Sustainable events: how to make events genuinely greener

“Sustainable event” quickly finds its way into a concept – the harder question is what part of it really works and what is just a label. If you are serious about running greener events, you should first know where the footprint actually comes from. After all, the biggest levers are rarely where you would expect them.

Where the CO₂ footprint really comes from

The honest ranking surprises many people: at most events, the biggest item is not the technology but travel to and from the event by the audience and crew. Only after that come catering, electricity, use of materials, accommodation, logistics and waste. Established CO₂ calculators for events – such as the one from myclimate – reflect exactly these categories: mobility, food and drink, electricity, materials, transport, accommodation, waste.

In short: if you hand out bamboo forks with the catering but let 2,000 guests arrive individually by car, you are optimising in the wrong place. Sustainability starts with prioritisation, not with symbolism.

The framework: ISO 20121

If you take a systematic approach, there is one standard you cannot get around: ISO 20121 (“Event Sustainability Management Systems”) is the international standard for sustainable event management. It was created in 2012 in connection with the Olympic Games in London and has been available in a revised version (ISO 20121:2024) since 2024. The standard considers all three dimensions of sustainability – environmental, economic and social – and follows the PDCA cycle (Plan–Do–Check–Act). Because it is built on the common High-Level Structure, it can be combined with ISO 14001 (environment) or ISO 9001 (quality).

For most organisers, full certification is not necessary. But the idea behind it is valuable even without a certificate: set measurable goals, document the measures taken, readjust after every event. That is what separates genuine sustainability from greenwashing.

Lever 1: travel and logistics

The biggest item deserves the most attention:

1. Choice of location – a venue that is easy to reach by rail and public transport beats any later offsetting.
2. Travel incentives – combined event and public transport tickets, a shuttle from the station, car-sharing schemes.
3. Consolidating equipment logistics – full lorries instead of half-empty journeys, short distances, regional service providers. This is exactly where well-thought-out setup and teardown planning comes in.

Lever 2: power and technology

This is where the effect is most visible – and it is our core topic:

• Green electricity instead of a generator: Where a mains connection is available, certified green electricity is almost always a cleaner and quieter solution than a diesel generator.
• LED instead of conventional: Modern LED lighting technology draws a fraction of the power of traditional halogen or discharge fixtures and produces significantly less waste heat – a double saving, because less cooling is needed as well.
• Sizing generators correctly: An oversized generator running at part load burns diesel unnecessarily. Sizing to actual demand, battery/hybrid storage for peak loads and switching off during breaks deliver real, measurable savings.
• HVO100, used judiciously: The biofuel HVO100 (hydrotreated vegetable oils) can replace fossil diesel in the generator and, when made purely from residues and waste materials, saves up to around 90% of CO₂ in the best case. You still have to be honest, though: its benefit for the economy as a whole is disputed because the available raw materials are limited (fact check by Agora Verkehrswende). Sensible as an individual measure, but not a free pass.

Lever 3: materials and circularity

The most sustainable component is the one that already exists and is reused:

• Renting instead of buying: Shared, professionally maintained equipment from the rental stock (in German) has a much higher utilisation rate than rarely used in-house inventory – that is the circular economy in practice.
• Modular and reusable: Trusses, platforms and system technology are set up and taken down hundreds of times. Durability beats single use.
• Reusable decorations and banners: Neutral designs that are not tied to a particular year can be reused; printed single-use banners showing the year end up in the bin after one day.
• Repairing instead of replacing: An in-house workshop keeps equipment in use for longer – invisible, but effective.

Lever 4: catering and waste

• Regional, seasonal, plant-focused: The menu is one of the biggest levers of all – a higher proportion of vegetarian dishes noticeably reduces the footprint.
• Reusable crockery and deposit systems instead of disposables.
• Factor in waste separation from the start, not only at teardown.
• Plan quantities realistically to avoid food waste.

Avoiding greenwashing

One point that is often overlooked: sustainability that is claimed but not proven does more harm than good. If you put “climate-neutral” on the poster, you should be able to explain how emissions were measured and reduced – and that offsetting only comes at the end, after avoidance. Verifiable intermediate steps are more credible than a big promise without figures.

Hosting events sustainably – with photon

We factor in sustainability wherever we have influence over it: energy-efficient LED technology, power planning based on actual demand, durable rental equipment and short logistics routes. Our page on event planning shows how this fits into an overall plan. Our event technology checklist provides structured preparation – including when it comes to resources.

“The most sustainable watt is the one that is never consumed in the first place.”

Planning an event and want to make it resource-efficient? Talk to us.

Related: Lighting equipment hire – equipment and daily rates at a glance.

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