What’s up in other sectors?

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What’s up in other sectors, outside ‘events’, in terms of ESG reporting?

 

The pattern is consistent across sectors

In every major industry, the same journey is playing out: voluntary ESG reporting → procurement pressure → regulatory mandate → structured data infrastructure, becoming commercially essential.

Yes, there’s a mixture of performance management and accreditations in here… read the arguments for & against each here.

 

Automotive

CDP runs the dominant supply chain emissions disclosure platform. BMW, Volkswagen and Toyota require tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers to disclose through CDP. It’s essentially become the de facto ESG data layer for automotive supply chains globally.

EcoVadis originated largely in automotive and manufacturing — Renault, PSA and Schneider Electric were early adopters. It scores suppliers on E, S, G and ethics, and is now used by 100,000+ companies across sectors. (60% of the UK’s Power 30 Most Sustainable Agencies hold an EcoVadis accreditation)

Catena-X is an automotive-specific data ecosystem — a consortium including BMW, Mercedes, Bosch and BASF – built partly to standardise carbon footprint data across the automotive supply chain.

 

Consumer goods / retail

Sedex (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) is the dominant platform with over 75,000 members sharing supply chain ESG data, particularly on labour standards. Used heavily by Tesco, Unilever and Marks & Spencer.

HowGood provides ingredient and product-level sustainability scoring for consumer food and beverage brands, used by major retailers to assess and compare product ESG performance at SKU (barcode) level.

The Sustainability Consortium produces THESIS scorecards used by Walmart to measure supplier sustainability performance across product categories.

 

Food & Beverage

Foodsteps does for F&B what Track does for events – carbon footprinting at product and menu level, used by Compass Group, Sodexo and independent restaurants.

Klimato helps sustainability teams turn food and purchase data into credible Scope 1–3 reporting—structured, traceable, and ready for real scrutiny – at consumer menu level.

Foundation Earth runs an eco-label scoring system for food products sold in retail, rating environmental impact across the supply chain.

ProTerra and Rainforest Alliance operate certification and data systems for agricultural supply chains,  offee, cocoa, soy, with commercial consequences for brands that can or can’t demonstrate responsible sourcing.

 

Aviation

CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) is the ICAO-mandated framework – every airline operating international routes must measure and offset emissions above a baseline.

RightShip and Verifavia provide emissions verification for aviation and maritime, turning compliance data into commercial credentials.

 

Financial services

MSCI ESG Ratings, Sustainalytics (Morningstar), Refinitiv ESG Scores and Bloomberg ESG Data are all essentially ESG data infrastructure businesses –  scoring companies so that investors can make ESG-aligned capital allocation decisions. Combined they influence trillions in AUM.

 

Construction / real estate

BREEAM (UK) and LEED (US) are the building-level equivalents — certification systems that have become procurement requirements for major occupiers. GRESB benchmarks ESG performance of real estate and infrastructure funds.

What this tells us about event:decision’s position

So the subject matter is consistant – structured data through an ESG lens.

The difference, and the opportunity for the event sector, is that event:decision is product specific, rolling up event performance into how well your company actually performs compared to industry.

EcoVadis, for example scores a venue or an AV company or event agency as a generic supplier. The accreditation has no understanding of what an event actually is, how it performs, what the relevant ESG levers are at event level, or how to benchmark one event against another in the same sector.

event:decision scores your actual output – the output your customer actually receives, and influences future buyer behaviour.

None of those companies existed before their sector needed them. event:decision is building the infrastructure before the event sector fully realises it does.

So, how did it go?

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event:decision’s Power 30 Most Sustainable Agencies has announced its results.

But how effective is the Power 30 for those taking part? Here are the results of our feedback exercise…

The Power 30 Most Sustainable Agencies programme celebrates the agencies leading the events industry’s transition toward more responsible and sustainable practices. The Power 30 continues to recognise organisations that are embedding sustainability into the core of how they design, deliver and measure events.

Developed by event:decision published by micebook, the Power 30 identifies agencies that demonstrate leadership through credible sustainability strategies, transparent reporting and measurable impact across the events they produce. Participants submit both organisational sustainability information and event-level data, allowing the programme to assess not just ambition, but real-world delivery.

Feedback from participating agencies highlights the strong value the programme provides:

100% will enter, or ‘almost certainly enter’ again

100% use Power 30 to motivate their team

92% use Power 30 in winning new business

92% use Power 30 for client retention

92% rated the Power 30 submission process “thorough and diligent.”

At the same time, agencies expressed interest in deeper engagement beyond the ranking itself. Many suggested opportunities for knowledge sharing, peer collaboration and industry discussion among sustainability leaders.

These insights point to an exciting opportunity for the programme to evolve from a recognition initiative into a community platform for sustainable event leadership. Future editions may include enhanced content showcasing agency sustainability innovations, opportunities for collaboration among participants, and expanded recognition for partners across the event supply chain.

For 2026-7 we plan to bring Production & AV into the fold as a separate category.

As expectations around environmental and social responsibility continue to grow, programmes like Power 30 play an important role in highlighting the organisations driving meaningful progress.

