Sustainability

Sustainability is the golden thread that runs through every aspect of our business. Not only does it shape our policies and procedures, it guides our daily decision making and underpins our ambition to be recognised as a leading events agency where creativity and responsibility go hand in hand.

We don’t just look at ways to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact, we also consider the wider impact that our events have on the communities around us. The biggest decisions are made early on - where the event takes place, the venue, how people travel, the suppliers we work with, the materials we use, and how the experience works for different audiences – we have found if we leave these discussions until later, it is too late to make the biggest changes 

Our B Corp certification and ISO 20121 accreditation provides a robust framework that we work within and holds us accountable not just for how we deliver our events, but also how we operate as a business. 

Our clients, employees, suppliers and local communities are at the heart of everything we do. Becoming a B Corp wasn’t about earning a badge - it was about holding ourselves accountable for the impact our business has on those around us and creating a framework that supports long-term, meaningful action.

Nadine Fenton

Guided by the ISO 20121 Framework

Achieving ISO 20121 was an important milestone in our sustainability journey and reflects our commitment to our clients, colleagues and suppliers. ISO 20121 is the international standard for sustainable event management, providing a framework to help organisations manage and improve the social, environmental and economic impact of their events.

We use the ISO 20121 framework to guide how we plan and deliver events, following a plan, do, check, act approach that supports continuous improvement across our operations.

In practice, this includes:

• A sustainability checklist starting at the venue-finding stage, covering areas such as venue accreditations, waste processes, accessibility and the availability of quiet spaces for neurodiverse attendees.

• A supplier benchmarking questionnaire assessing environmental impact, responsible business practices, community engagement and quality standards.

• A preferred supplier list, encouraging the use of values-aligned partners, including those listed in the B Corp directory.

Partnering with Clients from the Start

We work closely with our clients to consider every aspect of an event and make more sustainable choices throughout the planning process.

This includes:

• Selecting venues with strong sustainability credentials

• Working with trusted, preferred suppliers

• Prioritising local suppliers and locally sourced produce

• Reducing food waste wherever possible

• Creating inclusive events that work for all participants

• Following a reduce, reuse, recycle approach

• Measuring the carbon impact of each event and identifying ways to improve each time

Measurement Targets 

We adopt the same continuous improvement approach to our business as we do our events. We have a target to be carbon neutral by 2030 and measure emissions at both event and company level, using ‘Greengage EcoSmart’ to measure the impact of every event, regardless of the size and ‘Smart Carbon’ to assess our companies operational footprint and support our progress towards carbon neutrality. 

We have embedded additional measures and operational frameworks through our ISO 20121 objectives and KPIs. These cover the areas of people, planet and profit and have been devolved to team level so that all colleagues can see the impact their work has on our overall goals. In addition, our documented commitments as part of our B Corp certification hold us to account in terms of business policies and processes, underpinning our entire business operation. 

Read our Sustainable Development Policy.