EVENT GREENING FORUM
A new industry initiative to address climate change
About the EGF The Event Greening Forum (EGF) is a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainability within the business events sector. It does this by hosting educational sessions for industry and lobbying government in an effort to implement sustainability principles into the daily operations of the events industry. The EGF was established through dedication and support of eight industry associations who are recognised as founding members. The founding members are key industry associations working together to promote South Africa as a destination for various types of events.
Want to know more? The Event Greening Forum (EGF) has become one of a global number of organisations to have been signed up to the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative which was recently launched. We are proud to support the pledge by our industry for net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and 50 per cent reduction by 2030.
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By Greg McManus, chair of the Event Greening Forum.
he Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) hosts this initiative to connect the global events industry to a rapidly growing movement towards achieving net zero emissions by 2050. ‘The aim of the JMIC is to grow this initiative which represents the events industry as a whole, and to provide a collaborative commitment we may all act upon’ says the JMIC. Sustainable development has long been a focus for the events industry. Connected to programmes like the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Guidelines (UNSDGs), industry initiatives have addressed everything from waste management and energy conservation to local sourcing and hiring practices. The principles of sustainability are now firmly imbedded within industry practices and client expectations. Now, following the devastation caused by Covid on the events industry and the lessons that have been learned about the fragility of our environment and the impacts that our behaviour has on our collective futures, focus is intensifying even further with the realisation that we need to accelerate our actions in response to the threat of climate change. This focus
is not only to secure our own industry’s future, but to support the many other sectors we rely on for our existence. Engaging with this initiative now means that the EGF and South Africa’s business events sector has become part of a global collaboration for action — for failing to act in a meaningful and committed way risks being left behind as the global response builds. This month, world leaders will meet in Glasgow, Scotland at COP26 to present how their countries will achieve the 50 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 to deliver on the Paris Agreement. In advance of this meeting, for profit and non-profit organisations from across all sectors are setting forth their own pathways towards this goal, and the ultimate goal of net zero by 2050. Through this initiative, the JMIC aims to link all stakeholders in the corporate, professional, academic and destination communities world-wide that have also committed to engagement in what is one of the biggest collective challenges we all face today, and to invite those that have not done so yet, to join. The Net Zero Carbon Events initiative aims to bring together a wide range of
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If you would like to know more about event greening, visit wwweventgreening.co.za where you can browse the free resources, sign up to the monthly newsletter, or contact them directly with any queries. Contact: Lynn Mcleod T: 082 891 5883 E: lynn@eventgreening.co.za
industry stakeholders to: • Jointly communicate our industry’s commitment to tackling climate change and driving towards net zero by 2050. • Develop common methodologies for measuring the industry’s direct, indirect and supply chain greenhouse gas emissions. • Construct an industry-wide roadmap towards net zero by 2050, and emission reductions by 2030 in line with the Paris Agreement, with support and guidance on key issues. • Foster collaboration with suppliers and customers to ensure alignment and common approaches. • Establish common mechanisms for reporting progress and sharing best practice. The new initiative arises from the work of an organising task force initiated by JMIC members, UFI, AIPC and ICCA joined by representatives of Emerald Expositions (US), Freeman (US), HKCEC (China), Informa (UK), Javits Center (US), MCI (Switzerland), Messe München (Germany), RX (UK) and Scottish Event Campus (UK) and it was borne from a discussion with the UNFCCC secretariat – United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat – which is also supporting the initiative. More information may be found at www.netzerocarbonevents.org. www.businesseventsafrica.com