By recognising leaders, sharing best practice and encouraging transparency, the Power 30 Most Sustainable Agencies programme helps accelerate the transition toward a more sustainable events industry.

If you’re a hotel, venue or supply-side business looking to align with the Power 30 Most Sustainable Agencies, get in touch.

Accreditation or Performance Benchmarking? The Arguments.

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The tension between these two approaches is one of the most substantive debates in event sustainability right now. Here are the arguments on both sides, stated as fairly as possible.

Arguments in favour of accreditations

They provide a recognised external signal. Those B Corp certificates, ISO 20121 accreditations, or Green Tourism Gold awards are legible to a buyer, investor, or procurement team who has no time to interrogate the underlying data. Recognition shortcuts trust.

They create an organisational baseline. The process of achieving accreditation, particularly standards like ISO 20121, forces an organisation to document its management systems, assign accountability, and establish consistent processes. That discipline has genuine value independent of the badge.

They are widely understood. Procurement teams, CSR managers, and ESG-reporting organisations increasingly include accreditation status in supplier questionnaires and tender criteria. Having one means you pass a filter you might otherwise fail.

They involve independent verification. The credibility of a third-party auditor checking your systems and practices is real. It is harder to game than self-reported data.

They persist between events. An accreditation applies to the organisation continuously, not just when an event is in progress. That matters for venues and agencies trying to demonstrate a standing commitment rather than event-by-event performance.

Arguments against accreditations – or for their limits

They assess management systems, not outcomes. ISO 20121 is explicit about this: it certifies that you have a sustainability management system in place, not that your events are actually sustainable. An organisation can hold ISO 20121 and still run events with poor environmental performance, low social value, and weak governance – as long as the system exists. The ISO standard page itself frames the certification as applying to an Event Sustainability Management System – not to event outcomes. The Centre for Sport and Human Rights, in its analysis of the 2024 revision, confirms that “ISO 20121 is a management standard” and notes that “event organisers are only certified on the requirements in the Standard itself, not on the elements set out in the Annexes” – meaning even the guidance on supply chain management and social impact sits outside the scope of what certification actually verifies.

They go out of date between renewal cycles. Accreditations are typically reviewed annually or every three years. The badge on the website reflects a point-in-time assessment, not current performance. A lot changes in twelve months.

They are organisational, not event-level. No accreditation tells a corporate client how their specific event performed. The B Corp certificate on the venue’s wall says nothing about the conference that ran last Thursday. That gap is unbridgeable within the accreditation model.

They are expensive and inaccessible for smaller operators. The cost, time, and administrative burden of achieving and maintaining accreditation systematically exclude smaller agencies, independent venues, and boutique suppliers – precisely the businesses most likely to be doing genuinely good work without the infrastructure to document it.

They can become a destination rather than a journey. Once the badge is achieved, the incentive to improve diminishes. Accreditation models reward compliance with a standard, not continuous improvement beyond it.

They are increasingly vulnerable to scrutiny. As greenwashing litigation increases and regulators tighten claims standards, an accreditation that certifies systems rather than outcomes offers limited legal protection if actual performance data tells a different story. In fact, accredited venues and hotels that deliver poor outcomes have an even riskier proposition.

Arguments in favour of performance management 

It measures what actually happened. Event-level performance data tells you, and your client, how a specific event actually performed across ESG channels. This is the data that investors, analysts and clients actually want.

It enables genuine improvement. You cannot improve what you do not measure. Performance management creates a baseline, a benchmark, and a re-review – the three conditions necessary for demonstrable progress. Accreditation creates a floor; performance management creates a trajectory.

It is proportionate and accessible. A structured performance review that takes only a few minutes to complete and costs very little is within reach of any size of organisation. The democratisation of that data is itself a social value argument.

It produces client-facing deliverables. A scorecard, a benchmark comparison, a Social Value Yield  (SaVY) figure – these are outputs a corporate client can use directly in their own reporting, board presentations, and supplier sustainability disclosures. An accreditation certificate cannot do this.

It is what the regulatory direction is demanding. CSRD requires evidenced, auditable data at supply chain level. The Green Claims Code requires substantiation of specific claims. Performance data is the answer to both. Accreditation is not.

The most honest summary

Accreditations and performance management are not competitors, of course. They answer different questions.

Accreditations say: this organisation has systems and intent. Performance management says: this event produced these outcomes.

The problem is that the market has, until recently, treated accreditations as sufficient. The regulatory environment, institutional investor pressure, and procurement evolution are all moving in the same direction: from intent to evidence, from system to outcome, from organisational to event-level. Accreditation alone is increasingly insufficient as a standalone claim. Performance management is the direction of travel.

High-Performing ESG Enhances Brand Value and Mitigates Risk

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How Events with High-Performing ESG Enhance Brand Value and Mitigate Risk

Read this if you’re a brand marketer, in-house planner, or agency strategic positioning and account-level pitching.)

In today’s market, brand value is increasingly shaped by more than creative campaigns or media spend. It is shaped by trust, credibility and demonstrable responsibility. As ESG expectations continue to rise across investors, regulators, employees and customers, events have become a visible and material touchpoint in corporate sustainability performance.

Events are no longer just moments of engagement. They are expressions of organisational values. When designed and delivered responsibly, they enhance brand equity.

