By 2025, the need to adopt eco-friendly practices in the events sector has never been more urgent. Events, whether festive, professional, or cultural, often leave a significant environmental footprint, contributing to issues such as climate change and pollution.
This article will explore the environmental impact of events, the compelling reasons to transition to a more sustainable model, and the choices to be made when organizing an event to minimize this footprint. We will also examine the available tools to track this transition and highlight major events that have already chosen sustainability.
Table des matières
State of play: the environmental impact of events
The environmental impact of events has become a major concern in the current context of the climate crisis. Indeed, the events sector contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions.
Here are some key figures that illustrate this reality:
🚮 Waste: A typical event can generate between 1 and 2 kg of waste per participant, much of which is single-use plastics.
🚗 Transport: Participant transportation often accounts for 40% to 70% of an event’s carbon footprint, depending on the location.
⚡ Energy: Events require significant energy resources, with consumption potentially reaching 30% more than that of a traditional event for digital solutions.
In 2012, the London Olympics generated around 3 million tonnes of CO2, mainly due to transportation and infrastructure construction.
These figures clearly demonstrate the urgent need to move towards an eco-responsible model for events. In 2025, it is crucial that organizers adopt sustainable practices to reduce this impact and promote an environmentally-friendly future.
Why switch to eco-responsible events?
Eco-responsible events: what are we talking about?
An eco-responsible event is defined as one that integrates sustainable practices throughout its planning and execution, in order to minimize its environmental impact and promote social well-being.
This takes into account factors such as waste reduction, resource management, support for local economies, and participants’ commitment to sustainability.
3 good reasons to make your event eco-responsible
“It reduces costs”
💸 According to a study by Eventbrite, eco-responsible events can achieve savings of up to 30% on total costs by optimizing resource use and reducing waste management expenses.
“It increases value”
🌟 A Nielsen report indicates that 66% of consumers are willing to pay more for products and services from brands that are committed to sustainable practices.
“It engages the participants”
🗣️ “A survey by Booking.com revealed that 72% of travelers want to attend events that respect the environment, underlining the importance of sustainability in attracting an engaged audience.
Carbon footprint: an essential step towards eco-responsibility
The carbon footprint is a tool for measuring the carbon footprint of an activity, by quantifying the greenhouse gas emissions generated. In the events sector, it is of particular importance, as events can produce significant levels of emissions.
With rising expectations in terms of sustainability, it is becoming increasingly imperative for event organizers to carry out a carbon footprint, not only to comply with current environmental regulations, but also to demonstrate their commitment to responsible, eco-responsible management.
To better understand the environmental impact of an event, it is essential to analyze it through three emission scopes:
🏭
SCOPE 1
Direct emissions generated by the event
⚡
SCOPE 2
Emissions associated with the energy purchased by the event
🚌
SCOPE 3
Other emissions before or after the event
Making the right choices when organizing your event
Transport and accommodation
When organizing an event, the choice of transport and accommodation is crucial to minimize the carbon footprint. Opting for venues accessible by public transport considerably reduces the emissions linked to participants’ travel. Encouraging the use of car-sharing services or offering shuttles also facilitates more sustainable options.
To travel 10km, a person spends on average :
- 🚴♂️ Bicycle: 0 kg CO₂e
- 🚆 Train (TVG): 0.03 kg CO₂e
- 🚗 Carpool (thermal): 1.09 kg CO₂e
- 🚌 Bus (thermal): 1.13 kg CO₂e
- ✈️ Plane (short-haul): 2.59 kg CO₂e
What’s more, it’s essential to select eco-responsible accommodations, which implement sustainable practices such as recycling, the use of renewable energies, and waste reduction initiatives.
The Domaine de Longchamp, located in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, is the capital’s first space dedicated to ecology and humanism. A veritable sounding board for those wishing to build a more sustainable and united world, this venue offers an ideal setting for events that advocate sharing and benevolence.
Catering
When organizing an event, the choice of catering is a key aspect in promoting an eco-responsible approach.
👨🌾 Local and seasonal products: choosing caterers who favor local and seasonal ingredients helps reduce the carbon footprint associated with transporting food, while supporting regional producers.
♻️ Minimizing food waste: planning appropriate portions and proposing solutions for redistributing leftovers are essential strategies for limiting food waste and maximizing the use of resources.
🥗 Vegan options: integrating vegetarian or vegan choices into the menu helps reduce environmental impact, as meat production generates considerably more CO2.
Waste management and awareness
It is essential to set up efficient sorting systems, providing clearly identified bins for recycling, composting and non-recyclable waste. Educating staff and participants about the importance of sorting helps to reduce the volume of waste sent to landfill. In addition, considering solutions such as renting reusable equipment, like cups and plates, can significantly reduce plastic waste.
By integrating a thoughtful waste management strategy, organizers can not only minimize the environmental impact of their event, but also inspire participants to adopt more sustainable behaviors in their daily lives.
Equip yourself with the right tools to measure the carbon footprint of your event
To successfully organize an eco-responsible event, it’s essential to equip yourself with the right tools to measure and track your carbon footprint.
Our GreenStarter solution offers an intuitive and comprehensive approach to assessing the environmental impact of an event. Thanks to this platform, organizers can easily collect data on the various sources of emissions, from transport to catering and waste management.
Greenstarter also makes it possible to visualize this data and identify areas for improvement, facilitating the implementation of concrete actions to reduce the carbon footprint.
By using the right tools, organizers don’t just measure their impact; they actively commit to sustainability 🌱
Meet an expert to discover the solution.
Drawing inspiration from major eco-responsible events
One of the world’s most famous music festivals, Glastonbury has implemented a number of eco-responsible initiatives, including the reduction of single-use plastics, advanced recycling systems and on-site composting facilities.
What we remember 👉 Glastonbury shows that a major festive event can combine music and respect for the environment, inspiring other festivals to follow its example.
This professional seminar brings together key players in sustainable development and innovation. It includes conferences on eco-responsible practices and uses recycled materials for communication supports, while favoring local suppliers for catering.
What we take away 👉 this forum demonstrates that professional events can be platforms for raising awareness of sustainability while fostering exchanges between experts.
The Cannes Film Festival has incorporated green initiatives by working with partners to reduce its carbon footprint, such as using electric vehicles to transport guests and promoting sustainable practices in film productions.
What we remember 👉 the Cannes Film Festival proves that even the biggest events in the audiovisual sector can play an active role in the transition to more sustainable practices, while raising the profile of cinema on an international scale.
In short, moving towards eco-responsible events by 2025 is not only a necessity, but also a transformative opportunity for the sector. By becoming aware of the environmental impact of events, making informed choices and equipping themselves with the appropriate tools, organizers can contribute to a more sustainable future. Taking inspiration from the examples of major eco-responsible events shows that it is possible to reconcile success and respect for the environment.
Together, let’s make events a lever for positive change for our planet!
