Covid-19:
a catalyst for
change
11
Digest
Danielle Ward, director at Reward Sustainable Events, writes that despite the hardship brought
about by Covid-19, it can be a catalyst for positive change for event sustainability
ustainability has been a
huge trend in the events
industry for many years,
and 2020 was set to be
the year for real change, but how
has Covid-19 impacted that
momentum? Only 9% of Britons
reported they want to go back to
‘normal’ after lockdown (YouGov),
so if anything, the pandemic has
shone a much-needed light on
pre-existing issues. The need for
systemic change could not be
greater, but will the industry be too
distracted with economic recovery
to prioritise these much-needed
sustainable practices?
So far, little attention has been
given to the role sustainability will,
or rather should, play in our
recovery post-Covid 19. Much of
the focus has been on short term
solutions to the health and
economic crisis, and not long-term
strategy. However, we must
remember that sustainability has a
triple bottom line: people, profit
and planet. While sustainability is
not just about climate change,
Covid-19 recovery requires more
than economic growth.
Since the pandemic, there has
understandably been an increased
focus on public health, resulting in
increased plastic production due to
the essential need for PPE.
However, with the plastic industry
pushing their ‘plastic hygiene’
agenda, re-usable cups have also
been banned, sales of plastic
packaged foods and takeaways
have increased and now even the
UK ban on plastic straws, stirrers
and cotton buds has been
postponed. Why has it become a
case of sustainability versus safety?
Covid-19 cannot be a reason to
undo the progress that has been
made and send us back to a world
of disposables; it must be a
catalyst for change. We need to
demand a circular economy to
avoid normalising old habits and
unsustainable practices.
Plastic is not the problem, but
how we source, use, and dispose of
Opposite: Danielle
Ward, director, Reward
Sustainable Events
it irresponsibly, is. WWF reported
that even if only 1% of protective
face masks were incorrectly
disposed of, it would result in 10m
masks per month littering the
environment. With plastic gloves
and face masks needing to be used
at all events for the foreseeable
future, the pandemic is challenging
even those of us mindful of our
waste streams.
According to a recent Hire Space
poll, 56% of event professionals
reported that sustainability will play
a big part in their future event
planning. We must leverage this,
and the power events have to
educate and inspire, to adapt and
re-invent our events. How many
events talk about sustainability, yet
still insist on miles of single use
carpet, goodie bags and printed
glossy brochures? If there are any
positives to come from this global
crisis, I hope that the need for
responsible decision-making will be
among them.
The hybrid future of the industry
presents so many opportunities for
a sustainable event strategy:
increased accessibility, reduced
emissions, global diversity, a
prioritised need for a local supply
chain and an emphasis on quality
over quantity of events. It is more
important than ever that our
economy is built on these principles
of environmental and social
wellbeing. As event professionals we
have a real duty of care to embed
these sustainability values into our
event planning, and lead on setting
a new resilient standard to
futureproof the industry.
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