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If you’re like most meeting planners, you’ve already made ground in your sustainability goals: 70% of survey respondents in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amexglobalbusinesstravel.com/content/uploads/2023/10/2024-Global-Meetings-and-Events-Forecast.pdf">the American Express 2024 Global Meetings and Events Forecast</a> say that sustainability has been “strongly adopted” in their events.
The best sustainability practices are strategic, meaningful, and specific, avoiding falling prey to <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/482/how-to-talk-with-vendors-about-your-sustainability-goals">greenwashing</a>. That said, introducing high-visibility sustainability flair into your meetings can underscore your event’s commitment to the planet. Couple that with your food and beverage program and you’re serving up not just sustainability but delight.
Here are four ways to bring conspicuous sustainability into your food and beverage service:

<h3>Try Edible Servingware</h3>
Basil-infused spoons made of ground grains for caprese tastings. Espresso cups crafted from ice cream cones, meant to be eaten after an espresso shot. Cupcakes presented in flexible, edible wafers. And for the most daring, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bizbash.com/catering-design/food-trends/media-gallery/22885168/creative-catering-trays-we-love-from-recent-events">cocktails served in snowballs</a>.
Think of these edible items like a bread bowl taken up a notch. Swapping traditional serving elements for edible, sustainable replacements can add convenience and joy to your environmental program. Make sure attendees are aware of what’s edible; otherwise, that aspect of your catering could be lost in the shuffle.

<h3>Get a Little Fruity</h3>
The classic fruit tray can get an upgrade by using jumbo-size fruit as a component of service. Watermelon baskets, pineapple boats, and pomelo cups all add a decorative, sustainable spin to your buffet table.
The trick here is to make sure the fruit itself is actually used, though. Talk with your catering team about handling fruits meant for presentation in a way that preserves both the casing and the inside. It may not be practical for the team to extract watermelon slices from a watermelon meant to be carved into a serving basket, but they can use the fruit for purees and juices.

<h3>Elevate Family-Style Serving</h3>
Banquet service doesn’t have to be waitstaff-only. Let colorful dishes such as family-style salads be the “centerpieces.” If you want to elevate family-style service both literally and figuratively, place these dishes atop complementary centerpiece elements, like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bizbash.com/catering-design/tabletop/media-gallery/22883889/ideas-for-unexpected-centerpieces-at-events">tree-stump platforms</a>.

<h3>Use Food as Decor</h3>
There’s a reason landscapers often include kale in their plans—it’s beautiful. Attractively bundling fruits and vegetables for an opening-night kickoff celebration and using them as decor evokes a feeling of being connected to the earth. And the next day? Dinner. (Be sure to check with your catering team’s policies first.)

<h3>Remember: Sustainability Goes Beyond the Visible</h3>
Sustainable flair is both fun and practical, but it’s not enough in and of itself to lower your meeting’s carbon footprint. Think of it as an add-on to the program you’re already developing, which may include donating leftovers to reduce food waste, offering reusable servingware (if you’re not using edibles), using local and seasonal produce to avoid unnecessary transportation costs, and having recycling and composting options on hand at the event. For more ideas and event sustainability news, turn to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mpi.org/tools/sustainability-resources">MPI’s sustainability resources</a>.

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Fun, Functional, and Friendly to the Planet.

Add Sustainable Flair to Your Food and Beverage Service

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Maybe you determined your sustainability goals on your own. Maybe you collaborated on them. Maybe they were handed down to you, and you’re just making the most of them.
But however your sustainability goals came to you, achieving them isn’t a one-person job.

“The reality is that no one can achieve sustainability goals independently. It requires a really deep level of collaboration between event organizers and event suppliers—and I would add in their event participants as well. All of those need to be working together to achieve sustainability goals.”

