We've set ourselves a goal. We want our organization to be 100% climate-neutral in 2025. And in 2030, we want to organize all of our external events 100% climate-neutral. That is no easy task. That is why we created our Sustainability Manifesto. It provides us with tools and guidelines to achieve our goals.
Sustainability manifesto
Be the frontrunner for sustainable business events
Sustainability should no longer be a choice nowadays. It is the precondition for future-proof entrepreneurship. Not only thinking sustainably but also acting sustainably. The field of business events offers great opportunities to make sustainability part of the organization. As Partners for Live, we want to be the frontrunner for this. Thanks to our concepts, meaningful interpretations, an eye for inclusion, and measures for CO2 reduction we help people, brands, and organizations move forward. Sustainable growth starts with a clear vision and concrete objectives from which to take targeted actions.
100% climate-neutral in 2030
We've set ourselves two goals. We want Obsession to be 100% climate-neutral in 2025, and we want to organize all of our events 100% climate-neutral in 2030. To achieve these goals, we joined the Nederlandse Alliantie for Klimaatactie. They help companies and institutions to realize a 40% CO2 reduction in 2025.
To this end, we marked 2020 as the base year to gain insight into our CO2 footprint. We did this together with Klimaatplein, who has set up de Nederlandse Alliantie for Klimaatactie to advise and assist companies and organizations in this area. A baseline measurement helps us create a roadmap that marks our objectives, check-ups, and actions. One thing is for sure we will make our company more sustainable. We see this as a journey that we should go through together.
We developed a compass with four sustainability goals
We created a compass to lead us in our journey. For this compass, we used the Sustainable Development Goals, created by the United Nations. From the list of 17 points for global transformation, we chose four goals that best suit us: fair work (SDG 8), responsible consumption (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), and partnership (SDG 17). We will explore and optimize the possibilities for sustainability throughout our internal and external business with this compass.
Introducing concrete alternatives for CO2 compensation
We will explore and optimize the possibilities for sustainability within the entire chain of business events. For example, we will look at CO2 emissions, the use of green and circular energy, live and online events, catering, waste and processing, and the social return of events. Because no matter how you look at it, an event has an impact, positive and negative. On the positive side, you bring people and organizations together. But the negative point is the CO2 footprint it leaves behind. We could limit this footprint by only offering vegetarian food or use only circular/green forms of energy. Instead of using sustainable alternatives, it is also possible to compensate for your CO2 emissions by investing in green projects. For example, the planting of trees, freeing the oceans from plastic or investing in solar energy.
Creating a piece of nature
We are going to set up a personal climate compensation project by creating a small forest. Somewhere in the Netherlands, we will create a piece of nature. The aim is to create a habitat with a wide range of trees and shrubs. Planting trees, picking fruits and vegetables, and harvesting will soon go hand in hand with meetings and nature education projects. In this way, we will reduce CO2 emission together, circular, visible, and close to home.
Making events inclusive
For us, sustainability is more than just environmental aspects. It also includes corporate social responsibility. A sustainable event is an inclusive event. It should offer opportunities for young people, students, people with a disability, and ex-prisoners. Our network of partners and suppliers already consists of companies that work inclusive. The further expansion of this network will be one of the components of our roadmap.
Being a strategic partner for sustainable growth
Sustainability is something you do together. It is a co-creation, a partnership. It's about sharing knowledge and taking responsibility. We want to add value in all areas with clear criteria, creative solutions, providing training, and sharing our expertise. That's why we want to start the conversation with our clients and suppliers about how we can achieve sustainable growth for and with them. As Partners for Live, we will explore how we can make this happen.