LESSONS LEARNED
Carina Bauer , CEO of the IMEX Group , tells Conference News about the organisation ’ s Green Squad and its sustainability impact
uring our 20 years of climate-friendly practice , and I say practice because we are always learning , we have experimented , challenged ourselves and learned important lessons .
We have achieved zero waste to landfill at IMEX in Frankfurt and 93 % compliance with the APEX standards at IMEX America . But there ’ s always more to do , particularly as the UK ’ s carbon neutral target of 2050 edges ever closer .
Creating a Green Squad Setting up an internal Green Squad has been a game-changer in terms of the speed with which we have built and then evolved a solid sustainability programme . This team comprises staff from across the organisation who have chosen , in addition to their day jobs , to work on our sustainability performance .
The Green Squad was set up in 2017 as a way of gathering the sustainability champions within the business to share IMEX ’ s
“ Our experience shows that just one green champion in a business can have a huge and positive ripple effect throughout the culture and the supply chain .”
Carina Bauer
existing initiatives with the rest of the company .
The scope of the team then grew , with members sharing their own ideas , both within the business and across our two shows , IMEX in Frankfurt and IMEX America . For example , it was the Green Squad who championed our water-wise menus and a much wider choice of food for vegans and vegetarians at our shows .
The Green Squad now encompasses nine staff from across all departments who contribute a broad range of skills and approaches . What they have in common is this : they are all caring , passionate and knowledgeable , with their fingers on the pulse of issues such as climate change , food waste and materials science .
I would encourage all planners and corporations to consider creating their own Green Squad and invite staff to play an active role in addressing sustainability challenges . For those who are truly serious , ensure that at least one person in the organisation is dedicated to sustainability – for
Examples of training resources in the industry :
• Global Destination Sustainability Movement Academy
• Sustainable Event Professional Certificate Programme
• MPI Sustainable Event Strategist at least a portion of their time .
Although there are myriad certifications and courses available , interest and passion are invaluable . Our experience shows that just one green champion in a business can have a huge and positive ripple effect throughout the culture and the supply chain .
Future goals In our sustainability efforts , we always keep the main goal in sight . As a signatory of the Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge , we are aiming to achieve a 50 % reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 on the way to net zero emissions by 2050 , if not sooner . We are lucky that our former operations director , Nalan Emre , is now leading this effort for us as an independent consultant .
Our ultimate aim is to create a truly circular trade show . It ’ s no longer enough to simply prevent resources from being used up and thrown away , we all have to find ways to refresh them and to invest new life where we can .
We believe the circular economy will help rebuild a resilient and regenerative global events industry . We also believe that , particularly on the consumer event side , attendees will start to demand higher green standards . Time will tell . www . conference-news . co . uk