The Chat’r Sustainability Chapter: Introducing the SDGs

By John Arvanitakis, Founder and CEO of Chat’r Xperience and Vice Chairperson Event Greening Forum ( EGF)

Event management is often synergistic with high stress. Beyond the fundamentals of planning an event, organisers frequently juggle multiple roles, sometimes in areas where they feel less confident or have minimal experience. Now, a new role is emerging within the industry.

In the coming years, event professionals may adopt the position of sustainable event designers and strategists, incorporating “event greening” into all gatherings. The demand for this shift is evident as the world grapples with the effects of climate change. But with this new function of an event organiser comes complexities.

Does the industry have the necessary skills for this transition? And, more importantly, what steps can professionals take now to develop these capabilities? Are there existing tools to facilitate the shift?

The Current Climate

One just has to turn on the news or scroll through social media to see our planet is in trouble. Climate change, primarily attributed to a rise in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, has been called one of humanity’s greatest threats and demands an urgent multinational response across all sectors.

In 2023 alone, the Northern Hemisphere registered its hottest summer since records began in 1880. On the African continent, climate anomalies included flooding in Ghana, which resulted in the evacuation of approximately 26,000 people and “the worst floods in decades” occurred in Kenya and Somalia.

Closer to home, the Western Cape experienced severe flooding in September. While local climate experts admit more data is needed to link the increased rainfall in the region to climate change, the trend is clear. Extreme weather events, like those witnessed over the Heritage Day weekend, are likely to become more frequent as global temperatures continue to rise.

Flooded homes on 25 September 2023 in Sandvlei, Western Cape. (Photo: Benton Geach / Gallo Images)

Thankfully, sustainability, a framework based on understanding and addressing the impact of human actions on the environment and society, has surpassed its trend phase, becoming a global imperative crucial in the fight against climate change. It is a valuable tool for event organisers to innovate and engage attendees in meaningful actions, contributing to a healthier planet for all.

Why Events Must Take Sustainability Seriously

The events industry accounts for an estimated 10% of global GHG emissions.

Let that sink in.

An event’s carbon footprint can be significant, from marketing materials, water and energy use, waste generated, and attendee transportation. Regardless of size, an event will have an impact.

However, with its substantial reach and influence, events stand at the forefront of enacting change. The industry is a powerful catalyst for economic activity, cultural exchange and connection. Yet, its potential to foster sustainable change remains largely untapped. One study suggests less than 15% of current events worldwide actively focus on lowering these emissions despite mounting urgency. We need action now. But where to start?

In a previous article, Chat’r’s founder and CEO, John Arvanitakis, described the overwhelm some event organisers feel when incorporating sustainability into their events, with the solution being to start small. Even so, knowing where to start may prove challenging.

This is where the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can help, providing a framework for integrating sustainability into event management.

Photo: United Nations

Implementing the SDGs

While several tools are available to event organisers, the SDGs align with global goals, potentially leading to better outcomes. Organisers must incorporate SDGs into an event’s design from the outset to be successful. This means deciding what sustainability measures to include and how to implement them during the planning stages.

One approach could be creating an event-specific handbook or guide. This document would start as a foundational plan and evolve into a working document, guiding suppliers and stakeholders as the project progresses. Regardless of how the strategy is structured, its early inclusion is essential. Otherwise, planners risk missing targets due to insufficient implementation time.

There are 17 SDGs event organisers can work with:

1. No Poverty: End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
2. Zero Hunger: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.
3. Good Health and Well-being: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages.
4. Quality Education: Ensure inclusive and equitable education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
5. Gender Equality: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
6. Clean Water and Sanitation: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
7. Affordable and Clean Energy: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth: Promote sustained, inclusive, sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.
9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation.
10. Reduced Inequalities: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
12. Responsible Consumption and Production: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
13. Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
14. Life Below Water: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.
15. Life on Land: Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and biodiversity loss.
16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.
17. Partnerships for the Goals: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.

Each goal is interconnected, meaning the key to success on one will involve tackling issues associated with another. For example, implementing SDGs 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) into a one-day annual corporate event can be approached in the following ways, with one goal supporting the other:

SDG 6

• Display “Be Water Wise” reusable signage on bathroom taps, spreading awareness of responsible water use.
• Provide refillable bottles at a water station as an alternative to bottled water.

SDG 12

• Use reusable signage that can be reused at subsequent events in years to come.
• Remove single-use cutlery and straws.
• Place recycling stations around the venue with sorting onsite.
• Contact an accredited recycling company that employs and trains people from previously disadvantaged groups to recycle items after the event.

Photo J. Arvanitakis: Exxaro Sustainability Summit 2023, Waste Sorting

Upon closer examination, an overlap becomes evident. Adequate water management systems are vital for clean water initiatives under SDG 6 and vice versa.

Let’s have a look at another example.

An event organiser aims to include SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) while addressing SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). To achieve this, the team plans to raise awareness about power usage at the event and replace energy-intensive equipment with low-energy consumption alternatives or solar-powered options. Additionally, venue lighting will use natural light in line with health and safety standards or replace existing bulbs with energy-efficient LED lights.

A women-owned non-profit organisation (NPO) focused on upcycling goods into innovative products will conduct event workshops to support the other SDGs within the same theme. Topics will include how upcycling products reduces energy consumption in manufacturing (and waste sent to landfills), with an interactive component where attendees create items using discarded materials. Further, this NPO, committed to training and employing marginalised youth in the “green” sector, would raise funds through an event auction sponsored by the host company.

The above scenarios illustrate a multifaceted impact, extending beyond their primary focus to other SDGs. One will see other SDGs in both instances, like SDGs 10 (Reduced Inequalities), 13 (Climate Action) and 17 (Partnerships for Goals).

Since committing to more sustainable gatherings, Chat’r has implemented many SDGs in client events. For instance, using environmentally friendly structures made from recycled, chemical-free materials for expos. Products are further designed with reusability, closing the loop on event waste and onsite recycling when needed. Other sustainable practices include utilising natural ventilation over air conditioning and solar panels for off-grid events.

This interconnectedness highlights the holistic nature of the goals, where effective event strategies in one area can create a positive ripple effect in another. For this reason, event organisers can use the framework to make significant impacts, showing that sustainable event initiatives can contribute to broader global goals even when starting small.

Next Steps: Architects of Action

By integrating the SDGs into event management and planning, organisers can align with global efforts against climate change while addressing important issues like inequality and injustice. This enhances their strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) vision, positioning events as proactive agents of change and creating a more resilient industry.

From this perspective, events inspire a new way of thinking — where each decision, no matter how small, becomes a stepping stone to a more sustainable world. Organisers are not just hosts but architects of a future where every event promises a better tomorrow.