Jim Winship, Secretary of the EIF (Events Industry Forum), discusses the need for collaboration across the industry when it comes to reducing carbon emissions.
With increasing pressure on businesses to achieve Net Zero by 2030, there is an urgent need for government action to standardise both the methodology for calculating emissions and the way we state the results.
Currently there is a plethora of consultancy organisations offering to help businesses achieve their goals and, in some cases, offering certification but there is no agreed standard for either calculating emissions or verifying the results. Without this it is open to abuse and the public are likely to become increasingly confused and untrusting of the claims being made.
Much as I am loathe to see any more mandatory regulations placed on businesses – we have quite enough already – it is difficult to see how this is to be avoided if we are serious about dealing with climate change.
Furthermore, we need to take emissions out of the commercial arena – it is not something we should be seeking competitive advantage over. Instead, we should be encouraging collaboration. Indeed, the Competitions and Markets Authority has recognised this by publishing green guidance promoting co-operation between businesses in this area.
While Scope 1 (i.e. emissions that the organisation directly controls such as fuel for vehicles) and Scope 2 (i.e. emissions that it can influence, such as the emissions caused by generating the electricity it uses) are both largely controllable, Scope 3 (those emissions caused by others that affect our businesses) is more complex as they involve emissions created by others, such as suppliers.
While there are opportunities under both Scopes 1 & 2 for businesses to share experiences and learn from each other, it is in this third scope that collaboration can be most effective, particularly in industries where suppliers are common across the sector.
Until such time as government establishes a standardised methodology for calculating emissions, by coming together businesses can at least agree an industry-wide approach towards Net Zero which will be more meaningful than the laisse fair standards that currently exist. We as trade associations have an important role to play as they are generally best positioned to act as the catalyst to make such collaborations happen.