Here’s how planners can better work with vendors and suppliers so that everyone comes out ahead, Mother Earth included.
<h3>Know what to expect from vendors at various stages.</h3>
A vendor might be just as committed as you are to environmental goals, but their commitment might show up differently than you would expect. “There’s a disconnect between planner and supplier expectations,” says Mariela McIlwraith, president of Meeting Change, a meetings and events consultancy focusing on the strategy of social and environmental sustainability. Buyers often expect to see sustainability information without having to ask for it, but vendors don’t necessarily volunteer that information.
Planners can help close the communication gap by asking for sustainability information instead of assuming that it doesn’t exist unless it’s proactively presented. Suppliers should be able to answer basic questions about energy use, water use, and waste, even if they don’t yet have full-blown reports showcasing that data.
At the same time, meeting planners should also recognize that RFPs can be time-consuming for vendors, and that expecting all sustainability data at once may not be realistic. “You might find that it’s challenging to get the response rates that you want,” McIlwraith says. Consider a two-step process instead. The first step is aimed at eliminating vendors that don't fit general sustainabilty needs. In round two, you can dive into more detail around sustainability goals.
Once you’re past the RFP stage, make sure that the sustainability conversations you’ve had with various players are aligned and reflected in the contract. “Sometimes you’ll go from a conversation with the sales department to the service department, and you want to make sure you’ve created a way for expectations to be communicated all the way through,” McIlwraith says. Embedding them into the contract can help keep sustainability top of mind for all players.
And remember that environmental goals don’t end with the event itself. “It’s really important that communication carries through all the different stages of the relationship with a partner,” McIlwraith says. Post-event data related to sustainability can help you and your vendors understand attendees’ needs as you plan for the next event. Reach out to vendors for any post-event data they may have collected, and share your own.
<h3>Be receptive.</h3>
If there were a singular way to achieve event sustainability, we’d all be doing it. But there isn’t—and that’s a benefit, not a drawback. Keeping your eyes on the goal can be more important than the nitty-gritty of how that goal is executed.
“I think it’s important to find that balance between being overly prescriptive and allowing a little creativity and a bit of latitude in how a goal is achieved,” McIlwraith says. Let’s say one of your goals is reducing food waste. You may believe that using compost bins is the answer, but a vendor might have other established procedures or options to consider like using modified menus or smaller plates. Allowing your partners to be as nimble and flexible as you are lets you learn from one another and find shared opportunities to achieve your mission—and, potentially, new ways to get there that each of you can bring to future partnerships.
<h3>Find the person with passion.</h3>
“One of the things I always look for is somebody within the organization who has a passion for sustainability,” McIlwraith says. “That energy can’t be replaced. Finding somebody who is super excited about this goes a long way toward ensuring that the priorities are being met.”
Everyone you come into contact with as a vendor has a responsibility to live up to their public sustainability claims. But when you’re trying to go deeper, attempting something new, or establishing new protocols, the additional spark brought by a change-maker’s passion can be the catalyst for true change. That person can be the internal driver, watchdog, leader, or liaison, depending on their role within the organization.
Having your eyes open for this type of person may be enough to spot the right candidate. But if no one is emerging, get creative. “I like to ask open-ended questions around sustainability,” McIlwraith says. “Like, ‘Tell us about a time when you engaged in sustainable practices in order to support a client’s event.’ Let them tell you an engaging story, and you can follow their cues from there.”

<h3>Be on greenwashing alert.</h3>
The phrase “We have environmentally friendly practices” sounds nice—but it doesn’t actually mean anything. When you see a vague claim that’s not backed by any sort of certification or third party, or that eschews specific goals in favor of ambiguous language, investigate. It could be that the vendor is not communicating its sustainability practices effectively, or it could mean that the vendor hasn’t yet made the kind of commitments you’re looking for in a partner.
Transparency is also part of the picture. In fact, depending on the goal, transparency may be more important than accomplishments. “I look for what they’re telling us isn’t quite 100% there yet,” McIlwraith says. “What are they working toward? That helps me build confidence in their sustainability practices, because everyone has something that they’re working toward.”
<h3>Remember that we’re all in this together.</h3>
Just like you, your vendors don’t have it all figured out—and that’s OK. It’s an opportunity to work together and problem-solve, which is part of the reward.
“We’re all figuring it out together,” McIlwraith says. “There is this monumental challenge ahead of us to address all aspects of sustainability, whether you’re talking environmental sustainability or social justice sustainability, and I don’t think anyone has all of the answers. So let’s all recognize that we’re on this journey together and share what we know. That’s how we improve.”
One way to do that? Have fun. “So much of what we do is challenging, but sustainability really can be fun,” McIlwraith says. “That ability to do something really fun and creative inspires me to do more. It’s almost like a renewable energy source in and of itself.”

