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FAVERSHAM HOUSE'S SUSTAINABLE EVENTS POLICY

 

As edie and Utility Week Live’s organiser, Faversham House is a progressive, independent media company with a diverse and compelling portfolio of digital platforms, exhibitions, events and printed publications. We operate in three markets: utilities; sustainability and energy; and visual communications.

We acknowledge that our day-to-day business practices and our events have an environmental and social impact, and we are fully committed to managing these accordingly. Our impacts primarily arise from three overarching areas: our offices and direct operations; running our events; and producing our print and digital publications.

Faversham House’s key purpose is to spark ideas and actions among the audiences we serve. We are ambitious, we are creative, and we care. As such, we want to lead by example when it comes to our environmental and social sustainability – and edie Live and Utility Week Live are an ideal platform for us to do this.

Before, during and after edie and Utility Week Live 2023, we will be paying close attention to our processes, our materials and our people – we seek absolute reductions in environmental impacts as well as relative improvements in our environmental and social sustainability.

AMBITIOUS

Be brave and achieve great things

CREATIVE

Think differently and try something new

CARE

Love what you do and do what's right

FAVERSHAM HOUSE PUBLICLY PLEDGED TO:

  • “Reduce our direct (Scope 1) emissions by 10% over a five- year period – relative to company turnover – with a baseline year to be established in 2018."
  • "Develop and implement a new 'Sustainable Events Policy' for all Faversham House-managed events (i.e. conferences/awards/exhibitions) by May 2019."


This is our Sustainable Events Policy in line with our above commitment. We recognise that we are at the beginning of a journey and we are fully committed, as individuals and as a company, to become more sustainable; to be able to meet the needs of the present without depleting resources or harming natural cycles for future generations.

As a media organisation whose focus is helping business become more sustainable and working with utilities on digital transformation, we are in a unique position to not only talk the talk, but also to walk the walk. Of course, we have a long way to go to match up to our ambitions. However, all of the small steps we take will help us meet our obligations, now and in the future.

We look forward to working with our colleagues, visitors and audiences, commercial partners, supply chain and other stakeholders to do just that.

AB signature

Amanda Barnes
Chief Executive, Faversham House

Our main environmental objectives are to:

  • Work towards net zero carbon emissions to combat the impacts of climate change
  • Eliminate the use of single-use plastics at our events
  • Continue to promote sustainability and environmental best practice to our readers, event delegates and commercial partners enabling them to understand their own impacts and thus make improvements

WE WILL MEASURE AND REPORT ON THE IMPACT OF THESE AREAS:

  • Venue performance
  • Waste
  • Energy
  • Water
  • Transport
  • Accommodation
  • Catering
  • Contractor supply chain
  • Plastics
  • Social wellbeing
  • Communications and marketing

Specific actions 

Measurement and reporting

  • We will implement our new sustainable events policy and report against it after the show

Plastics and the circular economy

  • We will create a new ‘Plastics Hub’ within edie Live to help educate and support our audience around the complexities of eliminating single-user plastics
  • We will offer free refillable water points in three locations across the edie and Utility Week Live show floor, along with water refilling being made available for free in the restaurants throughout the exhibition Hall
  • All china, cutlery, napkins and straws at Amadeus catering outlets will be reusable or biodegradable products
  • We have worked with Amadeus to eliminate single use plastic water bottles from their catering outlets in the Hall we occupy. Unfortunately, we have been unable to eliminate all single-use plastic drinks bottles this year, though we are continuing to work with Amadeus to make this happen for future shows
  • Coffee cups will be supplied by Frugal Pac, a recyclable cup made from recycled paper
  • Only tap water in jugs with glasses will be used in all of our seminar theatres
  • Traditionally, during the show build-up, polythene is used to protect the carpets. This year, we have opted not to use polythene, instead using dark cord carpets

Travel

  • We will monitor and report on our own staff travel to and from the shows, ensuring we use public transport or car share where possible
  • We will encourage our visitors to travel to the shows by public transport, highlighting our 20% Virgin Trains discount as an incentive
  • We will track how our visitors travel to and from the shows where we are able to and we will ultimately offset these emissions by supporting projects which cut carbon and improve lives with ClimateCare.

