In conclusion, Production 78 has been on a carbon reduction journey for many years and has largely achieved an efficient position. We will continue to look for greener and lower carbon products and services to replace any that remain in our hire stock and inventory.
We have good waste recycling facilities across our headquarters and our event sites. This enables us to recycle as much waste and it is our ultimate goal to prevent any waste going to landfill at all. We will continue to work on this target in the coming months and years.
We have also been sourcing our energy from 100% renewable sources since 2018, and this contributes to our low Scope 1 emission figures throughout this research.
We understand that readers of this report may not be as far along on this journey and therefore these measures are simple ways to both reduce your carbon footprint and help the environment, but we have also found that these have in fact reduced costs for the business too.
During the course of this research we have met with many events individuals and attendees who are interested in decarbonisation, but don’t know where to start. Many of these are hung up on the metrics and not wanting to calculate things incorrectly. We feel on the whole though, that this is the wrong approach.
There is a Climate Emergency and although we cannot immediately remove emissions from our businesses and more specifically events, we can all do something right now to make a difference.
The toolkit in this report identifies the elements of events that are the most damaging and generate the most emissions. By getting everyone to change the way we think about this and to reduce these, we can all make a difference together.
The biggest factor that shows clearly in the figures, is Scope 3 emissions. The problem with this is that, reducing these is normally out of the event organisers control.
However, take the audience travel as an example. Event organisers have significant influence over how participants and visitors travel to their events. By encouraging car sharing schemes, the use of public transport, and even incentivising these routes to get cheaper tickets or rewards at the event, we can immediately cut the Scope 3 figure, often by as much as half.
By organising a coach to transport groups to an event, we can literally get 50 people out of their individual cars, and put them all on one coach. On a 50-kilometre journey, this would reduce the carbon emissions for these 50 guests from 425kg CO2e to 5.4kg CO2e. This is a reduction of over 98%.
Not only this but you can help develop an event going community in rural areas that will create a sense of travelling together, and enjoying the event together. You can incentivise local organisers by offering group discounts, and seating guests together at the event. You can even give the group a shout out from the stage which highlights their green journey and encourages others to do the same at future events.
At Production 78, we are advocating change across the Events industry in Wales. Together we can make a difference as event organisers and promoters, businesses in the supply chain, and as individuals.
Everyone can do something today to make a difference. Widespread decarbonization requires participation from everyone, not just governments or large corporations.
Event Organisers and Promoters can use their influence to incentivize greener travel choices as outlined above. They can also influence their downward supply chain by selecting greener suppliers. These can be local smaller businesses, with recognised certifications (e.g. ISO 14001, Green Growth Pledge etc.).
Once we have selected local and sustainable suppliers, we can communicate and engage with our suppliers to share our sustainability goals and carbon reduction targets. Businesses in the supply chain can be encouraged to improve their own energy efficiency and adopt greener practices. They can reduce emissions by:
Using technology to reduce travel distances
Shifting to electric vehicles, rail, or shipping where possible
Reducing the number of trips by maximising load efficiency
Choosing lower carbon materials and prioritising recycled, renewable, or sustainably sourced materials
Sourcing their own supply chain suppliers closer to production
Upgrading their facilities by investing in energy-efficient lighting, heating and machinery
Switching warehouses and factories to solar, wind or other renewable sources
Reducing waste by minimising packaging and encouraging recycling or reuse
Designing products for durability, repairability and recyclability
By encouraging suppliers to be transparent and to share and report data for better decision making across the industry and supply chain.
As individuals, we can influence change through our choices as consumers and as citizens who can support policies, and companies that prioritise decarbonisation.
Individually, this could include things like reducing energy consumption at home, using public transport or cycling, choosing sustainable products, and advocating for change ourselves. While individual actions might seem insignificant on their own, the cumulative effect of many people making small changes can be substantial.
While we can’t all do everything, we can all do something!