MeetGreen Helps Develop Newly Launched Global Reporting Initiative

2/16/2012 - Event organizers can now report on sustainability issues like impacts on communities, natural environments, and local and global economies, thanks to new guidance published Tuesday January 24, 2012, by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). MeetGreen® helped developed the guidance as part of a multi-stakeholder Working Group.

The events sector is diverse: its activities range from business meetings, conferences, and exhibitions to sports and cultural festivals - all of which have impacts on the economy, environment and society. These impacts need to be considered, measured and shared in order to improve the sustainability performance of the events industry.

Today's new Event Organizers Sector Supplement (EOSS) will enable event organizers to report their sustainability performance in a comparable way. The sustainability reporting guidance, tailored for the events sector, aims to make reporting more relevant for event organizers by defining how to provide qualitative and quantitative information on sustainability issues. In addition to more widely applicable issues such as greenhouse gas emissions and waste, the guidance helps event organizers report on more specific issues including attendee travel, legacy of the event, and initiatives taken at the event to promote sustainability and transparency.

Maaike Fleur, Senior Manager Reporting Framework at the Global Reporting Initiative, said: "Over the last ten years there has been a growing interest in the 'greening' of events, with more and more organizations considering the sustainability performance of their activities. Public sustainability reporting is still quite a new concept for event organizers, but we anticipate that this new guidance will help them be more transparent about the impacts of their activities.

"Reporting is also about sharing best practices and can enhance learning for event organizers not yet so familiar with sustainability strategy and reporting. Attendees are interested to know the sustainability strategies behind events. Events are a significant business investment so it is vital that we start measuring and reporting sustainability impacts if we are to move to a sustainable global economy," added Fleur.

The Event Organizers Sector Supplement provides reporting guidance for all types and sizes of events. The guidance covers the complete project life cycle of an event, from bid to planning, execution and, finally, post-event - including the issue of event legacy. The Supplement can be used to report before or after an event has taken place.

"Sustainability is an integral consideration in planning and delivering the London 2012 Games," said Phil Cumming, Corporate Sustainability Manager at London 2012. "Our vision is to use the power of the Games to inspire lasting change. We want to set new standards and create a powerful knowledge legacy for more sustainable event management. GRI's Event Organizers Sector Supplement will play a key role in achieving these aims."

Amy Spatrisano, Principal of MeetGreen® and EOSS task force member explains, "While the EOSS was designed with all events types and scopes in mind, larger scale events may find reporting at Level A and B at bit more feasible. For smaller scope events or organizations not currently reporting using the GRI protocol C level reporting may be a more accessible pathway."

The Supplement was developed according to a multi-stakeholder process. Volunteers from events companies, governments, labor and civil society organizations were brought together in a Working Group to develop the guidance. The public then responded to two Public Comment Periods, before the Working Group took the consultation feedback into account and finalized the Supplement.

For more information go to www.globalreporting.org.



Contact:
:goodchild@globalreporting.org