Events are an opportunity to bring people together to celebrate, learn or share. Unfortunately, they are also often synonymous with litter, excessive energy consumption and waste. The environmental impact of events is often overlooked, but they do represent a significant carbon footprint.
It is crucial to learn to adopt more sustainable practices in event production. Our trade show exhibit specialists show you how to assess the carbon footprint of your event: learn which factors are important and which tools can help you measure and reduce your environmental impact.
Understanding the carbon footprint of an event
A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted by an activity or product, usually expressed as an equivalent amount of CO2 emissions. To evaluate the carbon footprint of an event, you will have to calculate all related GHG emissions, including travel, energy consumption during the event, and waste.
How to measure the carbon footprint of an event
Before you can reduce the environmental impact of your event, you need to conduct a complete assessment of all activities related to event organization and hosting. This can be done using online tools or specialized software, or with the help of a carbon footprint assessment expert.
Elements to consider include:
- Greenhouse gas emissions generated by travel (participants and organizers)
- Energy consumption related to lighting, heating, air conditioning and audiovisual equipment
- Waste production, including packaging, food waste, paper and cardboard
Events can have a significant environmental impact on local biodiversity, including air and water quality. To minimize the environmental impact of your event, it is crucial to assess your carbon footprint and take steps to reduce it.
Methods for calculating an event’s carbon footprint
Once all sources of GHG emissions have been identified, you can use specific data and calculation tools to measure them.
There are various ways to calculate an event’s carbon footprint. The most common method is the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which measures GHG emissions over the entire life cycle of the event, from the production of raw materials to the end of life of event-related waste.
Another popular method is the Bilan Carbone, which quantifies GHG emissions over a given period of time, generally one year. Developed by ADEME in collaboration with Jean Marc Jancovici, it is often used to evaluate the carbon footprint of an organization as a whole but can also be used to evaluate the carbon footprint of an event.
Online tools to evaluate the carbon footprint of an event
There are many online tools you can use to calculate the carbon footprint of an event. Beware that free tools are often based on generic data and may not be able to provide accurate, event-specific results.
Myclimate is one of the most popular online tools for assessing the carbon footprint of an event.
GET is an integrated web-based assessment platform conceived and designed to evaluate the sustainability and environmental performance of events.
Reducing the carbon footprint of an event
To reduce the carbon footprint of an event or to attend an event in an environmentally responsible manner, you’ll need a strategy. This can include reducing the use of disposable materials, optimizing participants’ travel, reducing energy consumption, implementing a sorting system, etc.
You’ll also need to involve event organizers so that they adopt responsible behaviors. Here are some methods for reducing the environmental impact of your event:
- Encourage participants and spectators to use public or environmentally friendly modes of transportation.
- Use sustainable materials wherever you can, with a focus on local and organic products and suppliers. Setting up eco-friendly booths will really show your commitment.
- Offer vegetarian or vegan catering options to avoid the carbon footprint associated with producing meat.
- Use solar panels and other renewable energy sources to power the event.
- Implement a waste sorting and recycling system.
- Educate participants and spectators on the importance of sustainability through workshops and awareness messages.
- Provide financial incentives to encourage participants and spectators to adopt environmentally responsible behaviors.
- Partner with environmental organizations.
Reducing the carbon footprint of events helps the surrounding area achieve carbon neutrality, since events are an integral part of local culture and activity. Environmentally-friendly events are more and more in demand, and the decision to promote eco-responsible event design is an important one.
Totm Exposition: your partner for eco-friendly events
Reducing the carbon footprint of an event is a critical to taking care of our planet and responding to current environmental challenges. Everyone involved in an event will need to commit in multiple ways to make a low-carbon strategy effective.
By adopting sustainable practices, we can ensure that events continue to be a source of entertainment and social interaction while preserving the environment.
If you are interested in organizing a sustainable event, contact totm. We are committed to planning environmentally friendly events using custom booths that meet your needs and reduce your impact on the climate.