Sustainbility in the events and entertainment industry is an ever growing topic of discussion and petition for change to improve our carbon impact and do our part in the battle against climate change. It is well known that, as hard as we try, events are often not sustainable and can cause a lot of waste as well as carbon emissions. However, the pandemic showed how important it is for us to have in-person celebratory, experiential, and all other kind of events to boost our happiness and well-being. This is why we have been exploring how to accurately measure our carbon impact at events we do in order to use this data for ourselves and the client to see what can be improved and adjusted to lower the carbon emissions next time.
This is where we discovered TRACE by isla. A carbon impact measuring and reporting tool that makes it easy to gather data from attendees and suppliers in all different aspects of an event; energy usage, production materials, food and drink, waste management, and crew, suppliers, and attendee travel, transport, and accommodation.
Once data has been inputted, clear and helpful graphics are created that outline exactly how each section contributes to the overall carbon output. This helps in understanding what areas are the most impactful and where reductions can be made in order to improve the sustainability of our events.
Implementing this carbon capturing from the beginning of the event planning process makes for a much easier and more accurate report to be made as it gives us more time to input the correct data and consult with clients and our suppliers. TRACE can be easily formatted towards attendees too, in a short questionnaire that they fill out online during registering for a ticket to the corresponding event.
We would like to encourage our suppliers to be involved and proactive in using TRACE since their launch of the supplier portal, making it simple for everyone to upload their figures without the hassle of us chasing you for the information!
It takes only a few minutes of your time but will contribute massively to a bigger picture of creating a future of more sustainable events. We will be able to collaborate with our trusted suppliers by reviewing the data post-event and discussing what changes or adaptations can be made for the next event to ensure that carbon output levels are decreased.
Here is what one of our freelancers had to say about using TRACE for the first time at one of our events:
“I used TRACE for the first time to collect carbon data for an award show throughout the set up and the event itself. I had never used anything similar before, however I found TRACE extremely easy to use and navigate. Everything is categorised so you can work through step by step and input your data as and when you can. When calculating distances traveled and energy used the site does all the calculations for you making your job stress free, and saves a lot of time so itโs especially useful when working in fast-paced environments where there is a lot to do. I would definitely recommend using TRACE for your next event in order to assist in initiating the steps to a greener, more carbon friendly production.”
Join us in measuring our carbon and waste impact and help to make the events industry a more sustainable place to work!