The future of sustainable events: priorities according to the Net Zero Carbon Events roadmap

A shared roadmap toward climate neutrality

The events industry occupies a peculiar position when it comes to climate change. On one hand, it provides spaces where solutions are discussed and developed, through conferences and summits that encourage dialogue and collaboration. On the other, every event has its own environmental footprint, which needs to be addressed with appropriate tools while thousands of participants travel to the destination from different parts of the world.

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During COP27, the Net Zero Carbon Events Initiative presented a shared roadmap designed to guide the events industry toward Net Zero by 2050, with significant emissions reductions targeted by 2030.

The roadmap brings together more than 400 organisations across 55 countries and represents an effort to establish a common reference point for a highly diverse industry.

Five areas where events actually generate impact

The roadmap identifies five primary areas for intervention. The first concerns energy use across venues and facilities, with the aim of reducing consumption and increasing the use of renewable energy wherever feasible.

Waste and materials management is another important area, with a focus on reducing single-use materials while encouraging reuse and recovery. This approach also extends to event production, where greater attention to design can make it easier to reuse components and structures.

Food and food waste represent another significant area of focus. The roadmap encourages organisers to consider the impact of food served at events, paying attention to sourcing while reducing waste and the materials used for packaging and containers.

Logistics covers emissions associated with transporting materials and equipment. Working with local suppliers and choosing more efficient transport options can help reduce the overall impact of these operations.

Travel and accommodation typically account for a significant share of an event’s carbon footprint. The roadmap therefore calls for greater attention to transport choices and closer cooperation with the sector, alongside organisational decisions that can help limit unnecessary travel and encourage more sustainable options.

For event organisers, this also means considering the destination and venue carefully. Where circumstances allow, the distance participants need to travel can become a practical criterion when selecting a location, alongside the other requirements that normally shape this decision.

The transversal pillars holding it together

The five operational areas are supported by a broader framework focused on emissions measurement, compensation and reporting. Collecting consistent data remains one of the more complex challenges for the sector, given the variety of organisations involved and the different ways in which events are delivered.

The roadmap identifies 21 fundamental elements for data collection, covering information on the event, energy, water, catering, materials, waste, logistics and participant travel. Together, these elements provide a basis for more consistent measurement of an event’s carbon footprint.

The framework takes a cautious approach to emissions compensation. It makes clear that offsetting alone cannot deliver Net Zero and can be used as an interim measure within a broader decarbonisation pathway. Reducing emissions therefore remains the starting point, supported by a plan aligned with the organisation’s climate objectives.

Reporting also plays an important role, allowing organisations to monitor results over time and compare different experiences. Sharing data can help the industry identify approaches that can be applied more widely and prevent organisations from having to tackle the same challenges independently. The Net Zero Carbon Events initiative itself places collaboration and the sharing of best practices at the heart of the journey towards 2050.

What genuine commitment looks like in practice

Holding ISO 20121 certification for the third consecutive year reflects an ongoing commitment to improving an organisation’s approach to sustainability. The standard requires this process to continue over time, with each certification cycle providing an opportunity to review existing practices and identify areas where further progress can be made.

In this context, initiatives such as Net Zero Carbon Events offer a useful reference for the sector by bringing together experience and methodologies developed by organisations facing similar challenges. The exchange becomes particularly valuable when it helps turn broad principles into approaches that can be applied to everyday work, as Smart Eventi has seen firsthand through years of experience.

For a Sustainable Events Agency, keeping up with frameworks such as this one is part of maintaining a professional perspective on how the sector is evolving. It provides a useful reference when discussing sustainability with clients and assessing new approaches, particularly as expectations around environmental performance become more specific. The value of this knowledge ultimately depends on how well it informs our work and helps us make sound decisions for each individual event.

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