ROAR B2B Partners with GCS to Measure the Carbon Footprint of The Environmental Services & Solutions Show, as part of its Net Zero Ambition
)
ROAR B2B is committed to embedding sustainability into its approach, with a focus on educating and influencing key stakeholders to drive positive change across the value chain, explained Alex Joicey, Operations Director.
“We are keen to keep pushing forward, do the best we can and ensure we filter the learnings into all of our events. Our investors and board are hugely supportive and interested in doing the right thing.”
“I first met upon Green Circle Solutions (GCS) when I attended a Carbon Awareness course. We really wanted to collaborate with a partner who could provide advice and expertise to give us the confidence to improve our programme,” she added.
With this mind, the team called upon GCS to help them calculate the emissions of one of their flagship events, The Environmental Services & Solutions Show, which takes place at the NEC in Birmingham each year.
As the premier event dedicated to showcasing the latest innovations and solutions in the fields of circular economy, net-zero emissions, sustainability, and biodiversity conservation, ESS integrates vital discussions on natural resources and development policy. The expo provides a pivotal platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange, essential in driving forward the journey towards a greener and more ecologically balanced planet.
With this in mind, the team asked exhibitors to share their data on travel, energy, and materials via the Green Circle Solutions Event Project Build Calculator.
Attendees were asked to input their travel data into the Green Circle Solutions Visitor Travel Calculator as they registered for the event.
GCS also gathered data from the venue, catering suppliers and included waste statistics to create a holistic report which provided the team with insightful benchmark data.
“It was a really helpful exercise,” said Alex. “GCS’s expertise helped us understand that the largest impact by far was that of attendee travel, as was expected. The lower impact of the stand builds was due to many exhibitors opting for highly modular and re-usable stands.”
“After the 2023 show, we brainstormed with GCS and the ESG Working Group to create recommendations as to how we can improve. A key learning was to encourage more exhibitors and visitors to share their data to give us a richer dataset,” said Alex.
This was a key focus for ESS 2024 which took place in September with ROAR B2B using the Green Circle Solutions Calculators for visitor registration and stand build information.
A supporter of the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge, the long-term ambition for ROAR B2B is to be carbon neutral by 2050. The company has published a comprehensive sustainability charter and supports several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) including number 12: ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns.
ROAR B2B wants all stakeholders involved with their events to have sufficient education on sustainability and how best to effectively manage their carbon impact. The company aims to partner with suppliers who adopt responsible environmental approaches and can demonstrate how they are minimising their carbon footprint. A priority is to manage and reduce waste with a view to eliminate materials that cannot be reused or recycled by considering the lifecycle of products and offering sustainable alternatives.
The team is embracing sustainability more broadly by helping young people get into green careers through its partnership with Groundwork, a national charity leading the charge in mobilising community-driven action to tackle poverty and environmental challenges across the UK. With a vision rooted in creating a fair, green future, Groundwork empowers communities to transform their environments into thriving, sustainable spaces.
So, what’s next? “It is a continuous cycle of improvement,” said Alex. “We have to keep evolving and pushing forward together, with our suppliers, venues and customers,” she concluded.
Join us at the Environmental Services & Solutions Expo (ESS Expo) for a deep dive into pivotal environmental topics.
This key event features over 200 sessions in key sectors like Net Zero, Renewable Energy, Sustainability, and Hydrogen Energy. It's an essential platform for those keen to engage with the latest sustainable trends and innovations. Discover the future of environmental solutions at the ESS Expo.