When it comes to focusing on sustainability for international events, applying consistent practices across diverse global locations presents a unique set of challenges. Milda Salciute (Director of Events Consulting and Academy, GDS-Movement) and Hannah Wells (Sustainability, Conference and Events Manager, Afion Media) are two event professionals at the forefront of global event planning and they’ve kindly shared their insights and real-world experiences from working with international supply chains, venues, and caterers. From data collection and supplier engagement to cultural considerations and local infrastructure, their reflections offer a practical look at what it takes to make sustainability more than just a buzzword in global events.

What challenges have you experienced when discussing sustainability for international events with your global supply chains?

Milda: One of the biggest challenges is ensuring consistent, high-quality data across diverse suppliers. Using TRACE, we’ve learned that early engagement and transparency are crucial. Knowing your suppliers well—understanding what they can realistically deliver and helping them meet measurable sustainability criteria—is key. We use standardised data templates, but we often have to customize them based on regional contexts.

Another challenge is validation. We rely on a mix of supplier reports, third-party audits, and sometimes even on-the-ground checks to ensure the data’s reliable.

My advice? Set clear expectations early, and keep the dialogue open—suppliers are more likely to engage if they feel supported rather than evaluated.

Hannah: We have found a big variation in how engaged a supplier is on sustainability and providing emissions data, internationally. For example, for an event in Montreal, when we talked about sustainability to our catering supplier, this was something they were also passionate about, while this was not the number one reason for choosing them, it did influence our decision and made it easier to engage with them throughout the process. 

Because of this engagement throughout, when we sent them the link to complete their data on TRACE, they had collected the data, including the data on waste, which we find most difficult to collect.

In contrast, when using a venue in Hong Kong, they provided a sustainability policy but the event manager who was our main contact was less engaged. Therefore, when we requested energy data post event, they didn’t have this available for our tenancy and weren’t even able to provide annual energy statistics for the venue (saying it was confidential). In discussing this further with them, they advised that they may have been able to if we had requested it a further in advance (at least a month). 

We have learnt that we need to engage in sustainability as soon as possible and make sure there is a plan in place to collect the data, because this hasn’t necessarily already been collected, or is readily available.

We have found an organisation’s sustainability policy hasn’t always trickled down to the staff on the ground, so in some ways we are playing educator. In some places it might be the first time sustainability data has been requested, or it might be requested very infrequently. Moving forward we are going to push for a sustainability contact at the supplier, which may not be the same person as our event contact.

In regards to sustainability and your own experience, how does location feed into event planning?

Milda: Location plays a huge role—it can determine everything from energy sourcing to guest travel emissions. In places with strong infrastructure, like much of Europe, it’s easier to lean into sustainable options like public transport, green-certified venues, or local sourcing. But in other regions, you might need to shift focus. For instance, in arid climates, water conservation becomes a major issue. And in ecologically sensitive areas, you have to consider biodiversity impacts. It’s never a one-size-fits-all—it’s about adapting our sustainability goals to local realities.

Hannah: For a lot of our events, location is dictated a long time in advance, as the events are rotated around the world. We organise international conferences for high profile delegates from all over the world, so air travel makes up a large proportion of our emissions.

At the moment we are focussing on recording travel data, as this will help us to discover and compare the travel distances and emissions for different locations. To do this we have introduced a compulsory question on all registration forms, detailing that we are collecting this to measure our emissions. We ask delegates to tell us both how they travelled and, if by air, what class of travel.

We were expecting this to be met with some push back, particularly in some of the sectors we work in where business class travel is considered the norm, but attendees and clients have been very accommodating. Just by including this question, we hope it has made attendees think about their travel and sustainability and show that we are considering it.

