Advertising feature
The year 2050 seems a long way into the future , and yet it has been insistently popping up in our social media feeds , news alerts , debates and boardrooms : 2050 is set to be a net zero milestone by when the UK is determined to have completely reset into a more sustainable way of living and operating .
The country ’ s ambition is to “ lead the world in ending our contribution to climate change , while turning this mission into the greatest opportunity for jobs and prosperity for our country since the industrial revolution ”, as stated by the PM in the Government ’ s 2021 Net Zero Strategy .
Due to its scale , the events industry can make an impact on achieving the UK goal and key players in the market are already taking action . In the midst of the media noise and debates during COP26 last year , event industry businesses signed the Net Zero Carbon Pledge : an international initiative led by industry associations and businesses , and supported by the UN Climate Change Secretariat .
Olympia London was one of the first venues in the UK to commit to the pledge with the common goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 % by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 at the latest .
Olympia London fed into the creation of the events sustainability international standard , ISO 20121 , and was the first venue to achieve certification . It has sent zero
The road ahead to becoming net zero
waste to landfill for over a decade , recycling over 98 % of all waste ; and provides clients with a post-event sustainability report , in addition to partnering on initiatives with organisers and the community .
The journey to net zero The net zero commitment is just the first step . It marks a new era , a bigger ambition and therefore a new mindset for each company that signs up . It ’ s about a change of focus from independent sustainability initiatives and achievements , to evaluating a company ’ s total environmental impact , and then making change across its operations to meet the 2030 and 2050 deadlines .
Olympia London has
Industry collaboration is the key to meeting the challenge
commissioned JRP Solutions , an independent sustainability specialist , to evaluate its current status and also guide the venue as it sets its roadmap to achieve net zero . External expertise provides a range of benefits including impartiality , identifying who ’ s responsible for which emissions , learnings from other industries , and guidance on change strategies .
The events industry ’ s supply chain is complex . So even if one company could become net zero on its own , it would struggle to dent the wider environmental impact of the industry as a whole .
According to commercial director Anna Golden , “ partnerships have been essential to achieve and maintain zero-to-landfill and high recycling rates for over a decade and will also be crucial to achieve net zero . As an industry , nurturing strong collaborations with organisers and partners is absolutely necessary to bring the industry together to achieve this goal .”
Partnering with valuealigned suppliers The strong interconnected nature of the events industry is one of the reasons for ensuring that companies in the supply chain share common values and goals . As governments and individual businesses aim for net zero , working with partners with common goals will heavily influence a company ’ s future investment and revenue
42 — March