What is sustainability?
The most repeated definition of sustainability comes from the UN World Commission on Environment and Development: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Sustainable development is more than environmental protection and climate action. It is the result of an approach that sees the environment, economy and social affairs as equal, mutually connected areas of life.
The UN launched the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a global initiative adopted by all the United Nations member states in 2015. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the heart of this Agenda, addressing global challenges like poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice.
A sustainable or ‘green’ event is one designed, organized and implemented in a way that minimizes potential negative impacts and leaves a beneficial legacy for the host community and all involved.
Sustainable events
Meetings, conferences and other events are a stan-dard business practice that can leave a significant environmental footprint – by consuming energy, water and other natural resources, generating waste, causing air pollution, and indirectly contributing to soil and water pollution and climate change through greenhouse gas emissions.1
Public events, such as conferences, meetings and/ or festivals, have the potential to leave a positive legacy in addressing the global sustainability challenges. Events could promote sustainability by implementing sustainability criteria. They have the option to explore innovative ways of organization. They could also serve as a tool for raising public awareness, disseminating knowledge, and promoting values in line with the 2030 Agenda and sustainable development. Finally, they could demonstrate positive effects on the society, climate and environment and therefore serve as good practice examples, contributing to the global sustainability goals.
Waste
Waste management is the most frequently mentioned environmental challenge when it comes to events. This includes pollution to all environmental components – soil (e.g. landfill deposit of garbage, liquid pollutants), water (e.g. sewage, pollutant runoffs), air (e.g. gas and coal-powered energy sources). Event literature focuses heavily on the importance of waste reducing, reusing and recycling strategy before, during and after the events (e.g., Fenich et al, 2014; Westerbeek et al., 2005; Ali-Knight et al., 2008; Bowdin et al., 2006; Gibson & Connell, 2012; Goldblatt, 2010; 2013; Hall & Sharples, 2008; Lienhard, & Preuss, 2014; Mair, 2018).
It would not be an exaggeration to claim that waste management has been to a large extent equated with environmental impact management when it comes to events. In the tourism and event sector, food waste is often discussed, which is an important issue given that 88 to 100 million tons of food waste are generated in Europe every year (FUSIONS EU, 2016).
According to Fieschi and Pretato (2017), 12% of this food waste is caused by food service in the hospitality sector, which also includes indoor and outdoor events. In a study on mega events, Rajan and Booth (2016) analyzed that food waste accounted for more than one third of the total waste stream. There are also high social, economic, and environmental costs associated with food waste because of its production, distribution, and disposal (Rajan & Booth, 2016). Razza et al. (2009) therefore elaborates that from an environmental perspective alone, using food packaging that is compostable would be the best choice. Besides food waste, plastic waste is another type of waste that occurs in large quantities at events. Bianchini and Rossi (2021) elaborate that especially in running events such as marathons plastic waste from packaging is a problem, which is also complicated by the fact that participants consume products during the race and the resulting plastic waste may be spread over long distances. Sorting and recycling of plastic is often considered an appropriate method but is complicated by the fact that plastic must be separated into recyclable and non-recyclable plastic, otherwise sorting and recycling becomes difficult and expensive (Bianchini & Rossi, 2021). Eriksen et al. (2019) add that the diverse characteristics of plastics and thus the lack of standardization limit the recycling potential. There are numerous waste management initiatives in the context of sporting events. Many aim to recycle or compost waste. However, Bianchini and Rossi (2021) note that due to the variety of different waste products, e.g. different types of plastic waste, the correct collection and sorting cannot always be guaranteed, which in the worst case can have negative effects on the environment instead of the intended positive effects. In this context, Atchariyasopon (2017, as cited in Bianchini & Rossi, 2021), for example, found that in a soccer match in the Thai league, more than 85% of the waste generated was not properly sorted and sent to landfill. As elaborated by Bianchini and Rossi (2021), proper separation into the different types of plastic requires greater effort, but it can also result in better recycling outcomes.
rom an ecological point of view, events therefore benefit from a maximum amount of easily compostable food (to reduce food waste) and the use of compostable tableware (to reduce plastic waste), as this also reduces both carbon and water footprint (Fieschi & Pretato, 2017). At the same time, this is only useful if the efficiency of collecting, sorting and recycling waste during an event is improved. For events, it is also helpful to be aware of the type and amount of waste generated and to adapt waste management accordingly, both for one-day and multi-day events. Rajan and Booth (2016) also elaborate that efforts to reduce waste will be more successful if there is greater awareness of the content of the waste. In addition, the events studied have shown that the waste containers provided were sometimes inappropriate for the venues, which can be attributed to the amount of waste being too large for this purpose (Rajan & Booth, 2016). In the study conducted by Bianchini and Rossi (2021), which aimed to improve the efficiency of plastic waste during an outdoor event, the important role of volunteers during an event came to light. Volunteers were instrumental in encouraging participants to properly dispose of the waste generated. They did not do the actual disposal, but acted as trainers for the public and communicators about the issue. It is, therefore, important to engage volunteers into raising environmental awareness and disseminating codes of conduct at events.
In conclusion, waste management is a critical issue that must be addressed by event organizers. Food waste and plastic waste are two major types of waste that are generated in large quantities at events, and their management can have significant social, economic, and environmental costs. Efforts to reduce waste and improve waste management can be successful through the use of compostable materials and efficient collection, sorting, and recycling processes. Volunteers play a crucial role in encouraging proper waste disposal, and event organizers should be aware of the type and amount of waste generated to adapt waste management accordingly. Additionally, greater awareness of waste content and appropriate waste container provision can contribute to effective waste management practices. Overall, proper waste management can lead to a cleaner and healthier environment and a more responsible use of resources in the event industry.
Review of environmental impacts of outdoor events with a focus on orienteering,
MISTRA Sport & Outdoors, 2023
Authors: Tami Lanzendorf, Henk Högemann, Lusine Margaryan,
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them