By Abby Corso, Senior Director, The Delta Institute
Each of the products or services purchased for an event or conference, whether it's copy paper used behind the scenes or tote bags for attendees, makes a statement about the event. Each planning decision you make -- from hotel and catering arrangements to travel logistics to meeting supplies -- will involve a purchase and, therefore, an opportunity for greening. This article will hopefully provide you with some initial guidance and resources to start making smart and green purchases for your next event. So what is green purchasing?
Green purchasing, also know as sustainable purchasing or environmental preferable purchasing, is choosing products that have less impact on the environment through their manufacture, use, and disposal. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency definition of environmentally preferable products are products that “have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose. This comparison may consider raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance or disposal of the product or service." The meeting industry is a $120 billion dollar industry and is becoming a major market driver for green products and services.
If you’ve already decided that you would like to plan a green event, you should consider the following-
- Plan ahead. Give yourself plenty of time to educate yourself about green products and services for your event. If this is your first green event, give yourself plenty of time to network within the industry, educate yourself on aspects of greening, and find those really green and distinctive products! If you’re not already involved with industry associations, consider contacting the Green Meeting Industry Council (www.greenmeetings.info) or other meeting planning, exhibiting and special event marketing associations offering green guidelines to their members.
- Always look for ways to reduce and reuse before you purchase. Reducing consumption can save you money by limiting the quantities of products purchased, such as paper or food service items, as well as reducing disposal costs. For example, limit paper use through electronic communications and transactions or reduce the need for food service products by using reusable plates and utensils. From a commodity or products standpoint, the most wasteful aspects of an event include: event marketing and registration; food service; and exhibition hall materials. Consider creating a waste reduction strategy even before your green purchasing strategy!
- Educate yourself in order to avoid ‘greenwashing.’ Make sure that the products you buy have positive environmental attributes. Finding products that are certified by a third party such as GreenSeal (www.greenseal.org) or EcoLogo (www.ecologo.org) for commodity products or U.S. GBC LEED for facilities (www.usgbc.org) is one way to feel confident that you are purchasing green products or services. See the sidebar for information on what to do for products for which there are no certifications.
- Work with your vendors. Let your vendors know that you are planning a green event and use them as a source of information about greening opportunities specific to their areas of expertise. But be sure to be clear about your expectations about which "green" attributes are most important to you.
- Don’t forget your back office. Copy paper, office supplies, and refillable toner cartridges are among the easiest products to buy green and using them shows a commitment to sustainability.
Remember that greening and sustainability is a continuum. Develop a green purchasing strategy that starts with a few really good green products and services and then add to that list each year.