As responsible event organisers, we and our chosen contractors work within the following relevant legislation and guidance:

  • Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
  • Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
  • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
  • Environmental Protection Act 1990
  • Licensing Act 2003
  • Equality Act 2010
  • Lifting Operations & Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER)
  • Work at Height Regulations 2005
  • Guide to Fire Precautions in Existing Places of Entertainment and Like Premises
  • Construction (Design Management) Regulations 2015
  • The Event Safety Guide
  • eGuide

We work with several contractors on each exhibition and event. For Utility Week Live 2021, our main contractors have been chosen on the following three criteria:

  • Their ability to fulfil our operational requirements within our price range
  • How they match up to our values
  • Their sustainability commitment

Our venue – NEC, Birmingham

The venue leads the way through major investments and initiatives  – and by changing behaviours in every area of its operations (and those of its clients), it’s committed to helping organisers and exhibitors achieve their own sustainability targets.

Key facts:

  • The NEC achieved zero-waste-to-landfill targets ahead of schedule, thanks in part to the development of an onsite waste pre-treatment centre. It is committed to ensuring any waste sent off-site doesn’t travel any further than 30 miles
  • Food waste from the NEC is taken to a purpose build anaerobic digestion plant less than four miles away from the venue where it is converted to energy to power local homes
  • In 2015, the NEC partnered with Severn Trent Water to launch a new Anaerobic Digestion plant less than four miles away from the venue. Over 120 tonnes of food waste from the NEC is delivered to the plant each year, where it is converted to energy to power local homes
  • Smart meters were installed to help the NEC better understand how gas and electricity is used across the site. This enables the venue team to investigate anomalies and take necessary actions to minimise inefficient practices

View more about the NEC Group's commitments here

Our caterer – Amadeus 

(venue event catering company, part of the NEC Group)

As a caterer, Amadeus not only believes in providing great food, but also holds the belief that it is accountable in providing sustainable solutions for the venues and clients it works with.

Key facts:

  • SOURCING LOCAL: Amadeus aims to source produce as locally as possible – 80% of its food and beverage suppliers to venues within our portfolio can be found within a 30-mile radius
  • SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES: 60% of its food and beverage suppliers are small and medium sized enterprises
  • SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT: 98% of its disposable packaging spend is on sustainable products – be that recyclable, biodegradable or compostable
  • PLASTICS: Amadaus looks to source the products which represent the best fit for the venues and clients in its portfolio. Where the organisation does use plastic, it will source responsible plastic products. Further detail on Amadeus’ approach to single-use plastic can be found here: http://www.amadeusfood.co.uk/content-hub/plastic-promise/

View more about Amadeus' sustainability approach here

Our Contractor - GES

Providing stand and feature build, electrics, carpet, furniture and AV 

GES seeks to provide the most environmentally friendly solutions to all the shows it services. The organisation is also dedicated to creating a culture where excellence in respect of social behaviours and economic performance are both achieved. Whilst there is a general assumption events can be wasteful, GES prides itself on challenging this and ultimately contributing positively to help the industry in becoming far less wasteful.

GES measures its progress on a show-by-show basis by considering several areas. These include a focus on the materials it uses; how it handles waste post-event, and how it helps to change the industry for the better.

Key facts: 

  • In 2012, GES was the first contractor to attain the internationally recognised and independently audited ISO 20121 accreditation – a Standard that has been designed to help organisations in the events industry improve the sustainability of their activities, products and services
  • The GES Smartwire cabling system is used on shell scheme electrical packages enabling reuse of cables and thus minimising wastage. GES use LED lighting on stands to achieve a significant reduction in power usage
  • Post event, GES will recycle the cord carpet, preventing carpet from going to landfill
  • All signage and graphics builds use a fully recyclable re-board material which is used to create new panels after the show
  • All shell-scheme stock used is returned to the warehouse, cleaned, refurbished and reused with minimum wastage
  • All furniture items are refurbished, cleaned and reused after the show

View more about GES' sustainability approach here