DELIVERY SUSTAINABILITY
Tinking outside the bin
How the events industry is still learning lessons from Glasgow 2014
BY NEIL EVANS G
lasgow 2014 was billed as the ‘greenest games ever’. At the forefront of the bid to bring the Commonwealth Games
to Scotland was a desire for an envi- ronmental ‘legacy’; an event which promised to be car free, low waste and, most of all, sustainable. Te games lived up to their prom-
ise. Balloons and Chinese lanterns (a popular sight at opening ceremo- nies) were banned. Te athletes’ vil- lage was powered by green energy. Meanwhile, waste-reduction and
recycling targets were smashed, with nearly 90% of event waste diverted from landfill. Furniture, fittings and equipment were re- used from the London Olympics, and other items used at the games – including beds, wardrobes and beanbags – were donated to families across Glasgow. Were the games the greenest
ever? Glasgow 2014 was certainly the first Commonwealth Games to receive ISO20121 certification for event sustainability management systems – a real mark of its envi-
ronmental credentials. In fact, it was only the second major sporting event (after the London Olympics) to achieve this label. Although Gareth Talbot, who was environ- ment and sustainability manager for Glasgow 2014, admits he struggled with the ‘greenest ever’ tag, he’s proud of what was achieved. “Te ‘greenest games ever’ was
probably the first Olympics,” he said. “Everyone brought their own food and drink and cleaned up after themselves. All the athletes were naked, they didn’t need bottled water and travelling to, from, and around the games was absolutely carbon neutral.” But he added: “A major part of
Glasgow City Council’s bid to the Commonwealth Games Federation was creating an achievable ‘envi- ronmental legacy’ for Glasgow and Scotland. Once Glasgow was awarded the games there was a concerted push to look at how this legacy could be achieved.”
BUT WHAT ABOUT this ‘legacy’, – how have things changed since the games were held. Six years on, Talbot believes sustainability is better understood. “People attending events are better educated about what makes a sustainable event; and event organisers in a lot of cases appear to be responding to the challenges faced when delivering a sustainable event. “In Glasgow today, I’ve seen many
improvements in the city’s venues – particularly in relation to locally sourced food and drink.”
52 | EVENTSBASE | SPRING 2020
Before improving recycling at events, organisers should try to cut back on the waste that’s created in the first place
However, there’s still room for
improvement: “I think in terms of waste streaming, the front of house needs to improve,” he said. “Many venues in Glasgow operate general waste bins only and there needs to be a step change here as it’s unac- ceptable for events to still be unable to deal with relatively simple waste streams. “Tis needs to come from the
event organisers, who have plenty of resources and support to call on and who need to be much more proactive in the reduction of event waste as their first port of call.” “Glasgow is hosting COP26 this
year and I certainly feel this is a major
X x x x
opportunity for the city to show what it has learned over the last six years in delivering sustainable events.” One major way behind establish-
ing the environmental legacy has been the Sustainable Events Guide, which was launched nationwide in the wake of Glasgow’s success (along with that of other events such as the Ryder Cup at Glen- eagles). Te sustainability ‘bible’ was produced to give all organisers, whether a music festival, business conference or networking session, practical advice on how to make the event greener. Te guide, a collaboration
between Zero Waste Scotland and
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