57 Sustainability to repurpose existing stock or upcycle resources over virgin materials . We need to minimise our event lifecycle impact and can do this by removing single-use items , prioritising reusables , and designing out waste .
l This is covered by SDGs : 1 , 8 , 9 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 17 .
Responsible Procurement & Planning
Goal 17 is titled ‘ Partnerships for the Goals ’ and I think one of the most significant as it connects everyone involved in your sustainability journey and highlights the importance of knowledge sharing and collaboration . Think about your supply chain , venues , and local communities as well as governments and industry bodies .
Consider your next event : who are you working with to bring it together ? Do they share your sustainable goals and vision for the event ? If not , find people that do . Educate them on the necessity of sustainable development and work with innovative companies that
share your passion ; there are lots out there . Where possible invest in responsible businesses local to your event – that can also drive goals 8 , 9 and 11 and keeps transport emissions down , too ( 13 ).
l This is covered by SDGs : 4 , 8 , 9 , 11 , 13 , 16 , 17 .
Progress , not perfection
As with everything in sustainability , it is about progress not perfection and making small changes really makes a big difference . If you can achieve even a handful of the goals at your event , it is a huge step forward and can educate and inspire people to follow suit .
As event professionals we have a critical role to play in accelerating progress in sustainable development . It is so important to recognise the value of events and the long-reaching benefits they can have for driving behavioural and system change beyond the walls of a conference room .
Using the SDGs as a framework for our event planning goes a long way into helping the wider institutions such as industry leaders and governments achieve them , and also elevates the event industry as a sector with the power to accelerate sustainable progress .
Events have the unique ability to bring people together - to inspire , educate , foster innovation and , most importantly , create change and it is that collaborative commitment that we need , to drive the sustainability agenda forward to 2030 and beyond . CN
l Danielle Ward is the founder of Reward Events – a sustainable event business built on the UN ’ s Sustainable Development Goals , that specialises in delivering events with purpose to drive positive change in the event industry .
l For more tips on how to embed the UN ’ s Sustainable Development Goals into your next event , check out the ‘ SDGs in Action ’ series by Reward Events on Instagram : @ rewardevents www . conference-news . co . uk