How to be a Zero Waste Congress: Solutions and Best Practices
At the Mobile World Congress, for example, more than 3,000 tons of waste are generated (2017 data) during the 4 days of the congress.
Source: Gelabert Waste Management
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What can I do as a conference attendee to reduce waste?
As attendees, there are several types of waste we generate that could be avoided:
Business cards (also for exhibitors)
At a large conference, a person typically hands out between 50 and 200 cards (depending on their role and networking level), but if we multiply that by the more than 100,000 attendees at a conference like Mobile, it’s easy to imagine how much waste we generate. Even if the cards are recyclable, they are still generating avoidable waste. Furthermore, if a person changes roles or jobs, all the cards that were printed are no longer valid and end up being useless.
Solutions:
1) Buy a card with integrated NFC and QR code so that when placed near a smartphone, the other person receives all the professional information in seconds.
2) Generate a scannable digital contact card using a QR code and save it as an image in your mobile gallery. For example, with Canva , you can easily create a contact card and always update the fields that interest you most. Check out these templates .
3) Use the LinkedIn app , the world’s largest professional network, and offer your QR code (or scan the other person’s) and you will automatically have the other person’s professional contact.
4) As a last option, you can buy business cards that are made of recycled paper and eco-friendly ink or with biodegradable or plantable material .
Different kinds of zero waste business cards
Promotional material
Below, we share some inspiring examples of how businesses, municipalities, and schools are doing just that:
Decline
Any promotional material claiming it’s unnecessary, that we already have plenty of it at home, or explaining that we’re trying to reduce waste.
Apps
Photographs
We can take a photograph of the informational material we would like to save and return it to the other person so that someone else can do the same.
Reusable tableware offered by Barcelona City Council to organizations.
Single-use packaging
There are many single-use containers used in catering areas or at conference stands. These include plastic or cardboard cups, water bottles, straws, disposable plates and cutlery, and more.
Solutions
We suggest you bring the following reusable items:
a) Reusable bottle (preferably glass or BPA-free plastic) that you can refill with water from the fountains available on site.
b) Reusable containers and cutlery so you can order takeaway food and not generate any waste during mealtimes.
c) Thermos : If you would like coffee or tea, you can bring your own thermos and ask to have it filled at the stands or in the catering establishments.
d) Some conventions already offer container and bottle reuse services . Download the app of the company that offers this service and you can enjoy the experience without worrying about washing reusable containers afterward.
Image showing a reusable bottle
Leftover food
Food at a conference is often abundant (to attract new customers or to offer to clients and collaborators). What can we do to combat food waste?
Solutions
a) Linked to the previous solution, if we bring reusable containers from home we can also take the leftover food with us.
b) Avoid buffets as they tend to be places where we eat more with our eyes than with our mouths .
Actions beyond the venue
If during the congress you want to contribute to creating a positive impact in the city or surrounding area where it is held, you can contact local organizations to conduct an environmental education or awareness-raising activity.
Some examples:
· Clean up natural environments (forests or beaches). This is a great way to raise awareness about the waste we generate most and that ends up in the natural environment.
· A leftover cooking workshop where we can learn recipes that help reduce the waste we generate when cooking or use products we think have no nutritional value.
· Upcycling workshop where you can learn how to create works of art with the waste you’ve generated throughout the day.
Image showing an activity that can be done during the congress: waste collection in nature
What can I do as an exhibitor at a conference to reduce waste?
Being an exhibitor at a major conference like the Mobile World Congress or the Smart City Congress is a great opportunity to showcase your company. If we do so sustainably and without generating waste, we add value to the product or service we offer.
Stand
Creating a stand specifically for a conference can generate a lot of waste. We’ll share some ideas to make it as sustainable as possible.
Solutions
a) Create a modular stand that allows for a flexible and reusable design and can be transported from conference to conference.
b) Create a stand with recycled materials or even with materials made from waste that has been collected at sea, as in the case of Gravity Wave (right image).
c) LED lights to consume 80% less electricity than halogen lights.
d) Opt for reconditioned furniture .
e) Rent furniture , computer equipment , or small appliances only during the conference. For example, with Tecfys .
