ICCA is committed to doing all we can to reduce our carbon footprint and work toward initiatives that support more environmentally friendly practices and policies. We are on a journey to make our iconic Congress more sustainable on all fronts, from waste management to reduced travel emissions.
As a founding partner of Net Zero Carbon Events, ICCA has been instrumental in designing the Net Zero Roadmap for the Events Industry, which serves as a crucial guide for all stakeholders in the meetings and events industry for producing more sustainable events.
Ahead of the 2023 ICCA Congress in Bangkok, ICCA partnered with the Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDS) to assess our sustainability performance and develop actionable steps to improve methodology. Together with the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), GDS produced a report outlining the Congress sustainability strategy, performance review, and recommendations for best practices going forward. On this "Journey to Zero Emissions," we set out to measure our carbon output; reduce it; and offset these emissions as much as possible.
Toward that end, ICCA was proud to partner with the Costa Rica Tourist Board (ICT), which offset 25% of attendee travel to the Congress in Bangkok, for a total of 758 tCO2e. Event carbon and waste footprint data was measured using industry best-practice methodologies, as well as an advanced measurement tool called TRACE. Where data was not available, impact data was estimated using the GDS database of sustainable events.
The 62nd Congress Sustainability Report 2023 includes specific data on the environmental footprint of the Congress, including the origins, amount, and disposal of waste, carbon measurements, and other details surrounding sustainability efforts undertaken by event producers and supported by GDS, TCEB, and ICCA.
Post-Congress, the KPIs and objectives set forth in the blueprints for carbon and waste reduction were measured against results, and analysts were able to view the source of various emissions and waste and compare these numbers with the set targets. This data was used to produce a performance review for the event, providing insights to inform future event planning and aid the meetings and events industry on its collective journey toward net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
This year, at ICCA's 63rd Congress, ICCA and our Congress partners in Abu Dhabi will utilise the results and recommendations set forth in the report to improve upon our sustainability outcomes and further hone best practices to provide a more comprehensive guide for future events.