Change-Makers Don’t Work Alone.

How to Talk With Vendors About Your Sustainability Goals

Are you ready to take sustainability practices to the next level? The 370 attendees at Marriott’s THE EXCHANGE, Travel Partners Conference (TPC) , held March 21-24 in Waikiki, Hawai‘i, are—and thanks to the sustainability-focused event, they’re ready to spread the word to others too.
As with any well-designed meeting, the Marriott’s TPC event, held at The Waikiki Collection (the <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/HNLWS">Sheraton Waikiki</a>, <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/HNLLC">The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki</a>, the <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/HNLWI">Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort &amp; Spa, Waikiki Beach</a>, and the<a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tour/HNLKS"> Sheraton Princess Kaiulani</a>), began by considering what attendees need. The Waikiki Collection, who achieved the prestigious Sustainable Event Professional Certification from the Events Industry Council, &nbsp;took the lead on all the sustainability initiatives for this event. The attendees were Marriott International Global Sales Organization’s top intermediary customers—those who specialize in sourcing and planning events for corporations and associations—so this was the perfect audience to demonstrate how to execute a best in class sustainable event.

“The conference theme is “Step Beyond” which encourages attendees to go further than what we have done in the past. And that applies to our sustainability tactics too. In Hawaiian, “Mālama ka ‘aina” means to take care of the land, to be a respectful and responsible steward. This concept is one of the most basic and most important pillars of Hawaiian culture and therefore sustainability is even more important given the location of this meeting.”

Attendees not only went to sessions designed to educate them on sustainable practices they can transfer to their own meetings, but they also witnessed some of those practices firsthand. Here’s a sampling of what they took in.

<ul>
 <li>The value of keeping it local. “We are not shipping one thing to the island from the mainland,” Clarke says. “We even hand-carried all of the name badges.” The lanyards from which those hand-carried badges hung were made by local artisans, crafted from seashells, and designed to be reusable as a lei-style keepsake. Even the swag was local and sustainable: Attendees received a gift card to Tori Richard, a Honolulu-based design company world-renowned for its Hawaiian wear, cut and sewn in Hawai‘i since 1956.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Partnerships with farmers. Attendees themselves actually became farmers for a day. Delegates had an option to sign up to plant taro, an important Hawaiian food staple, with local farmers using age-old farming techniques; other attendees harvested taro that was used in dishes for the event’s closing ceremony. That’s taking “farm-to-table” to a personal level.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Slice-on-demand fruit. “How many times have you gone to an event and seen tons of cut-up fruit, and it’s still there after the event?” Clarke asks. Marriott’s TPC event’s elegant solution to this particular form of food waste? Slice-on-demand fruit. Attendees went to a fruit station and asked for what they wanted—pineapple, papaya, mango, apples, whatever—and it was cut on demand. This offered a premium experience and reduced food waste.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Composting Waste. Green waste from the event was used to start compost bins, and these bins were donated to local community gardens and elementary schools. The composting program helps the land, but it extends beyond the island too. “With this composting program, you’re leaving a legacy here,” Clarke says. “You’ve come to the island, you’ve enjoyed the experience. Now you’re leaving a legacy of your impact here in the soil. You’re giving back to the island.”</li>
</ul>