Image showing a stand made of recycled plastic
Promotional material
We can promote our company without having to generate advertising materials, which often become waste within a few hours. We suggest the following actions:
Poster with QR code
All your presentations, contact information, and potential videos in a QR code. It’s also easily portable between conferences.
Offer water from fountains or reusable bottles
For those attendees who bring their own reusable bottle or cup, the water fountain resonates completely with their values.
Avoid merchandising, balloons and candy
Aim to capture your potential customer’s attention without generating unnecessary waste. Digitize the experience to the fullest and enhance your positioning
What can I do as a conference organizer to reduce waste?
A lot! As the event organizer, you have a significant amount of influence to prevent the waste generated before, during, and after the event. The planning phase and building relationships with suppliers and exhibitors is key. Let’s take a closer look below. We can promote our company without having to generate advertising materials that often become waste within a few hours. We suggest the following actions:
Before starting the congress
Si queremos organizar un congreso residuo cero debemos planificar muy bien las acciones que nos ayudarán a conseguir nuestro objetivo. Proponemos las siguientes:
1.- Build relationships with local suppliers committed to sustainable practices.
2.- Install water fountains distributed throughout the premises from which you can drink without needing a glass.
3.- Hire a reusable bottle and container service so attendees can use them throughout the conference and return them at the end of their stay.
4.- As a general policy, avoid any single -use products such as plates, glasses or cutlery.
5.- Try to plan your meal as much as possible based on the number of attendees to prevent food waste. During the exhibitor and attendee registration phase, you can specify whether they plan to eat at the venue and what type of diet they are following to fine-tune their orders.
6.- Hire electricity providers that use only renewable energy sources. If the company is chosen by the property owner, request a green energy provider as a customer whenever possible to incentivize the offer.
7.- Rent reusable, recycled, and recyclable furniture for conference and talk areas.
Image showing furniture made from waste.
During the congress
During the congress, we can carry out communications and actions that emphasize our goal of a zero-waste congress and ensure that all attendees and exhibitors understand what they can do to achieve it.
Ensures visual, cross-cutting, and positive communication, taking into account the cultural diversity of attendees.
Remember
Ask attendees what actions they can take, for example, using more digital resources instead of printed ones.
Harvest
Properly manage reusable containers and bottles made available to attendees for quick sanitization.
Encourage
We can gamify the experience of reducing waste through small challenges and prizes for the best participants.
Reusable tableware offered by Barcelona City Council to organizations.
After the congress
Finally, when the lights go out and everyone leaves, it’s a very important moment, as exhibitors must dismantle their stands, and this is where a lot of waste is generated. What actions can we take then?
1.- Leftover food management : compost organic waste to minimize environmental impact. Pictured on the left: Abono Km0 team
2.- Recovery points for reusable materials such as the MWC Donation Room.
3.- Save banners , posters and signage to reuse them in other conferences.
4.- Return the rented equipment , containers and reusable bottles used.
5.- Send a report to all attendees with the actions taken so they know the impact generated thanks to the collaboration of all parties.
6.- Survey exhibitors and attendees on what they would improve in order to implement it in the future and move towards a zero-waste congress with each edition.
Image showing the Km0 Season Ticket team
Summary and conclusions
Achieving a zero-waste congress requires the involvement of all stakeholders: organizers, exhibitors, suppliers, and attendees.
Reducing waste involves many small actions that, when combined, make a big impact. We summarize some of the most important ones:
✅ Moving from printed advertising materials to digital resources
✅ Offer bottle and container reuse services
✅ Avoid leftover food
✅ Create clear and concise guidelines on what actions we are taking to reduce waste and invite all stakeholders to collaborate.
✅ Promote participation with small challenges and prizes to gamify the entire sustainability experience.
Bibliography: sources, references and notes
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