Meetings Industry Association calls for greater focus on sustainability

The Meetings Industry Association (mia) is calling on the sector to include sustainability as a key requirement in requests for proposals (RFP), to help eliminate single-use plastics by 2025.

To date, many organisations have signed the association’s #20PercentLess pledge to eliminate single-use plastics from the industry by 2025, but it believes change could happen sooner if booking agents also underlined the importance of sustainability within their RFPs. 

Jane Longhurst, chief executive of the mia, said: “We know there is an appetite among individuals in the industry to lessen their impact on the environment with many adopting more sustainable practices both at home and work. 

“Our #20PercentLess campaign is gaining momentum and we are proud of the number of organisations backing us in our aim to eliminate single-use plastics, but we know more can be done. 

“Making it clear that acting sustainably is as important to you and your client as the location, the room layout and the refreshments required in that first brief, puts pressure on venues to question their actions. They will want your business and if they are not acting in a sustainable manner already, it may help put pressure on them to do so. 

“A sustainable mindset is the first step to initiate change. As we say at the mia, we are taking small steps to make a big difference, and this minimal adaptation to an event brief can only help to do just that.” 

To sign up to the mia’s #20PercentLess campaign and access a range of resources visit https://www.mia-uk.org/20PercentLess

Jane LonghurstMeetings Industry Association