A pledge for sustainability
AIPC CEO SVEN BOSSU SAYS THE EVENTS INDUSTRY NEEDS TO PICK UP THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE
am writing this column in Waimes , in the south of Belgium , while enjoying some time off with the family . Over a month ago , floods destroyed several villages only 20 kilometres from where we are . Thousands of people lost their homes , and the material damage is immense . Just as an illustration : 50,000 cars were damaged or destroyed and 155,000 tons of debris have already been collected . It brings climate change and the impact it has awfully close . At the same time there is hope : a sense of urgency has emerged at all levels of society to address this challenge , including the events industry .
The IPCC ( Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ) report published mid-August was very clear : global warming is speeding up AND it is still not too late , if we decide to act now . The COP26 , taking place early November at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow is the moment where the world can say : it stops here .
The events industry needs to pick up this challenge . During the AIPC Annual Conference mid-July , sustainability was high on the agenda . We had several panel discussions with representatives of both the industry and the UNFCCC and the conversation continued during coffee and lunch breaks . The message was clear : sustainability is not an option anymore . Venues which do not have a net zero plan will not attract event organisers nor investors in the nearby future . At the same time , we need to acknowledge the efforts already made by convention centres worldwide and ensure that all parties involved in defining sustainability policies are fully aware of these efforts . Achieving net zero in the events industry is however an objective which can only be met if all the stakeholders in the value chain commit to achieving it , hence the need for an industry wide initiative .
The UNFCCC already initiated such initiatives in other sectors , like sports and fashion – resulting in detailed roadmaps towards net zero with key milestones and measurable objectives to report upon . In their view , the events industry could be the next chapter and the conversation was started with UFI , ICCA and AIPC – three global associations , representing a substantial part of the events value chain . Together with the UNFCCC , the three associations created a steering group , composed of nine CEOs from organisations representing organisers , venues , and exhibitors . This steering group was complemented with an operations group , which took on the endeavour of defining a pledge which was inclusive
Above : Sven Bossu , CEO , AIPC
– an element which is of very high importance to the UNFCCC and a key success factor – and will indeed lead to the net zero objective . By mid-August , the pledge was drafted and ready to be shared with the full event industry for further input .
A lot was learned in the process . The draft pledge evolved from an eight-bullet action list to a four-pillar , process-driven commitment . The pledge also takes into account different realities across the globe , when it comes to – for example - switching to reusable energy . And the pledge has the ambition to lead by ambition and statistics , demonstrating progress made in a clear and tangible way . In a nutshell , the proposed pledge comes down to the following :
1 . Develop a plan to achieve net zero by 2050 2 . Collaborate with the other stakeholders in the value chain to drive change 3 . Measure and track scope 1 , 2 and 3 GHG emissions 4 . Report on progress made
These are very ambitious and much needed commitments , reflecting the very nature of the events industry : driving excellence by collaboration .
We also realised that we needed an industry wide platform to get an industry wide commitment . Therefore , JMIC , the Joint Industry Meeting Council , will be used as the platform to collect your input and make the pledge a truly SMART one : specific , measurable , achievable , realistic , time bound .
As always , the success depends on the parties joining . But this time , there is no doubt about the cause , so there is no excuse not to join .
Sustainability is the single biggest issue we face , and we can – if we act now – make a real difference . So go to the JMIC website , sign up and make it happen . We can .
10 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 114