The task of producing an eco-friendly event can seem daunting enough, never mind adding in a handful of vendors and suppliers whose actions you cannot control.
While it is true you cannot control what people do, you can control who you hire to support your event.
Service suppliers and vendors can fall into any category. The main areas of focus are generally food and beverage, accommodation, transportation, marketing, rental companies, and venues or event spaces.
Decide ahead of time that you will work only with those vendors and suppliers who practice sustainability in their businesses. They are out there; it just takes some research and pointed questions to find those who are aligned with your vision.
The event producer’s best friend is always a detailed plan. Creating an eco-friendly plan is no different. You need a protocol to follow for each event: a set of best practices and procedures to follow to ensure you are creating a sustainable event.
Where do you begin?
Here are the five steps you need to take to make sustainability guidelines that work for you:
1.) Create your own sustainability guidelines that you want to carry out for every event moving forward. This should include a point by point plan on what an eco-event means to you, outlining measurable outcomes so you know when you have reached your goal. Then, break down how you will achieve each point by detailing activities that will help you reach your goal.
2.) Take the time now to research vendors and suppliers to create a shortlist of businesses who align with your vision for green events. While this can be time-consuming, you will only have to do it once and can add to it as you move forward. Creating this list now will cut down on time expended later if you have a go-to list to consult.
3.) Collaborate with suppliers and vendors who are innovative. It takes effort and creativity for a supplier to incorporate biodegradable, reusable and compostable products into their offerings and still produce a final result that is stylish and pleasing. These are the vendors and suppliers you want to seek out.
4.) Include language in all your contracts that clearly state your requirements and includes accountability measures if they do not carry out the terms.
The task of producing an eco-friendly event can seem daunting enough, never mind adding in a handful of vendors and suppliers whose actions you cannot control. Click To TweetWhile the requirements you build into any contract can be endless, here are a few considerations to get you started:
•Work only with caterers or venues who allow donation of leftover food.
•Bring in professional green cleaners after the event to maintain your efforts.
•Any supplier or vendor brought on should be local to minimize transportation emissions.
•Any products used by any vendor or supplier you hire should also be local.
•Use paperless technology wherever possible and insist your suppliers do the same.
•Energy conservation efforts should be implemented by suppliers and vendors.
•Include a “no-idling” clause for all trucks off-loading and loading up before and after an event.
5.) It is too easy for a supplier or vendor to say they are practicing sustainability; it is quite another to consistently put in the effort to do so. Into every contract, build in a means by which they must provide a “progress report” as the planning proceeds so that you can see your guidelines are being met. This will also allow you to measure how your plan to create eco-friendly events is progressing and course correct where necessary.
While this is an important subject, implementing these guidelines with suppliers and vendors might sound heavy to you. If you are concerned with being perceived as difficult to work with, do not be!
The only suppliers or vendors who think that will be those who do not have the same goals in mind. These are not the ones you want to work with anyway if sustainable events are the objective.
Those vendors and suppliers who are aligned with your vision will welcome these practices.
There could be an added bonus for you, too.
Since it takes a lot of innovation for these environmentally conscious vendors and suppliers to come up with cutting-edge solutions that are not just eco-friendly but engaging for event attendees, you may find the experience of working with them more fulfilling for you, also.
Do you find it difficult to find vendors who meet your sustainability guidelines in your area? If so, why do you think that is? Share your answer with me in the comments.