Sustainability

We're 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’19 Detroit Sustainability Goals

GOAL #1

WASTE DIVERSION

We’re partnering with TerraCycle, Cobo Convention Center, and Centerplate to recycle, compost, donate or re-purpose waste to reduce items heading to landfill

GOAL #2

CARBON NEUTRAL

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

GOAL #3

ENERGY NEUTRAL

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

GOAL #4

WATER NEUTRAL

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

We are working towards recertification to the ISO 20121 Environmental Management System standard, which will be audited post event by 3^rd by iCompli. They are helping to assess our exhibitors on adherence to our Sustainable Exhibitor Guidelines.

GOAL #6

LOCAL FOOD SOURCING

Sustainable Brands and the Centerplate Chef at the Cobo Convention Center are creating a menu promoting the cuisine and flavors of Michigan and the surrounding region while prioritizing sustainable purchasing.

GOAL #7

SUSTAINABLE EXHIBITORS

Our goal is to have 100% participation of our exhibitors in the Sustainable Exhibitor Guidelines.

GOAL #8

ELIMINATE PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES

We’re partnering with FloWater and Tupperware to provide pure water refill stations and reusable water bottles to eliminate the use of plastic water bottles at SB’19 Detroit. Pick up your water bottle, provided by Tupperware, and fill it with water from FloWater at the conference.

GOAL #9

CARBON OFFSET CAR TRAVEL

Thanks to our official rideshare partner, Lyft, our goal is to have inner-city car travel within Detroit be carbon offset. To learn more about riding with Lyft, visit our travel discounts page.

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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’19 Detroit, 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!
Detroit 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’18 Vancouver 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 Lindsay Arell.