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opportunities , and therefore its success . Both businesses and consumers increasingly assess sustainability credentials in their decision-making processes .
To achieve its zero-to-landfill status , Olympia London partnered with Powerday , the UK ’ s market-leading waste management and recycling services ; as well as Simply Cups for specialist hot beverage cups recycling . Food waste has been carefully managed with partnerships to distribute surplus , segregate for anaerobic digestion and other initiatives which have reduced food waste by 9 %. Now , the venue has invested in an in-house waste station , capable of reducing the volume of waste by 80 % by grinding it into fine particles
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and then significantly reducing its water content before it is transported for anaerobic digestion . This reduces the number of road journeys to the anaerobic digestion plant , thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions . This will create an estimated 20 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per year ( the equivalent of almost 10 tonnes ) from transport alone , adding significantly to the emissions already saved in diverting food waste from landfill .
But how to reduce the production of food waste ? To ensure a sustainable and delicious catering offer , Olympia London partners with Gather & Gather , a catering leader in sustainability that sources local
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produce , uses only sustainable packaging , and is awarded for animal welfare . Working together , plate waste has also been reduced with greater consideration of portion sizes . Rob Fredrickson Managing Director , Gather & Gather : “ Both our organisations have a strong focus on sustainability . It has enabled us to introduce initiatives that provide our clients with sustainable catering options ”.
Making each event more sustainable An event organiser ’ s roadmap to net zero will be different to a venue ’ s or any other supplier ’ s . It ’ s a big challenge to consider the environmental impact of all the elements that go into delivering each event , as well as the day-to-day running of a business .
Olympia London helps by working with each event organiser to enhance the sustainability of each event . This includes tailoring bespoke sustainable show floor solutions , be it in catering , waste management and even educating the public with signage and sustainability information on show-floor stands .
After each event , the venue compiles data from across a number of measurable factors , and produces a free userfriendly event sustainability report .
Learning together with an open dialogue Contributing to an open
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dialogue in the industry , Olympia London partnered with Exhibition News during COP26 to discuss the real place sustainability occupies in business strategy . Roundtable delegates recognised that businesses across our industry see sustainability differently and have different challenges . For some , what may be seen as a cost , might be seen as investment for future success by others . Sharing learnings was key .
Anna Golden says : “ There must be dialogue between diverse areas within the industry and outwardly with other industries to find areas of intersection and solutions . Our goal is to keep the dialogue open and collaborate as much as possible to find creative ways to make sustainability the norm at each event .”
In addition to sponsoring working groups and crossindustry initiatives , Olympia London took other venues to visit its waste management plant to share its learnings . Siân Richards , head of sustainability at Olympia London explains : “ We ’ re all learning together and the sharing of ideas is the only way to achieve the common goal of a sustainable future for our industry ”.
Maya Mhatre , co-founder , head of marketing sustainability at Reset Connect said : “ Olympia London has proven to be a great net-zero ally . They share our passion for sustainability and are forthcoming about helping the wider industry transform .”
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March — 43 |