Climate change is one of the most urgent issues facing us today. It leaves no corner of the planet untouched. We can feel the effects in the increase of floods, heatwaves and wildfires.
Manchester has set the ambitious target of becoming a zero-carbon city by 2038. Our Climate Change Action Plan 2025-2030 aims to tackle the causes of climate change in the city.
Events taking place in Manchester should be low-carbon and resource efficient. This will help us reach our 2038 target. We want to make it easy for event organisers to do this, so we have written a Sustainable Events Guide. The guide is full of tips on how to deliver a sustainable event, regardless of the size. If you organise events in the city, use this guide to review your activity, implement good practice, and help to make Manchester zero carbon by 2038.
Contact our Zero Carbon Events Specialist for queries, comments and to share best practice: Richard.walker@manchester.gov.uk
Other useful resources can be found at Julie’s Bicycle. These include a carbon footprint calculator for festivals and events. Julie's Bicycle is an expert in the field of creative industries and climate action. For conferences and business events, read the Manchester Convention Bureau's guides.
Green Events Code of Practice
Manchester is part of the Green Events Code of Practice (GECOP). This code of practice is led by the Vision for Sustainable Events group - the UK event industry’s green forum. It seeks to answer the fundamental question; ‘What does good look like?’
The GECOP aims to establish a common understanding of best practice. This understanding should be shared between event organisers, local authorities and supply chain. The minimum standards it provides should help to achieve national consistency in approach.
We ask all outdoor events with over 1000 attendees to:
- complete an analysis of their sustainability initiatives, and;
- use this to help them improve year on year.
Greater Manchester Arts Sustainability Team (GMAST)
Our Event Team is also part of GMAST. GMAST is a network of arts and cultural organisations. Their aim is to reduce the environmental impact of the cultural and creative community. They do this by working collectively to tackle the climate and ecological crisis.