Events are consistently the top-ranked channel for lead quality and pipeline conversion speed, and the most trusted marketing environment available.

When poorly managed, they expose brands to reputational, regulatory and financial risk.

At event:decision, we see this shift clearly: events are moving from operational activity to strategic ESG asset.

Events as a Visible Signal

Events sit at the intersection of environmental impact, social responsibility and governance discipline.

They involve:

  • Community impact
  • Carbon emissions
  • Waste and material intensity
  • Supply chain decisions
  • Labour standards and diversity
  • Health, safety and accessibility

Unlike many corporate activities, events are highly visible. They are public, experiential and often amplified across digital channels. That visibility means performance, good or bad, directly affects brand perception.

When an organisation demonstrates measurable social value, carbon reduction, inclusive design, responsible sourcing and transparent reporting in its events, it reinforces a broader ESG narrative. Stakeholders increasingly notice this alignment.

The Evidence: ESG and Brand Value

There is substantial research linking ESG performance with enhanced brand value and reduced downside risk.

Studies across global markets show that companies with strong ESG profiles often:

  • Enjoy higher brand strength scores
  • Experience lower volatility during crises
  • Trade at valuation premiums relative to sector peers
  • Recover more quickly from reputational shocks

Conversely, ESG controversies, particularly around environmental damage, labour practices or governance failures, can trigger measurable brand and market cap erosion.

Events represent concentrated ESG exposure. A single poorly managed event can generate negative press, social media backlash or stakeholder scrutiny. Equally, a well-executed responsible event can demonstrate leadership, innovation and credibility.

How Responsible Events Enhance Brand Value

  1. Strengthening Trust and Credibility

Brand value is increasingly rooted in trust. When sustainability commitments are visibly embedded into event delivery, not just communicated but measured and reported, stakeholders see proof of intent.

Transparent reporting and responsible procurement demonstrate that sustainability is operational, not rhetorical.

This credibility translates into stronger brand equity.

  1. Supporting Premium Positioning

In competitive markets, differentiation matters. Responsible event delivery can reinforce premium positioning by demonstrating forward-thinking leadership and alignment with stakeholder values.

Clients, investors and partners are increasingly assessing ESG performance in supplier selection and partnership decisions. Events that align with sustainability expectations enhance commercial attractiveness.

  1. Engaging Employees and Talent

Employer brand is closely linked to ESG performance. Events are powerful moments for cultural signalling.

When employees see sustainability embedded into live experiences, it reinforces internal engagement and pride. For prospective talent, visible ESG performance strengthens employer attractiveness.

 

How ESG-Aligned Events Mitigate Risk

  1. Regulatory Risk

In markets such as the UK and EU, regulatory requirements around carbon disclosure, packaging, waste and supply chain responsibility are tightening (Extender Producer Responsibility, anyone?)  Events that ignore these factors may expose organisations to compliance risk.

Responsible planning, including supply chain transparency and material accountability, reduces exposure to future regulatory shifts.

  1. Reputational Risk

Events generate media, social content and stakeholder attention. Wasteful production, excessive single-use materials or high-carbon travel can quickly become reputational flashpoints.

Proactive ESG integration reduces the likelihood of negative coverage and enhances crisis resilience.

  1. Financial and Operational Risk

Inefficient material use, unmanaged waste and poor supplier oversight create hidden costs. ESG-aligned event delivery often results in:

  • Reduced material intensity
  • Lower waste disposal costs
  • Improved supplier governance
  • Greater operational discipline

These efficiencies strengthen long-term cost control and risk management.

Moving from Intent to Measurable Performance

The critical shift is from aspirational sustainability statements to measurable ESG performance.

This is where structured frameworks matter.

At event:decision, our intelligence suite supports this transition:

  • Impact delivers a comprehensive ESG-based Responsible Event Review, assessing environmental and social performance across key criteria.
  • Track provides robust carbon reporting and advisory, enabling organisations to measure, benchmark and reduce event emissions globally.

Together, they allow organisations to evidence performance, identify risk exposure and demonstrate continuous improvement.

Measurement is no longer optional. It is central to brand protection and value creation.

Events as Strategic ESG Assets

Events should not be viewed as peripheral operational exercises. They are strategic ESG moments that influence perception, risk and value.

High-performing ESG events:

  • Reinforce brand trust
  • Demonstrate governance discipline
  • Support regulatory preparedness
  • Strengthen stakeholder relationships
  • Reduce reputational vulnerability

In a market where intangible assets, reputation, trust and credibility, drive a significant proportion of enterprise value, responsible event delivery becomes a competitive advantage.

The question is no longer whether ESG affects brand value. The evidence shows it does. The more relevant question is whether your events are strengthening or weakening that value.

Organisations that measure, manage and continuously improve ESG performance within events position themselves not only as responsible operators, but as resilient, future-ready brands.

It’s More Acceptable to Fart in a Lift

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It’s more acceptable to fart in a lift

(Yes, yes for our US-cousins “lift” = “elevator”…)

Let’s start with an uncomfortable truth. Many event professionals feel anxious about sustainability. So much so that silence is often preferred to asking questions, in case you deliver a professional faux pas.

