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CLIMATE POSITIVITY
Conference News spoke to Lauren Hudson , sustainability and safety advisor at Manchester Central , about how the venue works with its stakeholders to ensure sustainability remains a priority
n the Manchester central and Conference News Shaping a Sustainable Future report , only 17 % of our respondents said their companies audit environmental claims and only 40 % said sustainability is a priority within their procurement processes .
Why is this ? Sustainability is such a big part of what we do , it ’ s impossible to ignore , right ? Lauren Hudson , sustainability and safety advisor at Manchester Central , said : “ sustainability is really complex and requires a level of education and training to understand how we can make improvements to our daily practices . Some companies may believe they ’ re sustainable but when you look under the surface , there ’ s a lot more that can be done .
“ The first step is understanding your supply chain and working together to see where small improvements can be made . It might be that your suppliers can support you in your own sustainability journey , and you can make bigger strides together .”
Manchester Central work closely
Lauren Hudson
Manchester Central ’ s top three tips for sustainable procurement :
• Use local : businesses thrive by using suppliers operating at their doorstep .
• Collaborate : use your service partners , to discover sustainable options .
• Inspiration : look at what other industries are doing to go green . with its preferred local AV suppliers , Sterling Event Group , to ensure sustainability is at the core of any AV production and delivery at the venue , including their hybrid and virtual products which enable organisers to reach a wider audience that may not normally be able to attend a live event .
Ellen Baldock , Account Manager at Sterling , said : “ As a venue supplier we work alongside the venue and organisers to ensure sustainability is considered at every stage of the planning and operation process .
“ As a business , we have invested in an electric vehicle fleet , recruit local and support charity initiatives . We also employ an in-house repair team to ensure equipment is re-used before being recycled .”
Every step of the way
The procurement part of sustainability is often one that flies under the radar , it ’ s heavily process driven , as exemplified by Manchester Central ’ s method of ensuring sustainable claims made by suppliers .
This includes auditing tier one suppliers regularly against benchmarks set by the venue , but also involves the business being transparent about who it is working with .
She said : “ Our tender panels are made up of people from across the business such as contract managers , health and safety and sustainability representatives , to ensure suppliers are considered carefully , not just for cost and quality but also for their integrity , ethical and sustainability credentials , before we work with them . It ’ s equally important to work closely with clients from an early stage , to ensure they ’ re aware of our sustainable practices , and considering sustainability throughout their own event planning and delivery . If clients aren ’ t as sustainable as they want or need to be , we try and bring them on the journey with us , and we learn together .”
In order to ensure sustainability is at the heart of everything it does , Manchester Central has a sustainability steering group , made up of sustainability champions from across the business , who meet regularly to bring innovative ideas to the table , and take sustainable ideas back to their teams to assess feasibility and put into practice where possible . “ From waste management ideas to vegan food options and operating a herb cultivator , we ’ re continuously sharing ideas and best practice . No idea is a bad idea – if it ticks the right sustainability boxes , we will investigate and find a way of bringing the idea to life .”
The business also collaborates with various local businesses and charities to keep up with fast moving sustainable developments , and following our joint sustainability research , the venue will certainly be keen to stay up to date with how the industry is performing .” CN www . conference-news . co . uk