We Eat The Equivalent Of One Business Card Worth Of Plastic Per Month. How Sustainability Friendly Are Your Professional Events?

The Chefs World Summit in Monaco is one of the most important events of the year for chefs and professionals of culinary arts. The guests come from around the world to gather at this magical location, where gastronomy goes along with the art of living.

Many culinary hot topics are discussed, and shocking facts disclosed. Yes, in todays’ age, each of us eats the equivalent of one business card worth of plastic every month. Does this scare you?

On 25th November 2019, Mauro Colagreco (World Number 1 Chef, 2nd year running) and Luca Mattioli (his sous-chef) were the actors of the space: SAVE THE KITCHEN – A kitchen with 0 plastic. By the end of this amazing session they were awarded the first ever Plastic Free Certification for 0 plastic in their restaurant in Menton.

For two years, Mauro Colagreco and his team at the Mirazur have been working on the total elimination of plastic in restaurants.

After studying the problem at length, looking for solutions, producers and projects to develop, they came in contact with several experts about plastic free solutions, to work and carry on this process of change. Zaira from the EKOE organisation was honoured to present Mauro with the first ever plastic free restaurant certification on the 25th November.

Sustainability in professional event planning is currently a hot topic. I would like it to become the norm in future years. Sustainability is largely defined as meeting the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. In other words, future generations should also be able to have a chance to swim in clean waters, live in a clean world, eat plastic free food on a daily basis without having to purchase from expensive health food shops. It is important to point out here that the data on the status of plastic in food, waters and earth is ongoing—we do know that plastic is already found widely in the food chain. The sad news surrounding plastic in the food-chain has at least put a much-needed focus on how dirty our oceans are and that we might still have a chance to correct this if we make radical changes right now.

The 4 pillars of sustainability are; environmental, economic, social and cultural.

Events’ organisers have been trying to implement some environmental initiatives for a long while. As an example, during the 2009 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen many “greening” actions were introduced to reduce the carbon footprint of the 33,000 participants. Water bottles were eliminated, locally sourced vegetarian food was offered, participants received free tickets for public transportation and flights were offset. Nowadays, it is quite easy to find accurate and easy to follow advice on how to reduce the carbon footprint of events on the Internet. Here in Monaco, we have several organisations fighting for a cleaner world, beaches are cleaned regularly, plastic straws have been removed, the use of plastic bottles is discouraged.

Digital calculators to measure the impacts of events help understand where the risks are. These calculations are not 100 percent precise, but they quickly give a clear picture on which parts of the event are most harmful so organisers can easily adapt. Catering plays a very important role when preparing an event. Even exhibitors and attendees have their fair share of responsibility in insuring that a Trade Show is as plastic free as possible. As an exhibitor, do you refill your own bottle, or do you buy new ones every day?

The economic factor of events is obvious. With its direct spending of over $1 billion annually, the professional events industry is one of the largest economic sectors in the world (Events Industry Council 2018). Can you imagine how we could change the world if that purchasing power was used properly? When we source from socially responsible companies, work with businesses who pay decent salaries to their employees, we are deciding to leave a positive legacy for our future generations. Not so long ago, I had the pleasure to witness an event organizer order conference bags made of organic cotton from a female co-operative in a remote part of the developing world. This order of 10,000 bags made such a big difference for that co-op and the region.

Many events leave a long and strong social legacy in the city where they are hosted. The social aspect of sustainability is the area where an event organiser, sponsor or exhibitor can be exponentially creative. Charity runs have been organised in relation with events for decades. Some events organisers choose a local NGO, for whom they collect funds for or encourage participants to bring gifts from their destinations to be donated. Small groups can be included to participate in these events. At an MPI conference in Rome in 2018, charming youngsters with cerebral palsy were smartly dressed in their tuxedos and proudly showed the way to lecture halls. Attendees never felt so special and grateful.

The cultural pillar is often forgotten as it is sometimes more difficult to appreciate. Wherever you are in the world, traditions and cultures might be different to yours so remember to always be cautious and respectful. As an attendee or exhibitor, we very often forget the world outside the exhibition hall but try not to ever present any group in a stereotypical way as this could be harmful to both parties. Respect all other ways of thinking, dressing and acting. Theme exhibits or cultural presentations in the wrong settings can bring you more harm than positive exposure. Remember the wise words of Winston Churchill and act like a pig: “I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.”

Looking Forward

An effective way to take all aspects of sustainability in your event or exhibit is to include the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in your exhibition planning and start reporting how your Trade Show addresses these challenges. Don’t be overwhelmed and feel that you have to implement all 17 goals at once—even if your Trade Show impacts only on a few, you are doing well. Start implementing them and you will see that your imagination on sustainability matters will reach completely new levels.

The sustainable pressure for our welcoming planet is terrifying. There is urgency for action, but there are also great moments for hope like was the case on the 25th November 2019 during the Chefs World Summit. Let’s hope that the next generations will no longer have to eat the equivalent of a business card worth of plastic every month…

So, if you are an exhibitor, are you preparing a sustainability friendly exhibit program? Do you know what that is? Have you researched about it on the Internet? Do you have an exhibit program reducing attendees carbon footprint or at least are you trying to reduce your waste?’ Make sure you are positioning your organisation’s exhibit program for success by showing the example and leading the way on events sustainability!

After thirty years and tons of research, I believe it is so important to ensure that trade exhibitions are understood and used to leverage long term client’s relations and ultimately business growth.

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