Where possible, we organise events alongside other large events in the industry. For example in Hong Kong we co-located our event with a large industry forum. For this event, we ensured we tracked who attended our event as well as the industry event. This was important to get a true picture of travel emissions. We know we are asking delegates to travel a long distance but for a longer period, so ensuring they have an expanded reason for travel. If we can’t change an attendees’ carbon footprint, we can help to ensure that the carbon footprint is spread over more events and meetings, so the benefit derived per kg of carbon emitted is better.

We have learnt that it is best to be transparent, track everything you can and focus on what you can control, which for us is the in-country travel. When communicating with delegates we will always provide clear directions on how to access the venue by public transport, to take that task away from the attendees. By making it as easy as possible it reduces the risk of them just jumping in a taxi because that seems like the easiest option. In Hong Kong we also arranged for travel cards to be available to all delegates to make accessing public transport easier for them.

How does assessing a ‘sustainable venue’ vary globally?

Milda: It varies massively depending on local infrastructure and cultural norms. In the UK, you’re often looking at renewable energy sources, excellent public transport, and advanced waste systems. But elsewhere, the criteria shift.

For instance, in the Middle East, where air conditioning is non-negotiable, we focus more on energy efficiency. In some places, even basic recycling isn’t guaranteed, so we look more at what’s feasible locally—like greywater systems or passive cooling. The key is evaluating each venue in context rather than applying a global checklist.

In your experience, how does location affect event catering and the ability to offer food which is usually considered to be the more sustainable option?

Milda: Catering is closely linked to local identity, traditions, and hospitality, so it’s important to approach sustainability with respect and cultural understanding. In regions where red meat is a valued part of the cuisine—such as Argentina or the UAE—it’s not about removing it from the menu, but about working collaboratively to find a balanced approach. We often partner with local caterers and chefs to highlight traditional flavors while introducing complementary vegetarian dishes or smaller, thoughtfully sourced meat portions. Framing the menu as a way to celebrate both local culinary heritage and sustainability creates a more inclusive experience.

Hannah: Whatever the location, our focus is on a locally sourced menu, which will be different depending on the country. From choosing locally sourced fish/meat, to wines produced in that country. Our aim is to create a good relationship with the catering supplier who can advise us on the best locally sourced options for the location. We have had success here and find catering suppliers the most engaged.

We avoid red meat where we can and while this isn’t always possible it is more accepted by our audiences than a plant-based menu. We find plant based isn’t necessarily the best option for attendees or for sustainability, and we instead focus on locally sourced menus. Our delegates are expecting to experience the local cuisine of the country, and we are adding a sustainability element to that by ensuring produce is local.

In countries where over catering is part of the culture, such as we found in Hong Kong, accurate estimation of the amount of food required doesn’t always mean giving an accurate number of attendees – knowing there would be plenty of food, we under ordered for the lunch buffet, which enabled us to reduce waste.

The trick for us is understanding the local culture and taking an interest in the country you travel to and attitudes to food and choosing the most sustainable option for that.

What is the biggest variation that you see in waste management, globally?

Milda: Waste systems differ wildly across the globe. In Europe, we can often rely on formal recycling systems. But in countries like India, the informal sector plays a major role. Waste pickers are integral to material recovery there, so instead of pushing a centralised recycling model, we adapt. We focus on source separation, minimise materials that can’t be recovered locally, and tap into existing community networks. Composting is often more viable than complex recycling. The key is to understand and work with local systems—partnering with local stakeholders to build solutions that align with regional practices, rather than imposing external models that may not fit.

Hannah: Our first point of call is to limit waste as much as possible. For larger items, we hire where possible, but where we have had to buy stage furniture and plants, we focus on trying to ensure that these don’t go directly into waste, e.g. by donating them to local charities.

I think this is a case of don’t assume that it is going to be done, make sure there is a plan in place and build relationships with your suppliers so that you know this will be done. In Montreal we had a plan in place with the caterer for food waste to be composted, and because they worked with the venue regularly, they knew more than us about how to make this happen.

For more information about how to measure the carbon impact of your events, explore TRACE.