Procurement, Materials and Waste Management

Event hosts and sponsors forgo giveaways, which produce trash or waste which is harmful to the environment. This includes disposable drinks packages and products with batteries. There are plenty of other options for environmentally friendly freebies.

Is it absolutely necessary or just done out of habit? Consider whether materials genuinely need to be printed or whether there are good alternatives. The Austrian Ecolabel specifies that printed materials relevant to the event (invitations, conference folders, documentation, posters, etc.) are produced with minimal resource use:

• small print runs
• small print format
• double-sided copies
• replacement through electronic versions, mail services, internet, apps, etc

For services or equipment, event organisers can also consider from where these are obtained.

There are extra points awarded by the Austrian Ecolabel when event equipment is sourced from the surrounding area.

There is also resource-saving potential when it comes to decorations or flower arrangements. Decorative elements can be produced in local workshops from environmentally friendly or natural materials (e.g. regional wood, natural fibres). Decorative flowers or plants can be source or even rented from regional garden centres.

Tip: Decorative elements and flowers can be reused or gifted to event participants.

Advertising banners are designed to be reused. That means not specifying a date or location.

 Practical tip: From leftover transparent banners, bags can be made and gifted, raffled or sold, with proceeds donated.

To protect the environment, name badges can simply be reused. Additionally, place a container at the exit where guests can return their lanyards after the event. This way, the name badges can be collected and reused for future events - saving resources and reducing waste.

For successful certification in accordance with Austrian Ecolabel guidelines, attention must be paid to paper quality. The paper used for external printing (e.g. for brochures, stationery, programmes, envelopes etc.) bears an ISO I33 ecolabel or is made from 100% recycled paper, or is at least totally chlorine-free (TCF), or listed in the Ökokauf Wien database for ecological printing paper.

It’s worth considering whether bags, rucksacks or carrier bags should indeed be made available. According to Green Meeting & Green Event certification, there are points awarded when no bags, rucksacks or carrier bags are provided. Where it is totally necessary, the following options are available:

• 100% recycled material or natural, environmentally friendly (e.g. felt, organic cotton, hemp etc.) or fairtrade materials are used.
• The products are manufactured in a workshop that integrates and supports socially disadvantaged people, or they are fairtrade.

Practical tip: At the Bregenz Literature Days, homemade bags were made using previous event posters.

Daylight in event rooms is important, as it brightens the atmosphere, promotes concentration, and reduces the energy needed for artificial lighting. In the Venue Finder, you can find out whether event rooms have daylight or not.