Making events more sustainable: events management and circular economy

The events sector needs to change to embrace the principles of sustainability. Climate change and the associated pressures it has brought have necessitated worldwide action to combat the negative impacts that increased temperatures and greenhouse gases bring. Governments are now united in appreciating the need for global action, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are now the foundations for a sustainable future. The current consumption of fossil fuels, production of waste and a growing global population are unsustainable, and change is required to foster a more sustainable future for generations to come. As such, there is increased recognition that we need to do more with less and to this end, the principles of circular economy (CE), once associated with waste management, are finding resonance throughout society. Embedding the principles of CE is now being seen as a viable process to which the events sector, coming under the spotlight to become more sustainable, can reduce its carbon output and strive to become more sustainable. This chapter discusses the principles of CE and highlights a tale of two cities striving to become circular; Lahti in Finland is illustrative of how sustainability and circular thinking have been integrated into policy and the events they run, whilst Glasgow, Scotland, an internationally recognised event tourism destination, is now embracing circularity into its events and its management. The chapter highlights that the events sector can and needs to change to embrace sustainability and, by adopting the principles of CE, can aid in reaching this goal.