by Glenn Hansen
In Exhibit City New’s Quarter 2 magazine of 2025 the article “The Sustainability Myth” (page 80) appeared. Based on several interviews with executives regarding the misperception that sustainability costs more, the myth that sustainability was difficult to achieve was refuted. Procurement personnel know that sustainability does not need to cost more. When procurement wants to see the money –best price–, they are now not only asking to be shown best price, but best price and be green about it. Procurement are being told to buy the “green” of their suppliers’ behavior, products, and services.
Who is telling procurement to do this? It is the vertical supply chain initiative organizations. For example, the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain initiative (PSCI) has as its focus reducing the environmental impact of its suppliers. Signatories to PSCI are taking this further by asking experiential agencies and exhibit design houses what they are doing to be sustainable. While primary focus in the past has been on manufacturing suppliers, attention has now expanded to include suppliers of event and exhibition services. Most recently, two companies, an experiential agency and an exhibit house, have informed of the need to respond to two procurement teams which have asked for an EcoVadis rating and near-term carbon reduction targets validated by Science-Based Target initiative’s Services arm (SBTi) all with the ultimate goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions.
These asks will not be unique to the pharmaceutical industry.
There are similar initiatives afoot in other verticals. Consider “Together for Sustainability” (TfS) in the chemicals sector or “Cascale” (Collective Action at Scale) formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, in the apparel sector, or the “Responsible Raw Material Initiative” (RRMI) in the minerals sector.
TfS is highly relevant because chemicals feed materials used in exhibit fabrication, carpeting, adhesives, paints & printed graphics. Cascale is relevant as textiles are used in event décor, drapes, tension fabric graphics, and carpet. RRMI is relevant where aluminum, steel framing, copper wiring, electronics and truss systems are used. Manufacturers participating in these procurement initiatives want their suppliers to help them produce more sustainable products by reducing emissions. These same manufactures are realizing that their products are being used in events and exhibitions and are part of their Scope 3 emissions. They are now asking for Scope 3 emission reductions here as well.
Perhaps this will lead to the creation of another acronym: the ESCSC, (Event/Exhibition Supply Chain Sustainability Coalition). The events sector is currently fragmented, and suppliers want one standard. Organizers & exhibitors are under pressure for Scope 3 reductions, and they need a shared model. Presently no strong pre-competitive collaboration structure exists, which is an opportunity to address shared challenges where everyone benefits from solving them together without touching business areas where they compete.
If an ESCSC were to come about, it should use the Sustainability Sourcing Compass, at The Exhibitor Advocate as the basis for establishing what its signatories should ask in the RFP process.
The Compass, which is available to event and exhibition managers and their procurement teams as a free service, provides the questions to be asked by those who are sourcing sustainable event services.
Will the supplier chain initiatives adopt the Sustainability Sourcing Compass, encourage their members to gather Scope 3 emission data, and request their supply chains to document sustainability performance?
Proactive event/exhibition suppliers in the value chain are downloading the Sustainability Sourcing Compass and conducting a gap analysis to determine how they might answer the procurement questions that are coming. Here are a few sample questions:
- “Please let us know if you can report on the carbon emissions from extraction and production of the materials used in creating our booth/stand.
- Please reply to this RFP informing us if you use renewable energy and whatever other carbon reduction measures are in place.
- Can you provide the event’s carbon footprint for the HVAC energy consumption for the meeting/exhibition space used?
- Please provide information on the eco-friendly qualities of materials and substrates of buildout materials.
- Please describe the composition of new flooring with plans for multiple uses.”
Suppliers need to be prepared to show procurement buyers the green, and the money!
