Ensure your Event Doesn’t Cost the Earth

7 Tips to Cut Back on Plastic, Pollution and Waste for Eco-Friendly Events

It’s time we all made a few changes – and there are plenty of steps you can take to help make a difference. Here are our 7 tips to achieve eco-friendly events.

According to the United Nations, half of all plastic produced is designed to be used once and then thrown away, taking centuries to degrade. In fact, experts are warning that if we don’t act, the amount of plastic in our oceans will outweigh the fish by 2050.

And it’s not just plastic that’s the problem. Deforestation, fossil fuels and farming are all contributing to an increase in greenhouse gases, and we’re seeing global warming, extreme weather and rising sea levels as a result.

Here are 7 Tips to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Next Event:

1. Pledge to Cut Back on Plastics

Refuse plastic straws. They’re one of the most common items that end up littering the environment, and due to their size and shape, they’re often tricky for the machines at recycling plants to pick up. At CCT Venues, we have removed all forms of single-use plastic from our business and have replaced all of our branded plastic pens with ones made renewable natural fibres. They’re every bit as good as plastic pens. The only difference is they’ll degrade naturally when they’ve run out of ink, rather than adding to landfill.

2. Say Goodbye to Plastic Bottles

Provide delegates with refillable glass water bottles or jugs of fresh water (UK tap water is fine to drink), rather than a water cooler with plastic cups. At CCT Venues, we provide filtered water in refillable glass bottles for all events.

3. Push Public Transport

Choose venues close to transport links so that your guests can leave the car at home and cut back on pollution. All our venues are within a five-minute walk from a Tube station, so your delegates can have an easy journey with no petrol required.

4. Reuse Where you Can

Hang on to name badge-holders. Create signs and posters that will work for more than one occasion. Take care of your display items so you can use them again and again. You’ll soon find that cutting back on consumption helps cut back costs too. We have digital room signs at CCT Venues – Smithfield which clients can use, avoiding waste completely.

5. Go Paperless

Make sure you share the agenda and any important materials for your conference or meeting online, so delegates can view it on-screen rather than needing to print out lengthy documents.

go paperless

6. Be Careful Who you Work With

Work with suppliers who have stringent sustainable sourcing credentials. Our Executive Head Chef, Jamian Lewis is passionate about choosing seasonal ingredients from farmers or suppliers with humane, ethical and environmentally sound practices in place. As a result, we were recognised once again by the City of London for our responsible waste management and waste minimisation practices, awarding us a Platinum Clean City Award. And we’re constantly learning more about how to make our business kinder to the planet. Our Operations Director, James Russ joined fellow members of the IACC (International Association of Conference Centres) to visit Sweden, where they learned about the fascinating sustainable sourcing practices in place at venues across the country.

7. Go Virtual

Consider the use of technology in your event to reduce air miles. For example, your overseas participants can come together virtually, through a wide range of different platforms. Our venues are equipped with the high-speed Wi-Fi and state-of-the-art equipment you need to make it happen. We’ll even provide technical support to get you up and running. We’ve invested heavily in our technology and AV equipment recently to give us the capabilities to run any type of virtual or hybrid event, to an unlimited number of attendees.

So there you have it, a few ways you can make small changes that will add up to a positive impact on our planet. Spread the word and why not pledge to make this year the year your events get a lot more environmentally friendly? We’d love to help you do things differently – Get in touch to ensure you only run eco-friendly events.