As Scotland outlaws single use plastics, AEV projects manager Alden Arnold says the wider UK industry should not wait for a blanket ban, but lead the way with innovative alternatives.

There’s no evidence that it was exploited, but the final loophole in the Scottish ban on single-use plastics was finally closed with an amendment to the UK Internal Market Act in August, and now it is unlawful to manufacture, sell or distribute single-use plastic items in Scotland. Although there is a diminishing amount of plastic being used at events compared to 20 years ago, it is by no means a solved problem. Plastic pollution and plastic consumption were key points at COP26 in Glasgow last year, so it’s fitting that Scotland should lead on legislation that will reduce plastic pollution in the UK. Promising noises from the UK government last year, about phasing out single-use plastic items across the whole UK, seem
to have gone silent.

Urgent problem

It is an urgent problem that needs urgent solutions at every level of society, government, and business. Reducing and, ultimately, banning all single-use plastics will have a positive effect both on pollution and climate change – it may be a small effect globally but its significance will be greater close to home. UK conferences, exhibitions and live events will continue to cut single-use plastics from their waste streams.

Blanket ban

Waiting for a blanket ban is not an option, and the AEV/AEO/ESSA Sustainability Working Group has showcased the efforts of UK event venues to lead the way on sustainability in events, bringing together the combined experience of members of all three associations.

The Scottish Parliament clearly telegraphed its intentions, so Scottish member venues were well aware of the change in the law ahead of time, and consulted extensively with stakeholders and experts to judge the impact that the ban would have.

Sustainable future

P&J Live in Aberdeen has long been committed to a sustainable future, boasting its own energy centre which takes food and garden waste from around Aberdeen and digests it in an anaerobic plant, where the resulting gas is harvested and used to heat, cool, and power the venue and the two on-site hotels.

All changes implemented at the venue were led by a company called Alliance, a leading supplier of catering disposables, with venue changes implemented by P&J Live’s group company, ASM Global. With the new law coming into effect over the summer period, traditionally a quiet time for arenas since artists are out performing at festivals, P&J Live and other Scottish venues had enough downtime to identify the best products, make the substitutions and have them ready for use by visitors in good time.

Louise Stewart, Managing Director (Interim) at P&J Live, said: “As a venue, we very much promote sustainable practices and are committed to achieving the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge – a joint commitment across the events and meeting industry to achieve net zero by 2050 and halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. We are a paperless venue, utilising digital screens in place of fliers and poster sites, with digital tickets replacing the more traditional and less sustainable practice of printed tickets.. We continue to identify opportunities and implement change for a greener future, so removing the use of single-use plastics is a welcome next step and we are absolutely in support of the ban.”

Talking to other national event industry catering businesses, they report that early notification of the impending ban in Scotland also enabled them to substitute credible alternatives on their approved products lists, and expect single-use plastics to have left their businesses entirely by 2024, well ahead of any UK-wide ban.

Exhibitions challenge

Plastic waste remains a challenge for events, however, with exhibitors and organisers bringing their own hospitality and catering to conferences and exhibitions. Exhibitors and sponsors need to be made aware that single-use plastic cups and other items of disposable plastic tableware are no longer acceptable.

Siân Richards, head of sustainability, Olympia London, said, “Olympia London has welcomed the ban on problematic single-use plastics in Scotland, and is looking forward to the exclusion becoming part of UK-wide legislation as soon as possible. We eliminated all of the items covered by the ban from its catering operation several years ago, and have worked with organisers and exhibitors to prevent these items from being brought on site.”

Richards added: “We are now in discussions to replace plastic water bottles in our catering outlets completely; currently we offer a choice of alternative options. Our catering partner, Gather & Gather, only uses products from suppliers signed up to the UK Plastics Pact. Importantly, our decade-long zero-to-landfill policy ensures that no waste plastics managed at the venue end up in our oceans and almost everything is recycled, with just a small percentage (2%) being incinerated to produce energy. Having commissioned an on-site plastics audit in 2019 and recently shared this with the cross-association Sustainability Working Group, we look forward to working with our industry colleagues to reduce and, where possible, eliminate the use of single-use plastics in events.”

Epicentre of innovation

Britain’s history as an epicentre of innovation is well-deserved, and the necessity to cut plastic waste is providing fertile ground for inventions and processes. Suppliers can pick any number of solutions and alternatives to existing plastic products, from dedicated paper cup recycling services to cups, spoons and plates made of edible materials.

The AEV supports its members with advice and guidance through the AEV/AEO/ESSA Sustainability Working Group and the eGuide – the latest edition of which was published in August, and the transition to events that are completely free of single-use plastics is not far away, with or without the UK legislation needed to enforce it.