From festivals and exhibitions to conferences and corporate events, live experiences can generate significant carbon emissions. Travel, energy use, catering, materials and waste all add up quickly.
If you’re serious about running more sustainable events, the starting point is simple but often overlooked: understanding your carbon footprint.
In our latest Sustainability in 60 Seconds video, we break down where event emissions really come from and how organisers can take a more confident, data-led approach to reducing impact.
What contributes most to event emissions?
While every event is different, the same hotspots appear time and again:
Audience, exhibitor and staff travel, often the largest contributor
Energy use, particularly temporary power and generators
Materials and build, including stands, signage and fit-out
Catering and waste, especially food choices and disposal
Without measuring these areas properly, it’s almost impossible to know where to focus effort or investment. Guesswork leads to misplaced priorities and missed opportunities.
Why measurement is the foundation of credible action
Measuring your event’s footprint isn’t about perfection. It’s about clarity.
Accurate carbon data allows organisers to:
Identify the biggest sources of impact
Make informed decisions that reduce emissions over time
Track progress year on year
Report responsibly and proportionately to clients and stakeholders
It also helps avoid overclaiming. With growing scrutiny around sustainability and greenwashing, evidence matters more than ever.
Making measurement practical, not painful
One of the barriers we often hear is that carbon measurement feels complex, time-consuming or overly technical. It doesn’t have to be.
Tools like the GCS Event Carbon Calculator are designed to simplify the process, using practical inputs aligned to how events are actually planned and delivered. The aim is not to overwhelm, but to provide usable insight that supports better decisions.
By embedding measurement into event planning, sustainability becomes part of normal operations rather than an afterthought.
The commercial case for data-led sustainability
Sustainable events aren’t just better for the planet. They are increasingly better for business.
Clear, credible carbon data helps:
Strengthen bids and tenders
Attract eco-conscious clients, sponsors and partners
Build trust through transparent reporting
Enhance audience experience and brand reputation
Green Circle Solutions provides easy-to-use carbon calculators to help event organisers measure, manage and reduce their impact with confidence.
Watch the video to learn how measurement can unlock more sustainable, resilient and competitive events.