The largest carbon footprint – nearly 90% of the total – was left by delegate travel; in addition, a total of 26 tons of waste was generated.

The summary praises measures that improved the evaluation of the congress in Krakow. Among the most noteworthy are the use of public transport by delegates, the reduction of plastic in the production of branding, including the use of electronic media at the ICE Krakow Congress Centre, and the making of congress badges from biodegradable paper.  During coffee breaks and lunches, reusable tableware was used, and water dispensers were encouraged; guests were offered seasonal local fruit and sweets not packed in plastic; bins for segregating rubbish and live plants were present at the congress venue. A charity fun run was also organised, with proceeds going towards the Polish Humanitarian Action.

One third of the congress agenda dealt with the topic of sustainability, a rich local CSR program was on offer, a wellness zone was created, and the socially-minded company Rock Your Business was also involved.

The report’s authors also pointed out areas requiring improvement: correctly estimating the food needed to avoid throwing food away, using local products in menus and decorations (for example avoiding exotic flowers), and providing more detailed information regarding for example elements used to produce the congress, or food.

Report available here