Danielle Ward, founder of Kent’s Reward Events, clues us up on creating a more sustainable occasion

Whatever you’re into – whether it be sports, art, music or food – we all love events and, as an industry, they contribute more than £84bn to the UK economy. Events take place every day across the globe and are essential for fostering innovation and collaboration, not to mention bringing people together to celebrate life occasions. But they also have a dark side. Food waste, single-use plastics and excessive carbon emissions, to name a few.

“100,000 tonnes of event waste from UK is burned or put into landfill each year”

Events by their very nature are temporary, but the detrimental impact they leave behind is not. However, there is another way. A sustainable event not only reduces the negative impact on the environment but drives positive social change, too. Sustainability is now the driving force behind all forward-thinking businesses and what was previously a trend is now a strategic necessity.

1. Rethink

To be successful we need to build sustainability into our planning from the outset and see it as a value driver to deliver events with purpose. Rethink your event strategy through this lens, but don’t try to do everything at the same time – look at where you can have the biggest impact and have a go. It’s about progress, not perfection.

2. Refuse & Repurpose

We all need to buy less ‘stuff’ and this could not be more true than at an event. Look at your event kit list and get rid of anything that doesn’t add real value, such as giveaways – the chances are these will all end up in landfill. Instead of printing banners and brochures, have a ‘digital first’ approach and instead of buying new, try to repurpose materials and donate anything you have left over to local charities or community projects. We need to minimise our event lifecycle impact and can do this by refusing single-use items, prioritising reusables and creatively rethinking ‘waste’.

3. Review

Review your supply chain to make sure you are working with people who can help you deliver your event responsibly. Start with a green venue – they will have a lot of sustainable initiatives such as LED lighting and waste management in place as standard. Communities rely on events to fuel their local economy and employment, so choose local suppliers and invest in small, independent businesses for your event, too.

4. Re-energise

With people at its heart, well-being is essential to sustainable event management. You don’t need to run yoga sessions at every break, but think about the experience for everyone attending. Is there natural light? Can you get outside for activities? Is the venue accessible for everyone? Food and drink is also a big part of any event – you want to serve fresh, local and, above all, seasonal produce at your event and plant-based if possible. And don’t forget to donate food left over – 75% of food thrown away at events is consumable.

You could say the most ‘sustainable’ event is no event at all, but as the last 18 months have shown us, as social animals, we crave human connection and need that face-to-face interaction. But people’s expectations have changed; they want to feel part of something meaningful and are re-evaluating their decisions to determine what is important.

Sustainability epitomises everything we need to achieve a world that works for everyone, but we must not forget that integrating social, economic and environmental sustainability (the triple bottom line) is paramount – it’s about more than ‘going green’.

INFO: Rewardevents.co.uk

INSTA: @rewardevents