Let’s stop calling them sustainable events if they’re not accessible

Sustainable events: more than just reducing carbon

When the word “sustainable” gets thrown around, conversations tend to narrow straight to environmental impact: emissions, waste, energy consumption. Fair enough, that’s genuinely important. But it’s only one slice of a considerably bigger picture, because sustainability also covers inclusion, accessibility, human rights, and the general question of who gets to participate fully in something.

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The United Nations 2030 Agenda, adopted by every UN member state back in September 2015, makes this connection explicit rather than implied. Among its 17 Sustainable Development Goals sit direct references to people with disabilities woven throughout multiple targets, not tucked into a footnote somewhere.

That’s not vague aspiration dressed up in policy language. That’s a direct, repeated mandate connecting sustainable development to genuine accessibility.

Digital inclusion counts just as much as physical ramps

Accessibility used to mean wheelchair ramps and wide doorways, full stop. That’s changed considerably, and the shift matters for anyone organising events with a digital component (which, these days, is essentially every event). The European Accessibility Act, which came into force in 2025, requires digital services to be accessible to everyone, removing barriers that would otherwise exclude people with disabilities from registration platforms, event apps, or online content.

Assistive technologies play a genuinely useful role here: screen readers, magnification software, voice assistants. These tools let people with visual, cognitive or motor disabilities access written and spoken content, engaging with information and participating actively rather than sitting on the sidelines. Organisations building digital inclusivity into their event platforms aren’t just ticking a compliance box; they’re removing barriers that would otherwise silently exclude a chunk of their intended audience.

What accessibility actually requires in practice

Here’s where things get uncomfortable for a lot of event organisers: accessibility can’t be retrofitted convincingly after the fact. A venue chosen for its stunning courtyard but reachable only via three flights of stairs isn’t accessible with a ramp added at the last minute. A conference agenda packed with rapid-fire speakers and zero captioning isn’t inclusive because someone remembered to book a sign language interpreter the week before.

Getting this right from the planning stage means asking different questions at every step: can every guest physically reach and move through this venue comfortably? Is registration information available in formats beyond a single visual layout? Are dietary, sensory, and mobility needs gathered proactively rather than only when someone flags a problem? None of this is complicated conceptually. It just requires treating accessibility as a design constraint from the beginning rather than a checkbox squeezed in near the end.

Creating sustainable and inclusive events

ISO 20121 certification is a recognised commitment to achieving genuine—not merely symbolic—sustainability. It takes into account not only environmental factors, but also social and organisational considerations, promoting a broader approach to sustainable event management.

To measure an event’s environmental impact, you can calculate the emissions generated at different stages, from the venue and transportation to catering and materials. These emissions can then be offset through certified projects supporting, among other things, reforestation, renewable energy, and biodiversity.

However, an event cannot be considered truly sustainable if it is not also accessible. So, if accessibility hasn’t been considered from the very beginning and every reasonable effort hasn’t been made to ensure that everyone can participate fully, perhaps it’s time to rethink what we mean by a “sustainable event”.

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