A year after GES teamed up with sustainability expert Seismic to help it make more informed choices, the global event specialist has spoken out on the benefits of a data-led, product-specific approach.
Using event flooring as an example, GES has discovered that by collecting product-specific emissions data, manufacturing emissions were up to 44% less than emissions previously calculated using standard DEFRA material emissions factors.
This means GES no longer relies on the DEFRA emission factors and – by making its own calculations – can report more accurately, and in turn truly understand the industry’s exact impact.
As part of the team’s ongoing analysis, it has assessed five different flooring products including a fully-recyclable Rewind carpet, which GES has been using for the past year.
To further inform client’s purchasing decisions, the team has also introduced a calculator that helps organisers understand their impact at the point of purchase as opposed to post-event.
“These early findings suggest that we need to dig a little deeper and be more specific in the analysis of our impact – and specifically our carbon emissions. Not only are we discovering discrepancies when we consider supplies in their own right, there are also differences between the range of products at our disposal,” said Kate Holliday, GES’ head of ESG. “By gaining a clearer understanding of the exact impact of the products we’re using, we can better inform organisers of their choices at the point of purchase rather than post-event, when it’s too late.”
“This is just the start of this work, but we can’t do it alone. We need our peers to similarly invest in their own research so that we can share our learnings for the greater good of the industry. It will allow us all to develop our net zero plans and invest in the right technology to make a difference,” Holliday added.
