During the session titled Technology-enabled Sustainability Practices in Venue Operations at the 62nd ICCA Congress in Bangkok last week, speakers passionately advocated for the establishment of an international organisation entrusted with the critical task of crafting universally-recognised standards for targets and measurements related to carbon neutrality.
Chua Wee Phong, group CEO of Constellar Venues, asserted that the creation of such an organisation is pivotal for the industry’s evolution. He emphasised that by delineating standardised benchmarks and measurement methodologies, this organisation would seamlessly guide the implementation of robust environmental practices.
Chua believes that a standardised framework is essential for fostering a collective commitment among event organisers to reduce carbon footprints. Such standardisation, he argued, is integral to advancing the shared industry-wide goal of mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change.
Jon Bruno, the executive director of The International Ecotourism Society, asserted that the path to sustainability does not lie in the establishment of a singular, rigid metric. Instead, he advocated for the development of an evolving metric, a dynamic tool capable of adapting to the diverse contexts of different destinations.
According to Bruno, it is not merely about setting a benchmark, but about designing a flexible metric language that accommodates the unique characteristics and challenges of various locations. This adaptability, he contended, is key to ensuring that the standards set are not only effective but also practical and applicable across the global landscape of events.