“Being seen as ignorant of sustainability in events is worse than farting in a lift”, we said in a client meeting last week – and it resonated.

You worry you’ll get it wrong.
You’re anxious someone will ask a question you can’t answer.
You’re convinced everyone else knows more than you do.
You hope nobody notices… and that you’ll be out of the lift soon.

Sound familiar?

If sustainability in events makes you feel like that, you’re not alone – and more importantly, you’re not failing.

‘Sustainability anxiety’ is real (and totally normal)

We see it all the time.

Event teams want to “do the right thing” but feel paralysed by:

  • Carbon numbers that feel abstract and intimidating

  • ESG acronyms multiplying faster than guest badges

  • Fear of being called out for greenwashing

  • Pressure to have all the answers, right now

It’s a bit like range anxiety when electric cars first hit the mainstream. You know they’re ‘better’. You want one.
But what if the battery dies? What if you don’t know where the charger is? What if everyone else figured this out already, and you missed the memo?

Spoiler: they didn’t.

You don’t need to know everything

Here’s the good news: event sustainability isn’t about perfection or expertise.
It’s about progress, confidence, and having the right support.

You don’t need to:

  • Be a carbon accountant

  • Memorise global reporting frameworks

  • Know instantly how to double the Social Value associated with your event

  • Predict the future of sustainable fuels

  • Or explain Scope 3 emissions at dinner parties (unless you really want to)

What you do need is clarity, structure, and someone who’s been there before.

That’s where event:decision comes in.

event:decision: your calm voice

At event:decision, our job isn’t to judge or overwhelm — it’s to take the anxiety out of responsibility.

We help you:

  • Measure what actually matters

  • Understand your impact without drowning in data

  • Make smart, defensible decisions

  • Communicate sustainability confidently – even when the journey isn’t finished

Our tools and advisory services are designed for real-world events, real deadlines, and real constraints. Not theoretical perfection.

Think of us as:

  • The sat nav that tells you where the next EV charger is 🚗

  • The friend who says “it’s fine, everyone does this”

  • The reason you can breathe normally in the lift again

Progress Beats Panic Every Time

Responsible & sustainable events aren’t built in a single leap – they’re built step by step:

  • Measure first, improve next

  • Learn as you go

  • Be honest about where you are

  • Get better each time

And yes, sometimes that means admitting you don’t have all the answers yet. That’s not weakness – that’s authenticity and credibility.

The most responsible events aren’t the ones claiming to be perfect. They’re the ones willing to start.

Let’s Make This Less Awkward

Talking about responsibility & sustainability shouldn’t feel like holding your breath and staring at the floor.

It should feel:

  • Supported

  • Practical

  • Manageable

  • And maybe even a little bit empowering

So if you’re feeling unsure, anxious, or quietly hoping nobody asks about your carbon intensity per-attendee metrics, or whether you’ve measured the local economic-benefit?

Relax. You don’t need to know everything. You just need to know you’re not doing it alone.

The tools are ready for you at event:decision.

Putting ‘sustainability’ in a silo is costing you money (and clients)

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Putting ‘sustainability’ in a silo is costing you money (and clients)

For too long, sustainability has been treated like a side project. A report. A checklist. A post-event appendix that no one in sales ever reads.

And that’s exactly why it’s failing to deliver real value.

If sustainability lives in a silo, it doesn’t change decisions.
If it doesn’t change decisions, it doesn’t change outcomes.
And if it doesn’t change outcomes, it’s a cost, not a competitive advantage.

If ‘sustainability’ doesn’t change outcomes, frankly, what’s the point?

The uncomfortable truth: sustainability isn’t a “team issue”

The biggest mistake organisations make is assigning sustainability to one function and expecting it to magically influence the rest of the business.

Responsible and sustainable products and services are not owned by:

  • a sustainability lead
  • a post-event report
  • a compliance requirement

They are owned by:

  • Business owners
  • Heads of Events
  • Account Directors
  • New Business & Sales teams

Why? Because these roles shape strategy, design, budgets, supplier choices, and client conversations. That’s where sustainability either creates value – or disappears entirely.A

A global agency recently said, about a specific project, “the client hasn’t decided whether they’ll do sustainability or not“. Err, ok. Just what value is the agency adding here?

Sustainability that doesn’t win work is just overhead

Clients are no longer asking if events are responsible. They’re asking how, how much, and what impact it creates for them.

Yet many agencies and organisers still:

  • collect sustainability data after the event
  • store it in internal folders
  • never use it in pitches, renewals, or growth conversations

That’s wasted insight.

“Consumers now expect proof, not promises with the shift from “say you care” to “show your work.” says Julien Le Bas, SVP, Executive Creative Director & Global Head of Sustainability

If you deliver responsible and sustainable events, you should be using that proof to win more business – not hiding it in a dashboard no one sees.

Data changes the conversation – from cost to commercial value

When sustainability is embedded into commercial roles, something powerful happens:

  • Account teams can prove performance, not just promise intent
  • Sales teams can differentiate in competitive pitches
  • Event leaders can show progress year-on-year, not one-off gestures
  • Businesses can link responsible delivery to brand, risk, and ROI

But that only works if the data is clear, credible, and comparable.