<ul>
 <li>Filling it forward. In pre-event communications, attendees were asked to bring their own water bottles. This helped reduce plastic waste from bottled water, but Marriott’s TPC took it further, partnering with Fill it Forward, an organization designed to match sustainable individual practices with large-scale sustainability efforts. Attendees received a sticker with a QR code to be placed on their bottles. Every time they refilled, they could scan the QR code, and Fill it Forward would make a donation to an environmentally focused Oahu organization. The practice will extend beyond the event—when people refill their bottles at home and scan the code, well after the event has ended, the local nonprofit will continue to benefit. At the end of the event, $5,000 was raised towards this project.&nbsp;</li>
 <li>Carbon consciousness. Marriott properties are on track to be carbon-neutral by 2050, but as those efforts are underway, carbon consciousness is the name of the game. Step Beyond served as the unveiling of Marriott’s new carbon calculator, which will be beta-tested in 52 hotels around the world and will inform Marriott’s <a href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/tips-and-trends/article/372/how-marriott-is-expanding-its-sustainable-practices-for-events">Serve 360</a> sustainability goals. Carbon offset donations for the event will go to <a href="https://www.southpole.com/">South Pole</a>, a strategy organization working toward emission reduction.</li>
 <li>A focus on visibility. Within the events industry, some sustainability efforts are visible to attendees; think reusable water bottles and recycling bins. But initiatives with the most impact tend to be larger-scale, as they happen on an operational level, making them invisible to attendees. Given the special nature of the this audience, Marriott chose to shine a light on that work so that these influencers understood what was happening behind the scenes. Videos showcasing back-of-house sustainability efforts, digital signage at food stations indicating which local sources were supplying the goods, and partnerships with session presenters to reinforce the sustainable practices happening around the event—all of these laddered up to delegates walking away with a keen understanding of what’s happening, and why it matters.</li>
</ul>

“All our hotels are learning from each other as it relates to sustainable practices,” Clarke says. Thanks to Marriott’s TPC event in Waikiki, attendees are learning too. Now it’s time for them to spread the word.

How Can Hospitality Become More Sustainable? Influence the Real Influencers.


Marriott’s Most Sustainable Meeting Yet

As with almost every aspect of the meetings industry, the past two years have seen a dramatic disruption in how planners approach the sustainability of their events. The pause on in-person gatherings created an opportunity for organizations to reassess their priorities around live events and how they could be run to further minimize environmental impact.&nbsp; 
 
To help meet these changing needs — and help meeting planners more effectively meet their goals — <a href="https://www.marriott.com/default.mi">Marriott International</a> is expanding and refocusing its own approach to sustainability in a range of ways. We caught up with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisenaguib">Denise Naguib</a>, Global Vice President, Sustainability and Supplier Diversity, for Marriott International, to discuss the hospitality giant's evolving approach to sustainability, and how it balances its global footprint with the local, specific needs of each property and planner.&nbsp; 
 
Below are highlights from this conversation.

As in-person meetings come back, there has been growing interest from both attendees and planners to ensure these events are limiting their environmental impact as much as possible. Is Marriott seeing any shifts in attitudes toward sustainability and meetings?
Denise Naguib: Sustainability has been a priority for our customers for some time; however, a heightened focus on sustainability has become clearer throughout the past two years as we saw the opportunities to celebrate the natural world we so depend on, and destinations previously impacted by "overtourism" begin to recover. With this comes a renewed interest in sustainable travel and sustainable meeting practices as customers begin to get on the road and gather again. 
 
Pre-pandemic, we saw many key sustainability initiatives being requested, such as the reduction of single-use plastics and other disposables. While those are still in demand today, efforts to embed sustainability in meetings and events have evolved — it is now also about partnering with our customers, who have their own sustainability goals in mind, and are looking to integrate many aspects of sustainability throughout their operations and value chain.&nbsp; 
 
From a resurgence in the desire to source locally, to considerations of climate impact and supporting the local community, sustainability has long been a core part of our business strategy to ensure the resiliency and longevity of the company, as well as the communities and environments in which we operate. As we work to advance in our sustainability journey, we support our customers as they do the same.
 
As an organization, Marriott International has set ambitious goals around sustainability. Can you outline some of your sustainability goals, particularly as they relate to meetings? 
 
Naguib: Our sustainability and social impact platform, Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction — which puts our core value, Serve Our World, into action — guides our commitment to make a positive and sustainable impact wherever we do business.

