Back in 2021, the Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE) initiative presented the global events industry with the ‘Net Zero Carbon Events’ pledge — a commitment to accelerate the industry towards global net zero emissions and help deliver the goals of the 2016 Paris Agreement.
Olympia is proud to have been one of the first UK venues to sign up to the pledge and commit to halving our emissions by 2030 with the goal of achieving net zero by 2050.
Since then, venues have started to make great progress towards reaching net zero, particularly within the food and drink industry where significant impact and meaningful change can be made. I’ve had the pleasure of working with our in-house catering team, HOST Olympia (operated by Gather & Gather), over my several years as Venue Catering Manager at Olympia Events, to transform our catering offering into the high-quality, sustainable solution it is today. Integral to the business’ sustainability programme, The Grand Plan, sustainability is a driving force behind our food and beverage strategy.
Here are some of the ways event venues can empower more sustainable catering on their route to net zero.
Locally Sourced Ingredients
By sourcing local ingredients, venues are able to lower their carbon emissions by reducing or completely removing the need for the transportation of goods. In sourcing locally, they are also able to support local farmers and businesses by investing back into the local economy.
Using nominated suppliers from our handpicked London Larder supply chain, Olympia can consider where its products come from, how they get here and the impact they have on the environment. Made up of a variety of ethical, organic and local suppliers, the London Larder sources high-quality ingredients from approximately 20 boroughs located in and around London.
We have also eliminated the use of air freight in the transportation of our food and beverage goods and rely solely on land and sea freight.
Plant-Based Options
Incorporating more plant-based options into menu offerings is an easy win for venues looking to reduce an event’s environmental footprint. The environmental impact often associated with meat production, including greenhouse gas emissions and water usage, means that adding more vegetarian or vegan dishes not only helps cater to an event’s various dietary requirements, but is also more sustainable!
For this reason, Olympia has permanent in-house catering outlets dedicated to serving plant-based and vegetarian options throughout the venue.
Waste Reduction
Careful food production planning, donations of surplus food to local charities or food shelters, and composting organic waste are a few strategies venues can implement to help minimise food waste. By considering the waste hierarchy of prevent, reduce, reuse, recycle, recover and dispose, venues can thoughtfully plan and design menus that align with its food waste goals, maximise ingredient use, and minimise waste production.
From 31 March 2025, UK businesses will legally be required to separate food waste and dry recycling from their general waste. Under these new regulations, UK businesses with 10 or more employees will be prohibited from sending commercial food waste to landfill. As a result, implementing effective food waste management practices will not only be crucial for venues seeking to reduce their environmental impact, but to also ensure compliance and avoid penalties.
Using WRAP’s Guardians of Grub toolbox, Olympia’s events team track and reduce its food waste, and therefore associated carbon emissions. From 2023–2024, we achieved a 33% YoY reduction in food waste per cover (visitors who purchased from one of the venue’s catering outlets). Through careful meal planning and production, we can buy exactly what we need and avoid purchasing an abundance of surplus food.
To combat food waste, we’ve long been proud partners of City Harvest and work collaboratively with the team to donate surplus food leftover from events, helping support thousands across London experiencing food poverty. Across 2024, Olympia’s events team donated a total 2.4 tonnes of surplus food, equating to 5,657 meals and preventing 7.5 tonnes of GHG emissions.
For the remaining inedible food waste, we work closely with food waste suppliers, ReFood, to send it for anaerobic digestion and transform it into fertiliser for farmers and biogas for businesses and communities across the UK.
Water Conservation
Venues can implement various water-saving practices in the food preparation and cleaning process to conserve water resources. This includes eco-friendly detergents and cleaning products that require less water usage, investing in water-efficient appliances and devices, and installing low-flow taps.
Reducing overall food waste also reduces the need for water consumption in the cooking process. At Olympia, we use reverse osmosis dishwashers that reduce chemical usage and enable full mixed cycles by filtering out impurities from dirty wares. They also operate at lower temperatures while maintaining industry safety standards.
Energy-Efficient Equipment
Investing in energy-efficient appliances and equipment in kitchen operations can add massive benefits to reducing overall food energy consumption and lowering carbon emissions.
Another advantage of reducing food waste is using only the necessary energy to cook what is needed, avoiding excess consumption.
Educational Initiatives
Collaboration through education should be a core strategy for venues implementing sustainability. By enabling the wider industry (organiser, exhibitors, suppliers) and event attendees to learn about sustainable food practices and how they can actively participate, venues have the power to change human behaviour and encourage these groups to make more environmentally conscious choices when hosting or visiting an event at their venue.
Olympia hosts industry roundtables with leading industry figures and players to facilitate conversations around sustainability and how improvements can be made. Additionally, we’ve co-funded industry-wide training programmes to provide accessible education for event professionals to enhance their understanding of carbon impact and climate action.
By implementing these different strategies, venues can deliver catering services that not only meet the needs of their clients but also contribute to a more sustainable future and bring the events industry closer to its goal of reaching net zero by 2050.
Abbey Short
Venue Catering Manager at Olympia Events