Eco-Warrior Insights: 10 Steps Toward Greening Your Gatherings
April 22, 2024
In celebration of Earth Day 2024, we want to share highlights from our latest podcast interview with Honeycomb Strategies CEO and ASM Global Chief Sustainability Officer Lindsay Arell. These 10 takeaways highlight the multifaceted approach to sustainability in events, encompassing operational changes, partnerships, transparency and a broader industry shift towards sustainable practices.
Integration of Sustainability Practices: Natural Products Expo West is one trade show that’s leading by example. The trade show has successfully integrated sustainability practices into nearly every aspect of its operations over the last 10 years. Find out more about the show’s sustainability program here.
Efforts to Reduce Single-Use Plastics: Informa Markets, event organizer of Natural Products Expo West, has made a significant effort to implement alternatives to single-use plastics, such as reusable cups and sampling containers.
Partnerships for Sustainability Goals: Finding partners to achieve ambitious sustainability goals is crucial, and transparency about these efforts attracts more stakeholders to join the cause.
Transparency and Credibility: Openly sharing sustainability initiatives and challenges, and being credible in claims, are essential for building trust and progressing in sustainability efforts.
Personal Journey in Sustainability: Arell's journey into sustainability started from her personal experiences and observations of waste in events, leading her to pitch a sustainability-focused role.
Role as Chief Sustainability Officer: Arell's role involves developing and implementing sustainability practices across ASM Global's venues worldwide, focusing on environmental metrics like energy, waste, water and food.
Challenges in Establishing Baseline Metrics: Gathering accurate data and establishing baseline metrics for sustainability performance across diverse venues and regions is a complex but necessary process.
Corporate Sustainability Goals: ASM Global has set ambitious sustainability goals, including achieving renewable energy consumption, waste diversion, eliminating single-use plastics and reducing water consumption and food waste.
Behavioral Shifts for Sustainability: Emphasizing operational practices, such as turning off lights and proper waste disposal, plays a significant role in achieving sustainability goals.
Trends in Sustainability for 2024: Trends include a shift towards reusables instead of single-use items, increased focus on water bottle filling stations and the importance of certifications like ISO 20121 and Event Sustainability Standards from the Event Industry Council.
Want to know more? Listen to the full interview here.
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Partner Voices
MGM Resorts is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture, not just among employees and guests but also within its supply chain. The company prioritizes procuring goods and services from businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals and those facing economic disadvantages. This commitment is integral to MGM Resorts' global procurement strategy.
Through its voluntary supplier diversity program, MGM Resorts actively identifies and connects certified diverse-owned suppliers to opportunities within its supply chain. The company is on track to spend at least 15% of its biddable procurement with diverse-owned businesses by 2025, demonstrating that supplier diversity is not only a social responsibility but also a strategic business imperative.
Supplier diversity isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s good for business. A diverse supply chain allows access to a broader range of perspectives and experience, helping to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience, while strengthening communities. At MGM Resorts, engaging diverse suppliers ensures best-in-class experiences for guests and clients. Supplier diversity ensures a more resilient supply chain while supporting economic development in the communities in which it operates.
The impact of MGM Resorts' supplier diversity initiatives is significant. In 2023, these efforts supported over 3,500 jobs across more than 30 states, contributed over $214 million in income for diverse-owned businesses and generated more than $62 million in tax revenue. The story extends beyond the numbers – it reflects the tangible benefits brought to small and diverse-owned businesses, fostering economic empowerment in their communities.
MGM Resorts also supports the development and business skills of diverse-owned businesses through investment, mentorship and education. Through the MGM Resorts Supplier Diversity Mentorship Program, the company identifies, mentors and develops diverse-owned businesses to fill its future pipeline, while providing businesses with tools and resources to empower and uplift. Since 2017, the program has successfully graduated 105 diverse-owned businesses and is on track to achieve its goal of 150 graduates by 2025.
MGM Resorts’ commitment to supplier diversity not only enhances its business operations but also plays a crucial role in uplifting communities and fostering economic development. This approach reinforces the idea that diversity is a powerful driver of innovation and resilience, benefiting both the company and the wider community.
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