As part of its commitment to sustainability, Olympia London has engaged with the local community, shared expertise with peers and supported a dedicated series of workshops and this collaboration is now bearing fruit with an industry-wide sustainability commitment framework.
This week, the Event Industry Alliance (EIA) launched the new and comprehensive framework that was originally conceived in the cross-association Sustainability Working Group in 2019, facilitated by sustainability specialists MICE Machine.
Rachel Parker, AEV Director and EIA board member, said: "I'm incredibly proud of the work done by the cross-association Sustainability Working Group in producing these commitments. Whether businesses have widely implemented sustainability policies, or whether they are just starting out on the road, these commitments are a fundamental route towards meeting sustainability goals."
Lucille Ryan, Chair of the working group since 2020 added, "For the first time the event industry has a set of common sustainability commitments with sector specificity. The framework we have developed will allow our members to build on their own sustainability practices, identify areas that need focus, and take advantage of a library of resources and advice that will be under constant development. Sustainability practice can move quickly as new materials, facilities and technologies become available, and the working group will be working continuously to evolve these commitments over time, and build case studies to bring them to life."
The new commitments framework is built around good practices in environment, education, collaboration. Siân Richards, Head of Sustainability at Olympia London said: “We’re delighted to support the events industry in becoming more sustainable by working with our event organisers and contractors in helping to deliver greener events and engaging with industry-wide initiatives such as the Sustainability Working Group. Sustainability is at the very core of everything we do at Olympia London and we look forward to continuing to work together to become even greener and more inclusive.”
Having recently released its pre-pandemic Grand Plan Annual Report, Olympia London continues to lead in green practices and inclusivity and is currently planning on how to build back better in a post-pandemic world: having kept a record to sending zero waste to landfill for over a decade, the venue is now exploring a net-zero future.
For more information about sustainably at Olympia London, visit: olympia.london/sustainability.