A new report has laid bare the scale of the challenge facing
the meetings and events industry as it seeks to reduce its carbon footprint – with progress
stymied by a glaring lack of action.
Fewer than 40 signatories to the industry-wide movement Net
Zero Carbon Events had published a formal pathway to eliminating their
emissions and halving them by 2030 when the report was compiled, with roughly the same number again saying they 'intended' to by the end of 2024.
Assuming they did, this would still represent just 15 per cent of the 500 plus
signatories to NZCE, and a quarter (26 per cent) of the 302 signatories who were
obliged to provide an update within the biennial reporting period.
The NZCE Reporting Results Executive Summary was based on
updates from 144 of those 302 signatories - the balance having failed to provide an update at the time of reporting - and included organisers, venues,
agencies, logistics firms and others.
A closer analysis of the data makes stark reading.
Scope 3 emissions cover all ‘indirect emissions’ in the supply
chain – and are the biggest challenge for the events sector, covering everything
from travel to food to materials sourcing.
Despite this, less than half (47%) reported measuring these
emissions, and more than half of those lacked supporting data, leaving the vast
bulk of event-related emissions unaccounted for.
A majority (60%) currently track Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. However, 11 per cent (Scope 1) and seven per
cent (Scope 2) of those measuring were unable to provide data.
The report, which covers the period from July 2023 to
January 2025, underlines the sheer complexity of fully decarbonising such a diffuse
and multi-faceted international industry.
There were glimmers of hope, however.
Most (94%) had communicated their NZCE
participation to staff, and 77 per cent had made public statements, mostly via
company websites (62%), social media (48%), and client communications (32%). Eight
out of 10 (78%) had told customers about their carbon reduction goals.
Meanwhile more than half of respondents had integrated sustainability into procurement processes (59%) and supplier communication (61%), suggesting a growing awareness of the importance of partnerships and collaboration in the race to reduce emissions.
Commonly reported categories included purchased electricity (72%), business travel (61%), and office waste (59%). Plans to expand measurement include company vehicles, digital communications, employee commuting, and other categories. Those less frequently included in signatory updates were embodied
carbon in venue buildings (2%), upstream food and beverage emissions (11%), and
non-staff attendee accommodation (13%).
A full NZCE Reporting Results Report is set for release in
July 2025. The next reporting cycle (2025–2026) will launch later this year,
accompanied by an updated NZCE Measurement Methodology to enhance consistency
and support signatories.
“These
results demonstrate our industry’s commitment to a sustainable future,” said Alexander Alles, executive director of the
Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC), hosting the NZCE campaign on behalf of
the business events industry. “For
the first time we have a clear and global
overview of where our industry
stands in regards
to environmental sustainability, which is backed by
data.”
Kai Hattendorf, co-founder of NZCE and former CEO of UFI, the international association for the exhibition industry, was philosophical in his appraisal of the progress made so far.
Writing on LinkedIn, he noted: "For the first time, we have a global data set on the global event industry's decarbonisation efforts. It is far from complete, at it has some challenges - as some critics will surely point out. Most importantly, we don't yet know by how much we have been able to reduce carbon emissions to date. But - to use what is probably the most common metaphor for this - we now have a "glass half full" where we had an empty glass before. Change takes time, especially when it is not about symbols and actionism, but about systemic adaptation."
Editor’s comment:
This snapshot report into NZCE’s reporting data has given us
the first evidence-backed insight into the meetings and events industry’s overall
progress on reducing its carbon emissions.
It’s a sobering read.
In truth, the report tells us very little, because a majority
of the 144 signatories included in it aren’t measuring their Scope 3 emissions (travel
and transport, accommodation, food etc), and of those that claim to be measuring
them, more than half failed to provide any supporting data.
This is not a mere snag. Fixing this is fundamental to the credibility
of the entire scheme.
One example illustrates the point. According to the report,
only 13 per cent of respondents were measuring ‘non-staff attendee accommodation’
– in other words, in 87 per cent of cases, the carbon footprint of attendee
housing at events (hotels) was not being measured.
Launched at COP 26 in Glasgow, in 2021, NZCE has since attracted
more than 500 signatories worldwide and another 200 ‘supporters’ not directly
involved in organising events.
But while most are happy to talk about it – more than three-quarters
of respondents had made public statements about their NZCE pledge – far fewer
have matched words with deeds.
Signatories have pledged to publish their ‘pathways to net
zero’ but the difficulty of the task has clearly caught many unawares with the
majority so far failing to fulfill this obligation.
Progress is being made. Organisations are now starting to explain
how they intend to wipe-out their emissions. But it’s a hard slog, and there
are no signs it’s going to get any easier.
Written By
James Lancaster
AMI editor James
Lancaster is a familiar face in the meetings industry and international
association community. Since joining AMI in 2010, he has gained a reputation
for asking difficult questions and getting lost in convention centres. Proofer, podcaster, and panellist - in his spare time, James likes to walk,
read, listen to music, and drink beer.
