PKL Group's Top Tips on Running a Sustainable Event

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the events industry, as more and more businesses are looking for ways to reduce their environmental impact. Stacey, our Event Consultant, has given us some top tips for running a sustainable event covering how to minimise waste, reducing energy consumption, sourcing locally, encouraging sustainable transportation, choosing sustainable suppliers, and why you should measure your impact.

Minimising Waste

One of the most important parts of running a sustainable event is minimising waste. This can involve providing recycling and compost bins, using reusable plates and utensils where possible, and selecting environmentally friendly packaging for your products. Developing a plan for managing waste at your event will also be beneficial, including proper disposal and recycling practices and ensuring all team members have been communicated this. Providing clear signage and designated bins in each area to encourage attendees to dispose of waste correctly will help towards minimising waste.

Reduce Energy Consumption

It’s important to take steps to reduce your energy consumption. To help minimise this, using energy-efficient lighting, turning off equipment when it’s not being used, and choosing a venue with good insulation and natural ventilation can all be steps to help. Here at PKL, we offer Energy Efficient Kitchens for hire which have an Energy Performance Rating of B42 and involve a number of changes to our existing portable kitchen units, including adding LED lights, thermostatically controlled space heaters, energy-efficient electric water heaters, and a double glazed serving hatch.

Source Locally

Sourcing locally, such as for your food or supplies, can reduce the carbon footprint of your event as it will reduce the transportation emissions that your items need to be transported. Sourcing locally also means you’re supporting local farmers, producers, and businesses, which enables jobs to be created, stimulates economic growth, and fosters a sense of community.

Encouraging Sustainable Transportation.

To reduce your carbon footprint, you should encourage attendees to use public transportation, share a car to your event, or alternatively, consider offering shuttle services. To encourage this you can offer incentives such as discounted food and drink or entry to the event. This will inevitably help with reducing carbon emissions which benefits the environment by improving air quality and reducing traffic congestion, which can help to create a more successful and sustainable event.

Measure your Impact

Measuring your impact will allow you to see the effect you’re having on the environment. You can determine the goals you want to achieve, such as how much you want to reduce your carbon emissions by or minimising the amount of waste you produce by a certain percentage. If you host your event on an annual or regular basis, you’re able to measure the impact of your changes against your previous events. Collecting data on how much energy was used, how much waste was generated or even the amount of carbon emissions that were produced, will help you to see the impact. By having all this data you’ll be able to decide what changes are working and what needs improvement.

Choose Sustainable Suppliers

Using sustainable suppliers will have numerous benefits for not only the environment, but your business too. It will create a positive brand image and customers are more likely to support you if you prioritise sustainability. Look to use companies that are accredited meaning that they are audited on how sustainable they are. As a rental business, our products are continuously reused, recycled and repurposed, and our ISO accreditations showcase our sustainability initiatives to ensure we are helping the environmental impact of the events we supply our catering equipment and temporary kitchens to. By supporting sustainable suppliers, you’re contributing to a circular economy, where resources are conserved, and waste is minimised.

As customers become increasingly environmentally conscious, sustainability is becoming a crucial factor in event planning. Running a sustainable event is not only environmentally responsible, but also makes good business sense – by prioritising sustainability, event organisers can reduce their environmental impact, save costs, improve attendee experience, and promote their brand’s image.

If you’re planning an event this year, get in contact with event kitchen specialists PKL by emailing postbox@pkl.co.uk or phoning 01242 663 000.