From constructing energy-efficient buildings to mindful waste management, here are five Asia-Pacific cities that are championing environmental sustainability and reshaping the landscape for business events
Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington has placed sustainability at the forefront of its urban agenda, setting a goal to become a carbon-zero city by 2050, in accordance with Wellington City Council’s Te Atakura – First to Zero plan.
This blueprint outlines key activities to reduce emissions in areas such as transport, building energy, and urban form. The plan emphasises the importance of collective action, with 82 per cent of residents wanting immediate action to reduce emissions.
Early progress indicates a positive trajectory, with the city achieving a 10 per cent reduction in total gross emissions between 2020 and 2023.
Major business events venues and companies have also gained recognition for their sustainable efforts. For instance, Takina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre has achieved the 5-Star Green Star design certification, where its green features include water-efficient fittings, rainwater harvesting systems, enhanced thermal insulation, high-performance double glazing, and efficient LED lighting. These features contribute to a 66 per cent reduction in carbon emissions compared to a comparable new build.
Venues Wellington – a company that manages and provides services for civic venues on behalf of the Wellington City Council – has also achieved EarthCheck certification, the only global benchmarking and certification programme for sustainable travel, tourism and events.
Business Events Wellington actively supports event planners in the execution of environmentally responsible events. Their sustainability guide offers advice and support throughout the entire event lifecycle, provides clients with recommendations for local suppliers, and highlights the best practices to facilitate the hosting of sustainable events in the city.
Wellington has joined cities from around the world in the Cities Race to Zero, a collective pledge to halve carbon emissions by 2030. It was also one of 15 cities worldwide to win the Bloomberg Mayors Challenge for a digital re-creation of Wellington. This re-creation aims to educate people about climate change and will assist in better decision-making on how the city grows.
The Economist’s Safe Cities Index has also named Wellington as the number one city worldwide for environmental security in 2021. This index considers Wellington’s world-leading environmental restoration work. It also considers how the city has incorporated sustainability into urban planning to reduce carbon emissions and manage climate risks.
Sydney, Australia
Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050 is the City of Sydney’s vision for a green, global and connected city.
The Australian city is forging ahead with a sense of urgency on climate action, where Sydney has reduced carbon emissions by 70 per cent, with the aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2035. The city has also converted more than 6,000 streetlights to LED, installed more than 7,000 solar panels atop 45 city buildings, switched to 100 per cent renewable energy in 2020 while also procuring the nation’s largest hybrid and electric vehicle fleet, including trialling electric garbage and street sweeping trucks.
Further bolstering its environmental efforts, Sydney has also installed a recycling plant to treat up to 900 litres of storm water daily to provide residents and services with recycled water and 20 rainwater harvesting systems in parks to keep the city’s parklands green.
Critical to this is the City of Sydney’s Sustainable Destination Partnership – a collaboration of hotels, cultural institutions, entertainment venues and industry influencers working together to make Sydney a sustainable destination.
Since 2011, the City of Sydney has been Climate Active certified carbon neutral, with BESydney becoming the only Australian convention bureau to achieve Climate Active Carbon Neutral Certification since 2022. Climate Active is an ongoing partnership between the Australian Government and Australian businesses to drive voluntary climate action by becoming climate neutral.
Major venues like ICC Sydney have also implemented environmental management systems adhering to international standards ISO14001 and EarthCheck criteria, achieving EarthCheck Silver certification.
In addition, the Sydney Opera House, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been awarded a 6-star Green Star performance rating by the Green Building Council of Australia, representing world leadership in environmental and social sustainability operations. Key sustainability achievements include reducing emissions by 26 per cent, moving to 100 per cent renewable energy and diverting over 90 per cent of event waste from landfill.
For the past three years, BESydney has been proactive in offering limited invitation-only matched funding opportunities to encourage international association organisers to use to take climate action by using sustainably certified suppliers and reducing, measuring and offsetting their carbon footprint.
The bureau actively facilitates the seamless integration of sustainability into the delegate experience. In February 2025, BESydney partnered with Sinyi Realty to create a Sinyi Walkathon, a sustainable and engaging delegate experience showcasing Sydney’s landmarks. Participants walked part of the Sydney Marathon track from Luna Park over the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the Botanic Garden Tarpein Lawn.
BESydney will soon launch its Social Impact Strategy, a guide for conference and meetings organisers to measure their social impact before, during and after their conference takes place in the destination. This will include partaking in socially-sustainable initiatives, working with third-sector organisations and leveraging their international influence to create meaningful connections and advocate for change within their industry.
