The challenges of making events sustainable – and how to overcome them

As the global focus on sustainability grows, we asked our colleagues what they see as the top barriers to implementing sustainability practices into their events and suggest potential solutions to overcome these. 

Time and workload  

One of the primary challenges when planning events is the constraint of time and workload. The meticulous planning required to ensure an event is sustainable often demands additional time and effort. Balancing the implementation of sustainable practices while ensuring that we do not compromise attendee experience, comfort, or overall event objectives, can be challenging. 

Solution: GHG calculators such as TRACE by isla not only capture emission and waste data but provide useful suggestions on lowering the impact of all decisions made throughout the planning stages. 

Stakeholders’ engagement  

Ensuring buy-in from stakeholders, including attendees, sponsors and suppliers, can be challenging. Everybody is likely to have a different level of awareness about the importance of sustainability, different goals, and lifestyle preferences.  

Solution: Clear and transparent communication from the start and setting measurable goals will encourage stakeholders to collaborate. 

Incentivises, gamification and incorporating ‘green nudges’ into attendees’ communication before, during and after the event will encourage the adoption of sustainable practices, such as using public transportation, minimising waste, or embracing plant-based food options. 

Budget constraints 

One of the top barriers to incorporating sustainable practices is the perception that such events cost more. While purchasing some eco-friendly materials or energy-efficient technologies can come with higher upfront costs, these can be addressed through creative problem solving and strategic decision making.  

Solution: Reusing materials, effective recycling practices, rethinking food and beverages offer, leveraging partnerships and bulk purchasing, as well as considering intangible benefits such as enhanced reputation and customer loyalty can help balance budgets while prioritizing sustainability.  

For more about how to reduce the cost of sustainability, see our article, 7 simple and affordable ways to make events more sustainable.