A PROPOSED SUSTAINABLE RATING FOR EVENTS

Abstract

Events are considered to be one of the largest contributors to waste. Sustainability has been left unregulated in the industry, and only the enlightened organisations adopt such practises when hosting their events. Although there are many available guidelines and scientific studies on managing greener events, there is a lack of incentives for event planners to do so. The MICE sector has been actively trying to improve its sustainability efforts. However, in the current situation for events, there is a lack of a certification scheme designed specifically to recognise sustainability efforts by individual events. This study aims to propose an accreditation system that certifies individual events so as to plug the gap and strengthen sustainability efforts in the events industry. First, the research aims to understand the current sustainability status of the events industry. Next, the research examines how ecolabels are able to encourage sustainability. The research then studies an existing parallel scheme which is subsequently used as a basis to design a framework for the proposed sustainability scheme. Lastly, a survey questionnaire and interviews were carried out to obtain feedback and reactions on the proposed scheme. Recommendations are also made for future research to refine the proposed sustainability scheme.