This is where most event organisations get stuck

Even the best-intentioned teams struggle with:

  • inconsistent sustainability metrics
  • reports that aren’t client-ready
  • data that can’t be benchmarked or explained simply
  • insights that don’t translate into commercial stories

The result? Sustainability stays “our top priority”… but disconnected from growth.

Turning responsible delivery into a sales advantage

event:decision’s Impact Review tool is designed to break the silo.

It transforms responsible event performance into structured, ESG-aligned insights that business leaders, account directors and sales teams can actually use.

Not just to report – but to:

  • demonstrate responsible leadership to clients
  • support tenders and new business conversations
  • benchmark events across portfolios
  • show measurable improvement over time

In short: to win more work because you deliver better events.

Sustainability belongs where decisions are made

If sustainability only shows up at the end of the process, it will always be a cost.

When it’s embedded into:

  • how events are designed
  • how accounts are managed
  • how success is measured
  • how stories are told to clients

…it becomes a commercial asset.

Responsible and sustainable events are no longer optional.
But wasting the value of the data behind them absolutely is.

Stop putting sustainability in a silo.
Put it where it belongs: at the centre of your business growth strategy.

(If you’ve not twigged, Impact: Responsible Event Reviews do just that.)

 

How to win the gold rush

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How to win the event gold rush.

 

While thousands rushed to California during the Gold Rush, savvy entrepreneurs made their fortunes supplying the miners instead. They understood a fundamental truth: in every gold rush, the prospectors don’t just need ambition — they need infrastructure.

Today, the events industry is in the middle of its own gold rush. The race? Responsible and sustainable events.

Everywhere you look, sustainability has become a defining expectation. Clients demand it. RFPs require it. Stakeholders scrutinise it. Awards celebrate it. The question is no longer whether sustainability matters, but how it’s delivered & evidenced.

And that’s where many event organisations feel the strain.

The real bottleneck isn’t intent — it’s clarity

Most event teams are not short on ambition. What they lack is practical visibility:

  • What actually drives impact in an event, both negative and positive impact?

  • Where do the biggest levers sit?

  • How do you prove progress without slowing delivery or inflating cost?

As sustainability expectations explode, the demand for useful, decision-ready data is growing exponentially.

Not data for data’s sake, but decision-grade insight that helps teams make better choices, faster.

This is the point where many sustainability initiatives stall. Complexity creeps in. Reporting becomes burdensome. Teams spend more time explaining sustainability than delivering it.

Selling shovels, not hype.

At event:decision, we’ve taken a different approach.

Rather than chasing trends or grand promises, we focus on the infrastructure that makes responsible events workable in the real world. The tools and intelligence that allow planners, agencies, venues, and corporates to understand what’s happening — and act on it.

That’s why our services are designed to be:

  • Easy to integrate into existing workflows

  • Quick to deploy, even under RFP or event timelines

  • Simple to understand and explain to stakeholders

  • Cost-effective, because sustainability shouldn’t be a luxury add-on

(Hint #1: sustainability works best when it fits into how events are already delivered.)

From “are we sustainable?” to “what did we do better?”

The industry is moving beyond vague claims and post-event narratives. Measuring carbon alone is no longer enough. Responsibility now spans environmental, social, and governance outcomes – and increasingly, clients want evidence at an event level, not just corporate policy statements.

This is where practical tools matter.

With Track, teams can understand the full footprint of an event — travel, accommodation, food and beverage, energy, freight, production — without weeks of manual work.

With Impact Reviews, sustainability becomes broader, clearer, and more useful: benchmarking ESG performance, quantifying social value, and making trade-offs visible rather than hidden.

(Hint #2: the easier it is to measure impact, the more confidently teams act on it.)

Making responsibility defensible – not difficult

Perhaps the biggest shift we’re seeing is this: sustainability is no longer just about doing the right thing – it’s about being able to stand confidently behind decisions.

Clients want to know:

  • Why this location?

  • Why this format?

  • Why this supplier?

  • What difference did this event actually make?

Good intentions don’t answer those questions. Clear intelligence does.

And when sustainability is backed by credible, proportionate insight, it stops being a risk or a burden & it becomes a source of confidence.

(Hint #3: quiet confidence is what buyers, stakeholders and regulators respond to.)

The quiet advantage

In every gold rush, the loudest voices aren’t always the ones that last. The real winners are often those who quietly build what everyone else relies on.

As the push for responsible events accelerates, the organisations that thrive won’t be the ones chasing every new idea — they’ll be the ones with the right infrastructure in place.

That’s where event:decision sits. Not in the crowd – but helping you to the very front of the rush.

The State of Sustainability in the Event Sector: A Responsible Perspective

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Exploring the current state of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in the event sector.

Delivered live at the Sustainable Event Show Friday, 7th November 2025, London. 

The event sector is a highly diverse & transactional yet creative sector. We include sporting events, cultural, community, conferences, experiential, corporate and brand activity within our remit. We deliver tens of thousands of experiences, every single day. Yet each event is different and individual. This poses both opportunities and challenges in sustainable product and delivery, unlike any other sector.

