenhouse gas reductions .
Hattendorf added : “ Staying agile on the way to achieve clear targets is the key to acting fast and efficiently – that certainly is one lesson the pandemic taught us , and it is part of the DNA of the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative . And speed remains of the essence as we need to show that the global events industry is a part of the solution to the global climate crisis .”
Brian Brittain , COO of RX , also presented at the launch and praised the value of the workstreams ’ findings : “ Establishing a consistent method to measure carbon emissions at events is crucial . Our focus on understanding our emissions remains unwavering — but now we must swiftly trial and amplify carbon reduction initiatives at our events . This guidance will help all of us do just that .” n
n The guidance documents can be found at netzerocarbonevents . org / resources /
NZCE is open and free to the entire events industry , however voluntary financial contributions are crucial to developing the campaign and initiative – potential contributors can find out more at netzerocarbonevents . org / funding-opportunities
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