Zero waste means using resources more efficiently, reducing your environmental impact whilst saving money in the process. It is estimated that only 15% of waste from events is recycled. #zerowasteweek is here to change this and reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill.
Now in its 10th year, the campaign is there to make us think about how much waste we use daily. Its no secret that as individuals we create a lot of waste, but as events companies we accumulate even more.
Here are some simple ways of reducing waste at your future corporate events.
1. Food, food, food
Food is a major cause of landfill methane emissions and it is estimated 1/3 of all food produced is wasted. But, we need to eat, and what event goes ahead without a meal or canapรฉs to keep your delegates going throughout the day?
Avoid wastage by only catering specifically for whats required. Consider the number of attendees, the event type and the timing of when people are going to want a snack. Communicate with your delegates to see if they have any dietary requirements; catering for gluten free, vegan and vegetarian can accumulate a lot of waste if nobody is attending with these requirements.
3. Go digital – ditch paper
It is no secret that large quantities of paper are consumed when running corporate events. The nature of events is to make a plan and distribute it to all involved, meaning hundreds of pieces of paper are being wasted per event. It is estimated that every year businesses use approximately four million tons of paperโฆ over 68,000,000 trees!
Move to cloud storage options like Dropbox or Google Drive so that your delegates can download the app on their phone and see all the information they need. Easy!
3. Reduce packaging
Encourage caterers/food vendors to bring their produce in reusable boxes rather than small plastic packets or cardboard boxes. Avoid packaging such as plastic bags, wrappers, and foil that canโt be recycled or composted.
4. Plan ahead
Waste happens when weโre in a rush. Think of the amount of people who didn’t plan lunch today so will get an individually packaged sandwich instead, it must be thousands!
Ensure that you embed waste management and resource efficiency into all event planning from an early stage. Know your waste and think about where it comes from, where it can go and identify what can be reduced or recycled.
Prevention is cheaper than disposal. If you reduce the amount of product that will be waste, you will save money as well as reducing the amount that will be sent to landfill.
Has this interested you in event options? Get in touch with us today for expert advice on your next corporate event!
Make Events are the go-to corporate events agency for the Northโs household names. Whether you want to educate, motivate or celebrate, we will create the ultimate experience.
