Our ambition was clear: we wanted to make our projects more sustainable step by step, while measuring and compensating for the remaining CO₂ emissions. At the end of 2025, we reached an important milestone: the remaining CO₂ emissions from our projects are now compensated. That does not mean our sustainability journey stops here. Quite the opposite. Our focus is now on reducing emissions even further, measuring our impact more accurately and reporting transparently on the impact of our choices. That is why we created our Sustainability Manifesto, which guides us in achieving these goals and making further progress.
The manifesto is built around five sustainability pillars that guide everything we do. They help us make conscious choices, take responsibility and continuously improve.
We are committed to creating accessible and inclusive events, making sustainability an integral part of the way we work and continuing to look for new ways to further reduce CO₂ emissions. This is how we turn our mission into everyday action, from strategy to delivery, and from the smallest detail to the biggest gesture.
Our sustainable approach in a manifesto
1. Internal: Being a good company
We start with ourselves. This means understanding our own emissions, actively reducing them wherever possible and compensating for what remains. It also means choosing sustainable suppliers who, like us, are continuously working to improve. Since 2024, we have been proud to be B Corp certified, confirming our commitment to doing business with care for people, the environment and society. Within our own organisation, we also aim to create an inclusive and safe working environment. Our HR policies are transparent and carefully structured, with clear job profiles, equal employment conditions, bilingual communication and a dedicated confidential adviser. We also regularly measure and evaluate how we contribute to the financial, physical, professional and social wellbeing of our employees.
2. External: creating sustainable events that are not only green, but accessible to everyone
For every event we create, we look for practical ways to reduce its impact. From the start, we use our sustainability checklist to explore sustainable choices together with our clients, looking at areas such as venues, catering, inclusivity and waste management.
After the event, we measure the actual emissions. This means we can make improvements based on data, rather than assumptions. From November onwards, we will do this using My Impact Tool.
For us, sustainability also means making sure everyone can take part. A sustainable event is an inclusive event: one that creates opportunities for young people, students and people who face barriers to employment, such as former prisoners, people with disabilities or others for whom participation is not always straightforward.
Our network of suppliers and partners already largely consists of organisations that work inclusively, and we continue to expand this network.
3. Strategic partnership: growing sustainably and sharing knowledge together
Sustainability is something we achieve together. It requires collaboration, knowledge sharing and shared responsibility.
As a strategic partner, we add value through clear criteria, creative solutions and practical support. We train teams, share our expertise with students of all ages and levels, and continuously work with clients and suppliers to explore how we can achieve sustainable growth together.
We also take a critical look at our own supply chain, because we believe that everyone in the chain has a role to play in making sustainable choices. That is why we include agreements on sustainability in our contracts with regular suppliers.
4. Investing in sustainable climate projects
Our first goal is to work together with clients and suppliers to minimise the environmental impact of our events. For the emissions that remain, we invest in sustainable, nature-based climate projects. In this way, we compensate for the remaining CO₂ emissions from our business operations and events.
Since 2022, we have been working with FORLIANCE, an international organisation focused on restoring nature and improving the climate through forest projects around the world. One of the projects we support is the XiCO₂e: Mexican Peninsula Forest Project on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.
This project covers more than 72,000 hectares of tropical rainforest, the largest continuous forest area in Mexico. It focuses on sustainable forest management, protecting biodiversity and strengthening local communities.
The forests in this region are under pressure from agriculture and infrastructure. Through community-based management by local ejidos (farming communities), illegal logging and the overuse of natural resources are being reduced.
FORLIANCE provides training and support to help these communities manage their natural resources sustainably, improving forest protection, production and efficiency.
This not only leads to better forest management, but also creates new opportunities for sustainable income and local employment.
What makes this project special:
- It promotes sustainable forest management in an ecologically important region.
- It focuses on community-led conservation, giving local communities responsibility for protecting and managing their forests.
- It protects rich biodiversity and the habitats of endangered species.
- It supports sustainable growth and helps reduce poverty by creating jobs, strengthening local value chains and providing educational programmes.
By investing in projects like this, we compensate for the remaining CO₂ emissions from our events, while also supporting nature restoration, biodiversity and local communities.
5. Our contribution to the Partners for Live Foundation
Through our funding of the Partners for Live Foundation, we give something meaningful back to the people and organisations working with passion to make the world a better place. Small charities and social initiatives deserve to be seen and heard, but they do not always have the resources, people or expertise to share their story in a powerful way. This is where we, as Obsession, can make a real difference.
With years of experience in creating meaningful events, we help these organisations become more visible and increase their impact. Not by taking over, but by standing alongside them. We help shape strategy, storytelling and creative concepts, support with delivery where needed, and open up our network of suppliers, speakers, partners and dedicated professionals.
This might be a charity dinner, a volunteer day, a sponsored sporting event, a public campaign or another live moment that inspires people, brings them together and encourages action. Because we believe an event is more than just a gathering. It is a way to bring stories to life, build engagement and create positive change.
The Foundation was established to mark our 25th anniversary. It is our way of giving back for everything the events industry has given us, and reflects our belief that it is time to use our knowledge, energy and creativity to support initiatives that often make a difference behind the scenes. Organisations without big budgets, but with important stories to tell.
Together with our own team and founding partners, we contribute our time, talent and expertise to projects that create a positive impact on society. In this way, the experience we use every day for brands and organisations also becomes available to small, passionate charities and initiatives where our contribution can truly make a difference.
