Organise events in a more sustainable way can reduce costs and time, drive change beyond the event itself, enhance the experience for your participants, and benefit the environment. A more sustainable event not only reduces costs and time, but also aligns with our University’s strategy, demonstrating Warwick's commitment to sustainability to both the local community and the wider world.
Events play a key role in promoting behavioural change. Whether sustainability is the main focus or a subtle theme, it can have a significant impact on others. The Energy and Sustainability Team is here to support you and your events. We aim to help make your events more engaging and sustainable.
Why do we need to organise events in a more sustainable way?
In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
At the University of Warwick, we aim to deliver events that fulfil their purpose while minimising environmental impact, ensuring that we do not compromise the needs of future generations.
As part of the University's Rebrand Project, we have put together some top tips to help you reduce the carbon footprint of your events and departmental activities linked to the rebrand.
We will share a dedicated page soon, where you can access this guidance. In the meantime, if you have any questions about merchandise, responsible ordering, or would like ideas on how to repurpose old branded items, do not hesitate to get in touch.
Support we provide
A guidance for you to organise the events in a lower impact way
Case studies for you to learn from the other staff
Training sessions for your community, contact sustainability@warwick.ac.uk for more details
What Can You do- Your Guide to Reducing the Environmental Impact of Events
Events are often the first point of contact for prospective students, local community and international visitors. As part of the University’s strategy, embedding sustainability into how we organise events is not just about reducing environmental impact — it is also about showing leadership.
By making sustainable choices, we contribute to tackling one of the most urgent global challenges: climate change. It also helps strengthen Warwick’s position as a regional and global leader in sustainability.
Demonstrating our commitment to sustainability is essential for our students, staff, local partners and global community. Here are some simple steps you can take to support Warwick’s journey to net zero.
Circular Economy is an economic model where materials are recirculated to eliminate waste and pollution; read more at Circular Economy at Warwick here
Currently our economic system is linear with only 7.2% of materials cycled back into the economy globally (Circle Economy – Circularity Gap Report 2024). This linear system is sometimes described as TAKE-MAKE-WASTE. Take natural resources, make a product and then when it is no longer needed or functional, dispose of it – waste.
In a Circular Economy we explore and exploit all avenues for reuse, repair and refurbishment before recycling and recovering materials as a last resort.
When assessing the impact of a product or service, consider:
Where it comes from
How it was produced
How it reached you
How you will dispose of it
For example, tote bags are often seen as the more sustainable choice. In some cases, they are, but only if you use the same bag regularly over a long period.
If reusable bags are not used enough times to offset the resources needed to produce them, particularly cotton ones, their overall environmental impact can be greater than that of single-use plastic bags. The accumulation of unused tote bags can also create issues around storage and waste. Read more about Which Bag is Greener: Plastic, Paper, or Reusable?
Before deciding to print and distribute new tote bags, consider the following:
Do participants genuinely need another bag, or are they likely to already have several?
Will giving out freebies help achieve your objective, or are there more effective ways to engage your audience?
Are there alternative ways for participants to remember the event and support your message, while keeping the environmental impact low?
We encourage everyone to avoid giving away items at events and stalls.
Top tip:
If you have ordered food from Warwick Food Group, the packaging (e.g. pizza box, sandwich package) is recyclable. However, it must be clean, dry and empty before being placed in the recycling bin — no ‘3D waste’.
For example, a pizza box with some grease can still be recycled, as grease is not considered ‘3D food waste’. But if there are visible leftovers or crumbs, the packaging is not ready for recycling.
Please note, the coffee cups can only be recycled when it is emptied.
We encourage event organisers to apply Circular Economy thinking at every stage of planning. This means designing out waste, keeping materials in use for as long as possible, and avoiding unnecessary consumption.
Refuse, Rethink, Reduce- Eliminating waste at the design phase.
Start by asking whether items are truly needed. Can something be left out, simplified or shared?
Many items used at events do not need to be purchased new. Check whether your office or department already has materials that can be repurposed. Could signage, decorations or display stands be reused from a previous event?
Recycle, Recover- Last resort to prevent resources from being lost
If waste cannot be avoided, make sure you understand the recycling procedures on campus. Refer to the A–Z Recycling Guide to help you sort materials correctly and avoid contamination.
Top Tips That Might Help
If your event is scheduled around 10am or 2pm, catering may not be necessary, as it falls outside typical meal times. Consider whether food is essential.
If providing tea and coffee, encourage participants to bring their own reusable cups.
If attendance is difficult to predict, consider offering on-campus food vouchers instead of ordering set quantities of food. This can help reduce food waste and gives attendees more flexibility.
Estimate attendee numbers realistically. Overestimating leads to over-ordering. If registration is required, use this data to guide your catering numbers.
Ask attendees to confirm attendance where possible. Consider including a late cancellation cut-off point.
Understand your audience. Know dietary preferences in advance and only order special meals when needed.
Avoid 'just in case' extras. Many event organisers over-cater to avoid embarrassment. It is better to run out of a few non-essential items than to waste large amounts of food.
Try the Carbon Footprint Calculator developed by Warwick Conferences to understand the environmental impact of your events.
Responsible Consumption
Label food clearly with allergens, dietary options, and ingredients. This prevents untouched plates due to uncertainty.
Invite attendees to take leftovers if safe to do so. Consider offering takeaway containers, but make food safety guidance clear.
You can choose to put the surplus food in the Community Fridge, but make sure the label stats clearly on the allergens, dietary options, and ingredients.
Track what is left over and use this data to inform future events. Keep a record of what worked and what did not.
Raise Awareness and Lead by Example
Share your efforts with attendees and staff. Include signage or short announcements explaining what is being done to reduce waste.
Encourage sustainable behaviour by making it easy for others to follow your lead. This includes offering vegetarian options by default and explaining why you are reducing excess.
Evaluate and Improve
Collect feedback from attendees and caterers to find out what could be done better next time.
Use waste audits or simple estimates to understand how much food was wasted.
Use this data to set goals for future improvement and to celebrate successes.
Choosing the right venue can help reducing the environmental impact of events. Energy use contributes to an event’s carbon footprint, so careful consideration can make a meaningful difference.
Our top tips:
Choose rooms that are the right size for the expected number of attendees. Using a space that is too large increases unnecessary energy consumption, particularly for heating, cooling and lighting.
Where possible, select spaces that benefit from natural daylight and ventilation.
Making full use of natural daylight and ensuring lights are only used when necessary.
Ensuring that all devices are turned off when not in use rather than left on standby.
Keeping windows closed when the heating is on to prevent energy waste.
Encourage staff and suppliers to follow energy-saving practices throughout the event.
Report any issues that might can cause energy and water waste through the Invida systemLink opens in a new window so we can resolve the issues as soon as possible.
Encourage external groups, contractors and exhibitors to bring reusable materials, reduce waste, and use energy efficiently. Make sure they are informed about available recycling facilities.
Align with Sustainability Messaging There are sustainability event statements that we encourage you to include in your comms materials. These can be added to pre-arrival emails, post-event emails, and presentation slides displayed during the event. They help inform participants about sustainability at Warwick and demonstrate your event’s commitment to environmentally responsible practices.
As part of Warwick’s 60th Anniversary celebrations, this project showcased how events can be designed with sustainability at their core by using upcycled materials, highlighting local biodiversity and reducing environmental impact without compromising creativity or engagement.
We welcome any feedback you may have on this project. Please feel free to share your thoughts with us!
