Your sustainable event
To limit our environmental impact, we are committed to developing more sustainable business tourism. The tourism industry has a major impact on the environment, and it is therefore essential to safeguard its resources through the use of sustainable practices.
More sustainable business tourism
Holding more sustainable events is an essential priority. It’s a reality for customers and agencies, but also an ambition for destinations.
It is as a business destination, with a strong network of event professionals, that we wish to support you in your efforts to stage more responsible events, and to help you find local professionals who meet your needs and expectations.
Planning a sustainable event requires a responsible approach that reduces the environmental impact while maximising the positive social and economic benefits by integrating the concept of sustainability right from the outset of your event planning.
EVENT PLANNING
- Choose a venue that is accessible by public transport, and encourage low-carbon travel.
- Choose dates that maximise participation while reducing energy requirements, such as avoiding periods when extensive air-conditioning is required.
- Make the event accessible to all (“PRM accessibility”).
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
- Use recycled and recyclable materials for furnishings, communication materials and decor. Give preference to local suppliers and eco-responsible products.
- Quality, locally sourced catering.
- Choose local and sustainable products, and select Iso 20121-certified service providers.
- Offer vegetarian options, organic solutions or fair trade.
- Fight against food waste.
REDUCE WASTE
- Avoid and limit single-use products, and opt for biodegradable and compostable alternatives.
- Set up waste-sorting collection points and encourage attendees to bring their own reusable water bottles.
- Anticipating the management of organic waste (Hector le collector).
RAISE AWARENESS
- Inform your delegates of your initiatives and encourage them to adopt eco-responsible behaviour through activities and awareness-raising.
- Reuse communication media such as posters, banners and display stands.
EVALUATION
- After the event, evaluate its ecological and social footprint to identify areas for improvement in subsequent events.
IN ALL CASES, OPT FOR ESSENTIAL, SUSTAINABLE AND RESPONSIBLE PURCHASING.
BENCHMARK LABELS AND CERTIFICATIONS
A benchmark label or certification in event planning is a well-known program that certifies that an event or organisation complies with strict sustainability criteria. These ensure that the practices adopted have a minimal environmental impact and promote positive social consequences.
ISO 20121 is an international standard specifically designed for sustainable event management, providing a framework for staging events in a sustainable manner.
It has been developed to help planners manage the economic, environmental and social aspects of their events, while reducing negative impacts and enhancing positive ones. First adopted for the London 2012 Olympic Games, ISO 20121 guides organisations in implementing sustainable processes throughout the life cycle of an event, from planning and execution to monitoring and continual improvement. The ISO standard promotes stakeholder engagement, resource efficiency and transparency, contributing to the delivery of more responsible and environmentally-friendly events.
Service providers
COMMITTED PROFESSIONALS
The labels currently in force for the events sector cover both accommodation (Green Key label, EU Ecolabel, etc.) and reception venues and convention facilities (High Environmental Quality label, LEED label, SMESE 26 000, ISO 14 001).
If you’re planning an event with an international scope, you can call on the services of a consulting firm with expertise in sustainable events, to put in place offsetting solutions tailored to your event.
“Destination pour tous”
On 20 April 2022, the national “Destination pour tous” committee awarded Toulouse the gold-level mark for accessible tourism.
This mark highlights the general accessibility offered in Toulouse: not only buildings, but also pathways and living spaces in the city. A “Destination pour tous” guarantees accessibility for tourists and for everyday life, facilitating independence and offering support tailored to people’s needs.
Tourism and Disability
The Toulouse Tourist Office has been involved in this process for over 10 years, certifying the accessibility of its sites. The Comité Départemental du Tourisme Haute-Garonne provides support to sites wishing to adopt this approach.
The Metropole’s commitments
Since 2018, Toulouse Métropole has been applying its Territorial Climate Air Energy Plan (PCAET) through a programme of actions responding to local issues. The changes relate to travel and mobility, energy and buildings, adapting to climate change, reducing the carbon footprint and integrating the issues into planning documents. There has also been a significant increase in the involvement of local stakeholders, from businesses to member municipalities.
Energy
Toulouse Métropole is pursuing its continuous improvement approach to transition. Since 2019, the local authority has been awarded three stars (out of five) in the climate-air-energy section of ADEME’s Territoire engagé pour la transition écologique (TETE) programme.
Mobility
A wide range of interlinked public transport services. The development of public transport is ongoing in the Metropole, as is the ever-tighter coverage of the region, to ensure an efficient transport system. Progress has also been made on the major projects for metro line C and the high-speed rail link between Bordeaux and Toulouse.
Find out more about the city’s commitments:
Carbon footprint
Calculate the carbon footprint of your event
You can estimate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by all the activities associated with your event. The transport sector is the biggest emitter of GHGs at an event, but you shouldn’t underestimate the contribution of other emissions such as energy, food, accommodation and the use of certain products or services.
