We take immense pride in the strides we’ve made over the last decade to enhance the sustainability of our products and services. This ESG report outlines our ongoing commitment to creating a more equitable and responsible industry, reflecting on our progress and ambitions for the future.
Our journey towards a more sustainable future
Carbon management
We’ve partnered with a carbon management company to:
- Gain insight into our current environmental impact
- Set ambitious carbon reduction targets of 5% annually
- Create seven comprehensive guides to help industry professionals reduce their carbon footprint
Members can read the guides in the member zone.
Sustainability commitments:
We’ve developed a framework for event professionals to achieve a consistent baseline of sustainability performance. These commitments offer clear guidance and enable our members to monitor and compare their progress.
Members can see the guides in the member zone.
Collaborative efforts
Cross association sustainability group: This group provides an opportunity for venues, organisers and suppliers to come together and share new ideas, innovative developments, and practical solutions to the challenges we all face on sustainability, to reduce the event industry’s impact on the environment.
AEO sustainability group: Our association has established a dedicated sustainability group within the AEO to contribute to broader industry sustainability initiatives from an organiser's perspective. This collaborative platform allows organisers from diverse sectors to share best practices and drive sustainable development across the events industry.
Spotlight case studies: Our sustainability group actively collects and showcases case studies to illustrate how members are implementing the principles outlined in our sustainability commitments.
Supplier selection and event practices
Sustainability is central to our supplier selection and event practices, reflecting our commitment to reducing environmental impact and promoting responsible business.
By prioritising suppliers and venues that share our values, we ensure our operations align with our sustainability goals.
Learn more about our supplier selection and event practices below.
Tracking, reducing and neutralising our carbon footprint
While we acknowledge that our journey towards sustainability is ongoing, we are committed to progress over perfection.
AEO uses a third party certified company, Cloverly, who align with our sustainability goals by integrating effective carbon projects. We take responsibility for the carbon footprint that our business activities, events and delegate travel create, by investing in certified climate action and carbon reduction projects. Cloverly's platform enables us to track, reduce, and neutralise our emissions with high-quality, verified offsets from diverse environmental initiatives.
Each year we create a climate budget, aligned with our carbon emissions, and invest in projects which have the maximum carbon impact, this year we’ve invested in:
Indian Carboneers
Carboneers collaborates with farming communities to create decentralised biochar projects. By converting agricultural biomass waste into biochar, carbon is sequestered for over a thousand years, mitigating climate change effects on farmlands.
Reforestation and Restoration of Degraded Mangrove Lands, Sustainable Livelihood and Community Development in Myanmar
This blue carbon project aims to restore 2,000+ hectares of mangrove forests in Myanmar, planting 9.1 million new mangrove plants.
Net zero carbon events
AEO has signed and committed to achieving net zero carbon events