Our sustainability strategy is multifaceted, encompassing 2025 goals from cutting food waste in half, to having 100 percent of the portfolio sustainably certified, to responsibly sourcing 95 percent of our top 10 priority categories, and reducing our overall waste to landfill by 45 percent.
It also includes our commitment to climate action: last year, we committed to set science-based emissions reduction targets with a goal to reach net-zero emissions by no later than 2050. We also signed on to the <a href="https://unfccc.int/climate-action/race-to-zero-campaign">Race to Zero</a> via the most ambitious standard, Business Ambition for 1.5, in which all participants are committed to reducing emissions across all scopes swiftly and fairly in line with the Paris Agreement, with transparent action plans and robust near-term targets.
To achieve these goals, we must operationalize responsible practices in all disciplines, including meetings and events, where we are embedding sustainable meeting practices into our standards so we can provide responsible, exemplary experiences for event attendees. Additionally, pilot programs are underway to determine which initiatives — such as providing the opportunity to offset a meeting or event — are most impactful and desirable.
A major focus of Marriott's sustainability efforts is on what is happening at the hotels. Can you share some examples of these on-site sustainability programs? 
 
 Naguib: Our hotels lead the way by implementing programming that drives progress towards our sustainability goals. 
 
For example, The <a href="https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/california/rancho-mirage">Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage</a> and five other California hotels installed a food waste reduction system, which led to 37,931 tons of food waste being diverted from landfills between November 2019 and March 2021. Given the unfortunate increase in food insecurity as a result of the pandemic, we are refocusing our food waste reduction efforts to ensure hotels implement strategies across the production chain to minimize food waste, particularly in meetings and events.
The <a href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/wasjw-jw-marriott-washington-dc/overview/">JW Marriott Washington, DC</a> is another example of how hotels are leading the way in embedding sustainability across operations. The hotel was recently recognized with the inaugural 2021 global Energy Management Leadership award, one of the highest accolades in energy management and conservation, for reducing more than 725 metric tons of carbon emissions, equivalent to the amount of carbon that would be removed from the air by 1,532 acres of forest. Sustainability-focused meeting planners will also appreciate that the hotel composts food waste, recycles 100 percent of its waste oil for biofuel, purchases fish certified by the <a href="https://www.asc-aqua.org/">Aquaculture Stewardship Council</a>, and uses only cage-free eggs. For meetings, the hotel uses compostable packaging for boxed lunches, linen-less tables, and has water stations throughout the meeting levels. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Responsible sourcing has become a growing priority. Can you discuss how Marriott balances a global footprint with a concerted effort to source locally?
Naguib: With consumers increasingly wanting to know ingredients are sourced responsibly, both from an environmental and social perspective, we are working across our supply chain to help ensure the food and beverage products we purchase are aligned with this philosophy. Through <a href="https://serve360.marriott.com/">Serve 360</a>, we have built resources such as Marriott International's <a href="http://serve360.marriott.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Marriott-Responsible_Sourcing_Guide_August-2021.pdf">Responsible Sourcing Guide</a>, which includes core parameters for third-party vendors, including guidelines around farming operations and animal welfare, sustainable agricultural practices and techniques to reduce impact to soil health, water quality and more. This guide is a great tool for properties to ensure we are selecting the right local partners that also uphold our company core values at a community level.

As part of our 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact Goals, Marriott aims to locally source 50 percent of produce by 2025, as well as responsibly source 95 percent of our top 10 categories such as animal proteins and seafood, with many of our properties already making incredible progress towards this company-wide goal.
The industry has come to rely on technology in unexpected ways since the pandemic hit. Now that we're returning to in-person events, how is technology playing a role in sustainability efforts over the long term?
Naguib: With digital touchpoints increasingly the norm, these behavioral changes will help to advance our sustainability efforts. For example, when sales sheets and banquet orders can be digital or when meeting apps are used to connect with event attendees, we're reducing our waste footprint — or similarly by using mobile key, where available. The enhancement of tracking and reporting tools will also enable us to provide real-time data, demonstrating the reduction in environmental impacts when sustainable practices are implemented, or the actions that can be taken to do so — all of which not only drives progress towards our sustainability goals but our customers' sustainability goals as well.

