The UK Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) kicked off a five-week consultation with the events industry yesterday (2 August) in order to eliminate the amount of waste the industry sends to landfill by 2020 and create a roadmap to attain a ‘waste-free future’.
The European Pathway to Zero Waste (EPOW) project ‘Re-thinking waste: a 2020 vision for zero waste events’, is currently seeking feedback on the roadmap’s vision, timeline and suggested collective steps to take, in order to create a UK-wide sustainability roadmap relevant to the entire supply chain of the industry, including event organisers/planners, managers and contractors, venue owners and promoters, corporate sponsors, hospitality and catering companies and more, according to WRAP.
“The events industry is huge business for the UK worth an estimated £36 billion per annum to the national economy and employing hundreds of thousands of people. It produces a variety of wastes from food waste to staging, signage, flooring systems etc”, said Mervyn Jones, the EPOW Task Leader. “How it manages its resources is crucial for the bottom line of individual business, and for the environment.
“Significant improvements for integrating sustainability initiatives into the planning and delivery of events have been made in recent years. The roadmap vision will help people to improve their own performance and play their part”, Jones added.
WRAP UK has developed a repository of tools and case studies that will assist industry members with assessing their sustainability practices. One of these tools – the Resource Management Plan (RMP) – was developed as part of the London 2012 Inspire programme, and is a free online tool to help event planners to see key opportunities for waste minimisation in the planning process.
The final roadmap intends to help businesses:
- Reduce material and waste management related costs
- Identify opportunities to further reduce waste and increase re-use and recycling
- Meet sustainable environmental targets
- Demonstrate sustainable credentials to perspective and existing clients
To contribute to the roadmap development, which is open to public contribution until 10 September, visit the WRAP website.
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