Net Zero Carbon Events, the industry body tasked with wiping
out the sector’s carbon emissions by 2050, has announced the imminent launch of
a certification scheme for its members.
Those who have produced reports on their progress will -
from January next year - have their work approved - subject to an audit - by
Greenview, the sustainability consultants.
Greenview specialises in hospitality and has been NZCE’s
technical advisor since its inception.
It is hoped the move, announced at the industry
tradeshow IMEX America, happening in Las Vegas this week, will add credibility to the
NZCE scheme and act as a spur to action.
James Rees, president of JMIC, the Joint Meetings Industry
Council (JMIC), and administrators of the scheme, said: “This really takes us
from pledges to providing proof and demonstrating how we really are taking our
responsibilities in this area very seriously on behalf of the industry.”
Just 144 (48 per cent) of NZCE’s 302 signatories reported on
their progress in the first reporting cycle that ended in January this year –
and the geographical spread was uneven.
About two-thirds of those who reported (66 per cent) were
headquartered in Europe, 12 per cent in North America, and one per cent in the
Middle East.
More concerning perhaps was the number of respondents who
had so far failed to produce a complete ‘pathway’ to net zero – 73 per cent - suggesting
that the complexity of the task has taken the industry by surprise.
Less than a third – 27 per cent - of total respondents
indicated that at the time of reporting they had published their organisation’s
pathway to achieve net zero by 2050 at the latest, with an interim target
in line with the Paris Agreement's requirement to reduce emissions by 50
per cent by 2030. The next reporting round will determine whether those who
indicated they were planning to publish their pathways later – 28 per cent – succeeded.
The remaining 45 per cent of respondents gave no indication on when they might
publish a pathway.
Alexander Alles, executive director of JMIC, said: “We
clearly have a very long way to go.”
The full reporting results can be found here.
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.
