We’ve committed to recovering a minimum of 3,500 kg of plastic waste before it enters our oceans.
Florian Kühne, CEO @ Sweap
Event Sustainabilitywith Sweap
Events in the E.U. create tons of plastic waste, that is sent to other countries to be recycled. This prevents waste from being recycled correctly in local communities. This plastic inevitably ends up in our oceans.
By using Sweap for your event management, you can make a direct impact: With every registration for your event, you are directly contributing to saving 5g of plastic from entering the ocean.
How do eventsimpact our environment?
Events are a huge waste generator. 80% of workplaces are not running sustainable events according to their employees, says a survey from 2022.While this might have slightly improved over the past years, the waste produced during an event is still substantial. The event industry wastes up to 10% of everything it produces, with an average attendee producing 1.89kg of waste per day.
Non-recyclable plastic plays a crucial role. Examples of plastic waste at events are food packaging and service ware, cups, foam, name badges, and lanyards.
What happens to our event-generated plastic waste?
The EU’s plastic waste exports to Asia increased by 45% from 2022. These include many recyclable and non-recyclable plastics that we use at our events. Total EU exports to non-OECD countries rose to 750 million kg in 2023 from 517 million kg in 2022. This is the highest level of plastic waste exports to Asia since 2018.
Even though sustainable event concepts are becoming more common, the impact our events are making on the global environment is profound.
How does this impactlocal communities and global oceans?
The local population suffers from the consequences of air, soil, and water pollution on-site. The exported waste occupies the already scarce recycling capacities in other countries, such as Cambodia, India, and Indonesia. These are therefore not available for the waste produced there, making environmentally friendly waste recycling impossible.
The result: Non-recyclable plastic waste that is generated by the local communities ends up in our oceans, travels the world, and destroys our environment.
Why does Sweapwant to make a difference?
It would be easy for us to hand over the responsibility of sustainable event management to the hands of the people who plan and execute events, right? Wrong!
We want to be a valuable partner in the process of making event management more sustainable. While our users trust us to do our job right, we trust our users to want to continuously improve the impact their events make on our environment. This is why we want our user’s event success to directly influence our power to contribute to a cleaner environment. This is where CleanHub enters the story.
Our Customers love us!
Sweap has helped hundreds of companies efficiently plan, execute and evaluate sustainable events.
Sweap is not just a tool, but a partner in our more sustainable event organisation. The digital invitation management and event check-in have helped us to reduce paper consumption and minimise organisational effort at the same time.
We have teamed up with CleanHub, a Berlin-based Start-up, who are building a collective solution to the plastic problem. We chose CleanHub based on the following factors:
As we are based in Berlin, we wanted a local partner with whom we can build a strong personal relationship with
As a technology company and strong believer in the impact it can make, we want to use technology as a solution to the problem
We need a partner that can offer us 100% transparency to guarantee that we are making a real and positive impact
How doesCleanHub operate?
In local Collection Hubs in India, Indonesia, and Cambodia, waste is minimized before it even reaches the environment by collecting it directly from households, waterways, and fishermen's bycatch from the ocean. CleanHub assists communities with access to waste management for the first time to prevent open dumping and burning of waste.
This results in less plastic entering the oceans from land and therefore cleaner beaches and waterfronts. CleanHub is the first plastic credit system verified by TÜV SÜD, bringing a new level of transparency and rigor to the plastic credit market.
How do our users have the power to create change?
Our commitment is to save a minimum of 3,500 kg of plastic per year. This is based on the average amount of registrations in paid Sweap accounts.
But our effort does not stop here: With every registration proceeding this number, we guarantee the collection of a further 5g of plastic. This gives our users the chance to make a direct impact with their events.
Our road to a greener tomorrow: Sweap Sustainability Team
Sustainability is like a construction site - there is always something to do. And we want to achieve big things! That's why we founded the Sustainability Team - an initiative that pushes the topic of sustainability both internally and externally.
We want to lead by example - for a future in which responsible behaviour is practised in every aspect of our business. Mia & Anna
We don't just want to make events a little bit greener, we also want to continuously improve our ways.
To achieve this goal, we are currently being certified as a sustainable company by Sustainable Berlin. This ensures that our measures are implemented in accordance with international standards and have a real impact.
Mia Vassiliou Sustainability Manager
FAQ
Questions on our sustainability program?
Sweap is committed to reducing plastic waste by partnering with CleanHub to save 5g of plastic from entering the ocean with every event registration made through our platform - provided that it is made through a paid Sweap account.
For each registration on Sweap through a paid account, we contribute to saving 5 grams of plastic from entering the ocean, directly supporting global efforts to reduce oceanic plastic pollution.
CleanHub is a Berlin-based startup focused on preventing plastic pollution. We chose them for their innovative local solutions in waste management, their technological solution that allows full transparency, and their proximity that allows for a strong partnership. CleanHub is the first plastic credit system verified by industry leaders in auditing environmental impact TÜV SÜD, bringing a new level of transparency and rigor to the plastic credit market.
CleanHub’s Collection Hubs in India, Indonesia, and Cambodia all intercept waste before it even reaches the environment by collecting it directly from households as well as waterways, and fishermen's bycatch from the ocean. They help build these collection systems, providing communities with access to waste management for the first time to prevent open dumping and burning. Every financial contribution helps to expand the model across coastal regions in this world and creates stable and dignified jobs for local communities.
Yes, Sweap provides real-time reports on the amount of plastic waste saved through your registrations. Find out more.
Beyond our initial commitment to save plastic for up to 700,000 registrations (which results in 3,500 kg of plastic), Sweap will continue to contribute 5g of plastic savings for every additional registration.
Exported plastic waste burdens local recycling systems, often leading to environmental degradation and increased pollution, which directly affects the health and sustainability of local communities.
Yes, Sweap actively supports the sustainability of your events in multiple ways. We ensure that 5g of ocean-bound plastic is saved for each registration, directly reducing your event’s plastic footprint. Our digital QR code check-in system minimizes waste by using e-tickets instead of physical tickets, streamlining entry and reducing paper use.
The platform also offers online event registration, cutting down on paper usage. Additionally, Sweap's event communication features promote eco-friendly choices, such as digital invitations.
Find out how Sweap can make your events more eco-friendly.
Resources onEvent Sustainability
Want to make your events even more sustainable? Find interesting resources here.
Michaela Flint Sustainability MICE, Hamburg Tourismus GmbH
