Sustainability

Sustainable Brands Environmental Mission Statement

Sustainable Brands is committed to reducing the environmental impact of Sustainable Brands conferences, to enlisting our community in the sustainable production of our events, and to improving the sustainability initiatives and performance of our host communities.

SB’18 Vancouver Sustainability Goals

GOAL #1

WASTE DIVERSION

TerraCycle

We’re partnering with TerraCycle to recycle, compost, donate or re-purpose waste to reduce items heading to landfill.

GOAL #2

CARBON NEUTRAL

South Pole Group

100% of carbon emissions from the event, including attendee and staff travel + accommodations will be offset by South Pole Group.

GOAL #3

ENERGY NEUTRAL

South Pole Group

100% of the energy used during the event will be offset by Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) via South Pole Group.

GOAL #4

WATER NEUTRAL

Bonneville Environmental Foundation

The full water footprint of the event will be balanced through BEF’s Water Restoration Certificates supporting critically dewatered ecosystems across North America.

GOAL #5

ISO 20121 COMPLIANT

iCompli

We are aiming to be compliant with the ISO 20121 Environmental Management System standard, which will be calculated post-event by iCompli.

Sustainability Image
Salmon Image

GOAL #6

LOCAL FOOD SOURCING

SB and Centerplate

Sustainable Brands and the Centerplate Chef at the Vancouver Convention Centre are creating a menu promoting the cuisine and flavors of British Columbia and the surrounding region while prioritizing sustainable purchasing.

GOAL #7

RESPONSIBLE EVENT GUIDE PRINTING

Rolland Hemlock

In partnership with Rolland Paper & Hemlock Printers, both our printed program book and our Activation Hub map will be printed on 100% post-consumer, chlorine free, Ancient Forest Friendly, and FSC certified paper. Biogas is the energy source for its production.

Hemlock Printers is providing offsets for these printed materials, which will be invested in renewable energy and clean technology projects, including the Great Bear Rain forest Carbon Project in Haida Gwaii.

Goal 7

The Approach

The Sustainable Brands’ event planning team is working closely with all of our vendors and stakeholders to follow a sustainable event framework that was developed in accordance with the leading international event industry standards – ISO 20121 Event Sustainability Management Systems and APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting Standards. The framework is focused on event production with concern for the environmental, economic and social implications of planning, organization, and implementation of event-related activities.

High impact focus areas:

Venue &
Accommodations
Food &
Beverage
Exhibitors /
Expo
Marketing &
Public Relations
Transportation
Audio Visual &
Décor

Attendee Sustainability Tips

As an attendee of SB’18 Vancouver, there are actions you can take to reduce your impact and help us achieve our sustainability goals.

Waste Reduction

  • Use a refillable water bottle and coffee cup throughout the conference.
  • Take only what you need at food functions.
  • Return your lanyard at show close to be re-used at a future show.
  • Make sure to download the official mobile app (available for download soon!) instead of using a paper show map on site.
  • Ask for a recycling bag for your hotel room if one isn't in place.

Energy Conservation

  • Turn off lights and thermostat when leaving your hotel room.
  • If exhibiting be sure to power down your booth at the end of each show day.

Air Quality/ CO2 Impact

  • Carpool or take public transportation to/from the airport and to/from your hotel. Make new friends and contacts while saving CO2!
  • Vancouver is a very walkable city – take advantage and skip the taxi if possible.
  • Choose to eat vegetarian or vegan at least one meal per day OR make the commitment eat meat-free ALL WEEK!

Highlighted SB’17 Detroit Sustainability Efforts

We had plenty of efforts in place to reach these goals in the past and would love to share how we did it. Take a look at our Event Sustainability Report for more information or to learn how to increase the positive impact of your own event(s).

If you have any questions at all or if we can help you in your efforts, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Lizzy Hearne.

Redefining the Good Life - SB Detroit Sustainabiity Report