Despite initial and continued enthusiasm, and whilst the appetite for sustainable solutions is undiminished, financial realism and logistical pragmatism are driving many decisions in event planning.

event:decision’s “State of Sustainability in the Event Sector” offers a snapshot of how the sector is performing across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions — and what must come next.

Confidence and Sentiment

Across the UK, EU, and US, planners’ confidence in sustainable practice varies but shares a cautious optimism. While European professionals express stronger conviction in ESG progress, UK media reports uncertainty and financial pressure on planners. Across 2025 sector media continues to show sustainability as a top priority, over other factors such as Experience and Connection, AI && Tech, Financial concerns and Inclusivity.

Planners in the US show a reduction in appetite for sustainable solutions from 7/10 to 5/10, the only region to do so.

These findings reveal a sector in motion: sustainability is clearly valued, yet implementation lags behind ambition.

What You Want: The Priorities of Event Professionals

Data from the AMEX GBT M&E 2026 Forecast, based on insights from over 600 meeting professionals, identifies where event planners are focusing their attention.

  • Destinations and venues unsurprisingly continue to dominate decision-making
  • However, AMEX data suggests a tension between aspiration and practicality — most professionals want to host greener events but struggle to translate desire into measurable outcomes. Sustainability is not yet the new normal.

Despite planner optimism, sustainability still competes for attention against more traditional pressures. Of course it does. According to the AmexGBT report:

– Only 25% of event professionals currently track emissions. That means 3 in 4 do not.
– Just 28% plan to prioritise improvements to sustainability metrics in 2026. That means 2 in 3 do not.
– And while 38% have sustainability written into policy, 28% still classify it as a “pending initiative,” trailing behind cost reduction and attendee engagement in priority.

This measurement gap is critical. Without reliable data, it’s impossible to quantify progress, justify budget spend, or demonstrate ROI — all of which are essential for making the business case for sustainability.

In ‘The Value of Values”, Daniel Aronson quotes a global CFO as saying “only two department come into my office and ask for money with no numbers – HR and sustainability”.

In other words, we’re all still stuck at the stage of good intentions without consistent proof. The will exists, but the pathway remains fragmented. Eventprofs must keep sustainability in mind across the planning process; there are very few decisions needing to be made, in which sustainable options are not available.

What The Sector Does: Headlines

Agency Performance

Based on the Power 30 Most Sustainable Agencies campaign in conjunction with micebook 2024-5.

Geography: UK only

  • 94% of agencies have a defined sustainability lead within the business.
  • 50% hold an Ecovadis accreditation, and 50% of these hold at Silver level
  • Almost half (47%) hold ISO14001 accreditation for their own businesses.
  • Half of this number (22%) hold ISO 20121 for their event planning processes
  • Only 1 in 5 of the most sustainable agencies hold a B Corp certification.

You can see this and additional related information in the Power 30 Most Sustainable Agencies 2024-5 output.

Event Performance

Based on event:decision’s Impact: Responsible Event Review data, which is based on over 5,500 data points from:

Event date range: Jan 2024 – Oct 2025

Geographies: US, EMEA, APAC

Event types: Conferences, sporting tournaments, exhibitions, experiential, incentives, meetings & stand-builds

Sectors: aviation, education, energy, tourism, events & hospitality, finance, banking, insurance, government.

Reviewers are invited to detail their adoption of factors within E, S & G. Here we highlight those factor adopted most and least, by the industry.

Users are able to benchmark their event performance against global, regional, type and sector performance.

Here we evaluate how the event sector performs in three pillars, highlighting the three most and three least actioned factors within each of ESG channels:

Environmental Factors

  • Strengths: Reported growing adoption of event carbon reporting, and increased attention to venue certifications and responsible food and beverage sourcing.
  • Opportunities: Limited action on pushing venues towards energy efficiency and the collection of delegate travel data — two of the most significant contributors to an event’s carbon footprint.

Social Factors

  • Strengths: A reported focus on delegate wellbeing and promoting events for all.
  • Opportunities: Persistent gaps in auditing supplie  living wage policies, event legacy planning, and collaboration with social enterprises to deliver impact.

Governance Factors

  • Strengths: Solid foundations in contractor insurance, sector codes of practice, and risk assessments (RAMS).
  • Opportunities: Rarely is ROI linked to sustainability KPIs, few events appoint an event-ESG lead, and certification of internal (agency)ESG systems remains underdeveloped.

In short, while the frameworks are forming, most organisations are still at an early stage of integrating ESG rigour into everyday decision-making.

What about carbon emissions reporting?

Whilst reporting of Social and Governance factors is somewhat scarce, without doubt, emissions reporting of events is the most commonly actioned reporting tactic. Yet carbon impact remains one of the sector’s most pressing issues.

We believe that even combining the data of all popular event carbon calculation platforms & services, the sector is barely scratching the surface of rigorous, audit-worthy measurement and reporting at any significant scale.

