An event can generate a lot of waste, often event materials are single use, toxic to the environment and disposable. Such flyers, plastic table cloths, decorations, balloons and so on. As Boggia et al. (2017:840), mentioned, materials production cycle “generates a significant negative environmental impact”.
Here is some tips to help your event be more sustainable:
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- Provide digital information about the event, promote and advertise online.
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- If you need to print, use 100% recycled paper or paper that has been FSC-certified for responsible tree harvesting, choose vegetable based inks instead of traditional inks.
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- Choose local and ethical gifts from eco-friendly materials.
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- Design a promotion plan with paperless.
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- Don’t provide items that are single use.
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- Avoid plastic materials.
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- Reuse envelopes and previous decorations when is possible.
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- Provide a digital presentation format.
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- Choose organic, low carbon, recyclable and reusable materials.
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- Provide an electronic registration system that allows participants to register.
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- Design a generic communication with no dates or specific titles, so that can be use again for the next event.
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- If you are not using the material to futures events, you can donate that material to local businesses.
Reference:
Boggia, A., Massei, G., Paolotti, L., Rocchi, L., and Schiavi, F. (2017) ‘A model for measuring the environmental sustainability of events’. Journal of Environmental Management [online] 206, 836-845. available from: <doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.11.057> [7 March 2019]
Sustainable Event Guide 