Timed to coincide with the opening of the COP24 climate talks in Katowice, Poland, Association of British Professionals Conference Organisers (ABPCO) has released a report and Roadmap for the creation of a more sustainable events industry.
Following attendance at a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) workshop in Paris in October titled: “Leveraging Sustainable Procurement Practices to Transform Tourism Value Chains”, ABPCO and its members gathered to consider the areas where the industry can have the most significant impact on the creation of a sustainable future.
Using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, ABPCO identified a desire for the industry to do more in areas of:
- · Responsible production and consumption
- · Quality education and partnerships
- · Reducing inequalities
The UNEP workshop in Paris also highlighted an opportunity for the event industry to collaborate closely with the wider hospitality sector in the following key areas:
- · Phasing out single-use plastics
- · Sustainable food procurement
- · Circularity in the supply chain
ABPCO’s report and Sustainability Roadmap were launched at IBTM last week alongside attendees from UNEP, Positive Impact and other industry leaders focused on sustainability.
“COP24 will ensure the world is focused on sustainability over the coming days so there was no better time to launch both our report and Sustainability Roadmap,” comments Heather Lishman, ABPCO’s Association Director, who has been leading the project on behalf of the association. “We have worked with members from both the supply and demand side of the industry to identify where we can have the greatest impact, whilst ensuring the whole sector continues to deliver maximum value for those looking to use events as a means of education, communication and business development.”
Positive Impacts Fiona Pelham comments: “ABPCO has shown significant leadership by attending, contributing to and communicating about a UN environment event on behalf of the global event industry. ABPCO members should be extremely proud that their association is taking leading action to protect our future and the future of the Events industry.”