Questions for the industry:

  1. Travel. Whilst Greenhouse Gas Protocol states that if emissions are created due to an event, they should be calculated and reported – there appears a reticence within the event sector to include travel-related emissions within reporting.
  2. As hotel, conference & convention centre product is potentially less variable than the events they deliver, greater progress has been made on certifications and accreditations. Both agency and in-house teams should reward venues which have invested in these standards by actively considering them in their decision making, moreso than is seen in current sector reporting.
  3. Food & Beverage. Whilst public sentiment and (literal) tastes are changing, it is apparent that longer events (1 days+) still encounter some challenge in offering solely plant-based menus.
  4. Materials & Freight: whilst ideally re-used / re-purposed materials and local supply is ideal, rarely is the infrastructure in place to deliver. In a live event scenario, confidence in supply often outweighs sustainability considerations, especially in the technical environment.
  5. There is still demand for swag. Usually mass-produced some distance from the event site and airfreighted. The event sector needs to work harder in convincing clients that there are more viable and valuable alternatives. Should multi-$m corporations needs cheap swag to entice prospects to engage on exhibition stands?

Track Reports from event:decision are the #1 global event-focussed carbon reporting service, providing planners with:Event carbon footprint |  Industry benchmark | Travel Capture tool | Specific mitigations | Offset values.

The School Report: How Events Compare

When benchmarked against other industries, the event sector earns a mixed grade. There are signs of life — strong momentum in awareness and engagement — but progress is uneven. Environmental measurement is advancing, whilst social sustainability trails behind.

Sectors such as aviation, automotive, pharmaceuticals, energy and finance are more highly regulated, financed and deliver greater supply chain integration. As such, it can be argued that progress towards a more sustainable product is more advanced.

The message to #Eventprofs is clear: intent is no longer enough. The next chapter must focus on execution and evidence.

What’s Next: A Call to Action

The closing elements of the report outline seven crucial lessons — each a call to action for planners, agencies, and brands:

  1. Destination & venue choice is critical – sustainability begins with where and how you host. Travel accessibility, especially by public transport / mass transit is the largest factor.
  2. Ownership matters – it’s up to you to drive responsible practice. Step up and take the credit, if you’re delivering sustainable value. event:decision can provide you with simple metrics to demonstrate.
  3. Optics count – it matters what things look like, even if the emissions effect is relatively small, communicate sustainable choices transparently and authentically.
  4. Easy wins exist everywhere – small steps (local sourcing, digital materials) add up fast.
  5. The social benefits of events are under-used; relative to environmental tactics. Integrate local supply, social enterprise supply (there are more of these than you think), align with multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (they are hard to argue against) and legacy into your event DNA.
  6. Responsible options are abundant – from certified venues to low-impact catering, digital swag, swag-swap tables, local & sustainable suppliers; more sustainable choices are accessible. Impact: Responsible Event Reviews will point you directly at conscious supply-chain.
  7. Set an objective and take the first step — progress begins with measurement. Every small tactic delivers a more responsible event.

Conclusion

The 2025 landscape for event sustainability is one of potential meeting accountability. The event sector has never been more aware of its responsibilities – yet has never needed clearer leadership to translate intent into impact.

If the sector can embed sustainable thinking and practice into more decisions – from destination selection to delegate travel, supply chain integrity to ROI, the events of tomorrow will not only bring people together, but do so responsibly.

The event:decision State of Sustainability 2025 is being delivered live at the Sustainable Events Show 2025, with accompanying data from event:decision’s Track & Impact tools, Amex Global Business Travel Annual Meetings & Events Trends 2025, Oxford Economics Global Risk Survey and The Business of Events 2025 Annual Planner Sentiment Survey.

Sustainability is not the new normal…

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Sustainability is not the new normal – despite many wishing it so.

It’s easy to believe that sustainability has become the default for present-day events. After all, every RFP mentions “green initiatives,” and many planners can proudly point to sustainably labelled menus or the removal of overt single-use plastics. Yet, as both event:decision data and the Amex GBT 2026 Global Meetings & Events Forecast shows, sustainability is not quite the new normal — not yet.

The data tells a more nuanced story: one of strong intent, rising expectations, but slow implementation and limited evidence.

The positive shift: sustainability as an expectation

There’s no doubt that the mindset has changed. The Amex GBT 2026 Annual Meetings Forecast notes that “sustainability is no longer optional,” especially as younger generations expect events to reflect environmental and social responsibility as standard practice. Nearly one in four meeting professionals say attendees now demand visible sustainability actions — from reducing plastics to sourcing local and plant-based food and drink. That means that 3 in 4 do not.

For 38% of organisations, sustainability is already embedded in their event policies. That’s a major step forward — it signals that sustainability is moving from one-off gestures towards some systemic integration.

Eloísa Urrutia, Head of Sustainability at Amex GBT Meetings & Events, says: “Sustainability is a business and social imperative, but it is also personal. It’s emotive, drives loyalty, and inspires.”

When done well, sustainability initiatives not only reduce environmental impact but can massively increase social value associated with an event; and actually enhance engagement and brand value.

You can see this in action. There’s a 3pt increase in responsible and sustainable event delivery over the last 12-months’ data from event:decision’s Impact: Responsible Performance Review tool (May ’24 – May ’25). But of all global events, the sample is small.

