Guidelines for the Sustainable Organization of Events
The Guidelines contains recommendations and practical advice on the most important fields of action in the preparation of events in a wide range of fields (e.g. politics, culture, sport). The areas of action which come under consideration range from the necessary travel (and its effect on the climate) to the consumption of energy, water, paper etc. and ideas for minimising waste. The environmentally friendly procurement of products and services is another important aspect of sustainability. Gearing the organisation and implementation of events to sustainability requirements often even turns out to be more cost-efficient. Cost saving potential lies in particular in the use and disposal of products. For example, the use of energy-saving appliances reduces energy costs, while the use of appliances with a longer life results in longer use cycles. The following fields are relevant areas of action for the environmentally sound, socially compatible organisation of conferences and events: • Mobility • Event venue and accommodation for participants • Energy and climate • Procurement of products and services • Catering • Waste management • Water management • Gifts for guests • Communication • Social aspects
The 2019 monitoring survey revealed that around 49% of the authorities do not have events organized by a central work unit and therefore new employees must repeatedly familiarize themselves with the guidelines. It indicates that 89% of authorities are now aware of the guide, 83% use it regularly or as often as possible. The Federal Press Office will continue to provide information about the guide and offer training opportunities. It is working to ensure that employees in the event units can exchange information and thus receive action-oriented guidance. One third of the authorities stated that they selected external venues at least partly based on their environmental orientation (e.g. EMAS certification). Just under two-thirds of the authorities took other environmental and social standards into account at least partially. 60 percent of the authorities stated that they informed participants about environmentally compatible means of transport; just under 23 percent provided information about this to some extent. 33 percent stated that they had at least partially provided incentives for environmentally friendly means of transport with special offers. 68 percent of the authorities offered at least some organic food, fair trade food and primarily seasonal products. About 15 percent provided primarily vegetarian products, and another 50 percent provided at least partially primarily vegetarian products. The BMU exclusively hosts events with purely vegetarian catering. Almost 85 percent of the authorities served food and beverages wholly or partly in carafes or reusable packaging. The further use of food leftovers was at least partially taken into account by almost 54 percent of the authorities. Nearly 85 percent of the authorities partially took ecolabels into account when procuring paper or guest gifts, for example. Over 90 percent of the authorities also enabled wheelchair users and people with visual and/or hearing impairments to participate in their events.
