The Joint Meetings Industry Council aims to connect the events industry to the growing net-zero emissions movement.
More than 100 MICE organizations worldwide have opted in to support the creation of a Net-Zero Pledge for the Events Industry. The initiative is sponsored by The Joint Meetings Industry council and supported by The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The JMIC plans to announce the pledge when world leaders meet Oct 31- Nov 12 in Glasgow at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to demonstrate how their countries will deliver on the Paris Agreement.
“The events industry has a special role to play in tackling climate change,” said JMIC President James Rees in a statement. “We provide the meeting places and market places to work on the solutions to the climate crisis. At the same time, we have a responsibility to minimize our impact on climate change. We are inviting organizations from across the events industry—venues, organizers, exhibitors and suppliers—to join this collaborative effort to drive the events sector towards net-zero.”
In line with the Paris Agreement, the JMIC initiative aims to create an industry-wide roadmap on how to help reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and how to move forward towards net-zero emissions by 2050. Goals and objectives include developing common methodologies for measuring the event industry’s direct, indirect and supply chain greenhouse gas emissions, establishing procedures for sharing best practices, and fostering collaboration among MICE industry stakeholders. One of the many complex issues will be working out who is responsible for which emissions, since the meetings industry has a wide supply chain that ranges from aviation to hospitality.
BPA Worldwide, ICCA and IMEX Group are among those who have opted in to support this initiative. Planners can register their interest by filling out an online form. They will subsequently receive more information and have the opportunity to be part of the initial round of signatories announced at the pledge launch.
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