“Rethinking Events: An EU Perspective on Sustainable Event Planning – Insights from Expert Nora Csanyi

Interviewer: Large-scale events are increasingly recognised as having a significant environmental impact. Why is it important for public institutions, such as the EC, to take a leading role in making events more sustainable?

Nora: Meetings, conferences and events are an integral part of the European Commission’s daily work. Every day, more than a hundred meetings and conferences are organised, bringing thousands of participants to Brussels and other cities. These highly visible activities have a significant environmental impact. At the same time, both participants and the wider public are increasingly aware of these impacts and expect the Commission to lead by example.

Interviewer: Digital and hybrid formats have expanded rapidly and brought benefits in terms of accessibility and inclusiveness. How should EU institutions balance these advantages with the added value of in-person engagement? What criteria or institutional frameworks can help guide decisions on when physical presence is truly necessary?

Nora: In-person gatherings, meetings and conferences are often the most time-efficient and effective way of exchanging ideas and know-how, identifying solutions and reaching agreement. It is documented that ‘face-to-face’ real-time communication is often the preferred option to online exchanges. Therefore, in-person events, will remain an invaluable practice because of their many indisputable benefits. However, any kind of event, in particular those involving travel, can leave a significant environmental footprint by consuming energy, water and other natural resources, generating waste, causing air pollution, and indirectly contributing to soil and water pollution and to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions.

Virtual and hybrid conferences are now widely accepted worldwide and, in many cases, preferred alternatives to in-person events. They offer greater inclusiveness and flexibility, enabling the participation of underrepresented groups, including people living in remote areas or facing travel constraints. They are also significantly more cost-effective. Our findings show that fully online events can reduce both environmental impact and costs by up to 90%. While the Commission does not prescribe a single “ideal” event format, we actively raise awareness within our services about environmental impacts, enabling organisers to choose the most appropriate format based on the event’s objectives and target audience.

Interviewer: Regarding the seven steps for green events presented at the expert’s forum: Step 1 urges considering online options first, while later steps cover venues, travel, materials, catering, signage, and promotion. Which of these 7 steps do you see as most impactful for carbon reduction in practice, and why?

Nora: The most impactful step concerns the format itself for the event. As said above, participants’ travel alone can contribute up to 90% of the event’s environmental footprint. However, we cannot do everything online. Each event, and the “purpose” of each event is different: who is the main target group, where is it taking place, what is the expected outcome, to which extend decision-makers, professionals, everyday citizens or press are important to be present. The organisers need to take these aspects into consideration when opting for the most sustainable format.

Interviewer: What are the main challenges that arise when trying to make events and conferences more sustainable and in enforcing these especially for international events, and how do you measure success?

Nora: The main challenge is to break old habits. Distributing promotional articles, building up exhibition booths from scratch, or even serving food and drinks in plastics have been the automatic reflexes in event organisation for decades. Resisting to these are our everyday combats. There is however, a clear positive tendency: society being more and more conscious about ecology, there are much more green products on the market than before.  As an example: we have successfully reduced the need for printed documents to almost zero. Another good example is red meat: which has a huge negative footprint on the environment. People in general still love meat, however when we offer them a delicious, tasty plant-based buffet, it is generally very appreciated.