The Brief Issue 1 | Page 5

Zero waste : COP26 materials are now being re-used and recycled

begins . This is a bit more complicated than a quick ‘ washing up ’ process .
“ Everything will be reused or repurposed and if that ’ s not possible it will be recycled . It ’ s heartening to see so many charities and community groups already benefiting from this .”
It ’ s not just carpet being put to good use : MDF sheets are being donated to Glasgow the Caring City that plans on gifting them to schools and homeless families ; tools used to construct the COP campus will be given a second life after donations to Men ’ s Sheds in and around the city ; and much of the non-rented furniture will be donated to local housing projects and charities .
Identity use also uses a variety of tools to track the carbon impact of its events , as well as fighting to combat food waste using plated menus and striving for 0 % avoidable single-use plastics .
This push towards a holistic green strategy earned Identity the ISO20121 certification . The certification is an international standard which sets out the requirements to establish , maintain and continually improve an event sustainability management system . It is no coincidence that Identity garnered the recognition from the international community given its push to be sustainable .
What did we learn ?
Running COP26 has blazed the trail for future Identity events , providing the company with learnings to improve upon and serve as best practice in future .
The learning here is that it ’ s not just about planning a sustainable event , but the follow-up post-event is where much of the eco-friendly value will be generated . It is also worth mentioning that many of the sustainable initiatives discussed go hand-in-hand with the company ’ s social impact goals .
5