Event data provider event:decision has released its 2025 edition of The State of Sustainability in the Event Sector, a white paper that examines how environmental, social and governance factors are being managed across a wide range of event types.
The report, published on 4 November 2025, draws on the company’s carbon reporting tool track and its ESG audit tool Impact, along with research from industry forecasters and economic analysts.
The document reviews current practices across sporting, cultural, community, corporate, experiential and brand events. According to the findings, agencies continue to adopt sustainability accreditations and incorporate established frameworks into their operations. Carbon footprint tracking is now a common metric, although many assessments still omit major sources of emissions, particularly travel by delegates.
The report states that choices made at the earliest stage of planning, such as destination and venue selection, have the greatest effect on sustainability outcomes. Decisions made later in the process, such as menus, printed materials and sourcing, play a smaller role in overall emissions but remain relevant for organisational accountability and stakeholder expectations.
The study also notes that social and governance issues, including living wage compliance, supply chain transparency and longer term community impact, are not progressing as quickly as environmental metrics. event:decision reports that these factors can now be measured and benchmarked through available tools, and that this process can add operational value for planners and agencies.
The analysis includes more than 5,500 data points from Impact Reviews and from the event:decision Power 30 Most Sustainable Agencies campaign, providing benchmarks for agencies, venues and in house teams.
The white paper sets out guidance for professionals, including the integration of sustainability criteria into RFPs, the use of venue certification during selection, the inclusion of delegate travel emissions in reporting baselines and the benchmarking of social outcomes as part of event evaluation.
The full report is available at: https colon slash slash eventdecision dot com slash state underscore of underscore sustainability underscore 2025 slash
Matt Grey, event:decision CEO, said: “The sector has reached a point where intentions meet accountability. If you cannot report the responsible performance across ESG of your event, and nowadays not just your carbon emissions but your social impact also, you cannot manage, improve and deliver value to your stakeholders. Sustainable decisions really should be factored into the brief from day one. Including sustainability at the end makes zero sense and wastes your time and budget.”