The reality check:

Despite planner optimism, data shows that sustainability still competes for attention against more traditional pressures. Of course it does. According to the AmexGBT report:
– Only 25% of event professionals currently track emissions. That means 3 in 4 do not.
– Just 28% plan to prioritise improvements to sustainability metrics in 2026. That means 2 in 3 do not.
– And while 38% have sustainability written into policy, 28% still classify it as a “pending initiative,” trailing behind cost reduction and attendee engagement in priority.

This measurement gap is critical. Without reliable data, it’s impossible to quantify progress, justify budget spend, or demonstrate ROI — all of which are essential for making the business case for sustainability.

In ‘The Value of Values”, Daniel Aronson quotes a global CFO as saying “only two department come into my office and ask for money with no numbers – HR and sustainability”.

In other words, we’re all still stuck at the stage of good intentions without consistent proof.

What’s Working?

The AmexGBT report does show some encouraging movement toward practical implementation. Event professionals are making tangible changes, such as:

– 38% have introduced sustainable meetings and event policies.
– 34% are minimising disposables and prioritising sustainable materials.
– 33% are offering local, seasonal, and plant-based catering.
– 31% prioritise sustainable venues.
– 30% implement waste avoidance practices, like food donation programs.

This means that roughly two-thirds of us do not. Therein is an opportunity for venues and agencies looking for commercial advantage.

These are meaningful shifts — they demonstrate that sustainability is not purely a buzzword. Our industry is starting to innovate, adapt and learn. The event sector is highly fragmented but the tools available to do this are not. They will cope with events of any size, scope, format and geography. They are consistent, practical and cost-effective.

Bridging the gap: from goodwill to normal practice

If our industry is to make sustainability truly “the new normal,” three things must happen:

1. Measurement must mature. Social value tracking & carbon reporting, need to become as common as budgeting and attendance reporting. Why would people want this? Because events deliver value, and this value can be tracked.
2. Sustainability must drive creativity, not limit it. As budgets tighten, and let’s face it, they are, sustainability should be inspiring smarter, more meaningful experiences rather than adding constraints.
3. Legacy should become a benchmark. The question shouldn’t be “was the event sustainable?” but “what lasting positive value did my event leave?”. Every organisation can choose whether to purely deliver cash to its shareholders or to do so with purpose.

Legacy is often linked to the ‘People’ part of People, Planet, Profit, or the ‘S’ in ESG. Did you know you can benchmark the ‘S’ in your event with event:decision’s Impact Review tool?

What next?

The Amex GBT 2026 Forecast paints a hopeful picture. Sustainability is becoming more expected – but it hasn’t yet become standard. Far from it. Sustainability is still an aspiration rather than an assumption.

The event sector started strong but momentum is in danger of stalling: sustainability is embedded in policy, sometimes visible in practice and now increasingly recognised as a driver of attendee engagement. But until it’s measured, budgeted for, and benchmarked, it won’t quite be the “new normal.”

The events industry needs to mature – to deliver good strategic advice allied with sound tactics to our stakeholders – advice and tactics based, not on menus and plastic bottles, but on real numbers.

Business Travel Growth Forecast

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Business Travel Growth Forecast: what impact for events?

Almost half of corporates to spend more on business travel in FY26, is the forecast by FCM Travel. Excellent news if you’re in the business of travel, and for that matter, probably if you’re in the business of meetings and events.

It indicates more opportunities for face-to-face engagement, collaboration, and the overall growth of the events sector. However, it also raises questions about sustainability, as increased travel is traditionally associated (read, absolutely associated) with higher carbon emissions, hence event carbon footprints.

How does this square with oft-quoted event planning agencies promising reduced environmental impacts?

This is exactly where event:decision Impact: Responsible Event Reviews are crucial. Impact Reviews help ensure that even as volumes of events and travel increase, sustainability is embedded and demonstrable.

How you show your events are responsible:

  1. Measure Beyond Carbon

Impact Reviews assess events across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, not just carbon emissions. This includes venue sustainability, catering choices, accessibility, certifications, waste reduction, supply chain responsibility and event legacy. Balancing travel impacts with positive social and governance measures.

  1. Benchmarking & Improvement

Each event is benchmarked against industry performance and previous events. You can demonstrate year-on-year improvement, even if travel volumes rise, by showing better destination & venue sourcing, reduced waste, increased local supply and stronger community benefits.

You can benchmark by region, by industry sector and/or by event-type also.

  1. Offsetting & Mitigation

event:decision tools highlight opportunities for carbon reduction and offsetting, such as virtual attendance options, low-carbon menu choices, and more sustainable transport alternatives. In fact, only with event:decision’s Track Carbon service do you receive a curated low-carbon door-to-door travel plan, specifically for your event.

 This ensures travel impact is acknowledged but managed in line with best practice.

  1. Transparency & Reporting

An Impact: Responsible Event Review provides a clear, third-party validated framework that you can use in sustainability reporting. This helps counterbalance any criticism that “more travel = less sustainable,” by showing that events are planned responsibly, transparently, and within ESG frameworks.

The big picture

Even as corporate travel spend rises, responsible event design can ensure that events are still responsible & sustainable. The key is to show stakeholders — through Impact: Responsible Event Reviews — that the event is measured, benchmarked, and actively improved, time after time.