At 2022’s IMEX America in Las Vegas, on 12 October, ICCA president James Rees provided an important update for IMEX delegates on developments ahead of COP27.
Rees explained that the events industry has a large role to play in helping to deliver the goals of the Paris agreement – especially considering the aims of the Net Zero Carbon Initiative as set up in 2021.
Current financial contributors to the initiative have been organised into tiers, with the Net Zero Carbon Events team striving to encourage more financial contributions to the cause in the lead-up to COP27.
Current status
The status of the initiative was summarised below:
- From September 2021 to September 2022, supporting organisers rose from 26 to 409
- These include over 200 operators, 60 associations, and 74 partners
- 225 operators have committed to publishing by 2023 their organisation’s pathway to achieving net zero by 2025
- A roadmap will be released at COP27, following a survey and 2 consultation rounds. The 80+ page in-depth document is currently being designed
- 42 representatives from 32 organisations have registered to participate in the 8 workstreams – with kick-off meetings starting in October
Workstreams
The 8 workstreams include:
- Three transversal
- Measurement of events’ carbon footprint
- Carbon offsetting
- Reporting progress
- Five covering priority areas
- Renewable energy for venues
- Eliminating production and waste
- Eliminating food waste and sourcing sustainable food
- Transitioning to zero emissions logistics
- Reduce the emissions of travel to events
Campaign
Alongside the current designing process of the in-depth brochure, the campaign has now been titled “The Route to Net Zero”.
Supporters can expect an upcoming monthly newsletter updating them on the campaign’s progress. Additionally, attendees of COP27 will experience Decarbonisation Day, which is dedicated to The Route to Net Zero campaign. More information can also be found in the upcoming PR toolkit.
Social media has been set up for the campaign, including an official hashtag – #NetZeroCarbonEvents
Key resources have been provided below