Article Originally Posted to Northstar Meetings Group Website (April 21, 2022)

How Marriott Is Expanding Its Sustainable Practices for Events

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how widespread food insecurity is around the world. But did you know that 30% of global food production is wasted? Meeting planners are as aware as the rest of society about food insecurity, which is why it’s so important to review the facts about donating event leftovers to a community kitchen—something that is “well within the bounds of an organization like Marriott,” says Amy Bourne, Marriott’s senior manager, sustainability and supplier diversity.
Perhaps more important is to dig into how to reduce food waste in the first place, Bourne says. But first, a look back.
The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act
Many meeting planners may still be operating under the erroneous belief that legal concerns bar them from donating leftovers and surplus food from their events to a community kitchen. But, as Bourne points out, that’s just not true. The 1996 Bill Emerson Food Donation Act established federal protection in the United States from civil and criminal liability for persons involved in the donation and distribution of food and grocery products to needy individuals when certain criteria are met. Criteria include certain safety protocols like packaging and food storage temperature. Outside of the U.S., meeting planners should check with their country and state laws and local public health officials to ensure compliance with local food donation requirements.
Ending Food Waste at Every Point
According to the World Wildlife Fund, about 11% of greenhouse gas emissions could be eliminated if food waste were brought to zero. (Aviation, by comparison, accounts for 2% of global emissions.) Donating leftovers is a positive step toward that, but it’s not a perfect solution to food waste. Enter Marriott’s Serve 360 commitment to creating positive and sustainable impact wherever the company does business. One of Serve 360’s goals is to slash food waste to landfill in half by 2025.
What does this look like in practice? In addition to ensuring food waste is not generated in the first place through improved planning and purchasing decisions, there are creative ways to prevent food waste from entering landfills. Let’s say there’s sliced watermelon on a buffet. Some properties have developed tasty recipes to turn the rind into candies that can be left in guestrooms. Another fun use for food waste? Banana peels can be dehydrated into jerky, as they have been at some of Marriott’s European properties. In 2021, the JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok transformed used coffee granules into an enticing (free!) body scrub for guests, and 14.2 tons of fruit and vegetable peels from the property were donated to a local farm for animal feed.

How to Make a Donation
What if, despite your best intentions and carefully planned ordering, your meeting still has leftovers? Bourne says there are several apps that make food donation easy by picking up leftovers from meetings. Some of these include (in the United States): <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/chow-match/id1091954512">Chow Match</a>, <a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/copia/id1563996344">Copia</a>, <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/food-finders/id1483853305">Food Finders</a>, <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mealconnect/id1230097075">MealConnect</a>, and, in the U.K., <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/too-good-to-go-end-food-waste/id1060683933">Too Good to Go</a>.
The Future of Food Waste
“Beyond our 50% reduction goal, globally, by 2025, we are continuing our work with external partners like the World Wildlife Fund,” Bourne says. One successful program that Marriott is proud to share with its hotels is hotelkitchen.org, an online toolkit that full-service hotels and food service institutions, including restaurants, cruises, and catering companies, can use to learn more strategies for reducing food waste. The toolkit was produced via a collaboration between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the American Hotel &amp; Lodging Association (AHLA), and the Rockefeller Foundation, with contributions from Marriott International.

“We encourage our hotels to first and foremost prevent food waste where feasible and then entertain multiple options to ensure waste does not end up in landfills.” 

Regardless of whether it’s donating food, repurposing scraps, or other diversion options such as composting, meeting planners have a responsibility to think not just about what guests will eat, but how those meals will impact the earth.

Marriott’s Senior Manager of Sustainability Explains How to Whittle Down Food Waste.

How to Manage Leftovers From Your Meeting

Over the last decade, the meetings industry has made major strides in embracing sustainable food and beverage options. Enter COVID-19, and a new world of hurdles.
COVID-19 isn’t a foodborne illness, but with social distancing in place, meeting planners turned to individual food and beverage packaging as a precautionary measure. Doing so helped alleviate stress from attendees. It also added up to a lot of waste.
So how can planners soothe people’s nerves about coronavirus-era dining while staying economically and environmentally efficient? Denise Naguib, global vice president, sustainability and supplier diversity at Marriott International, suggests tackling this challenge one step at a time.

“Think about: ‘What is one change I can make at this meeting? It’s not just about taking it all on, but thinking about one at a time, making the change and communicating effectively.”

Use these tips to help you choose individually packaged items that do the least amount of damage to the planet.
Think single-serve, not just single-use.
Individually packaged food and beverage is meant to serve one person at one time. But that doesn’t have to mean disposable, single-use packaging options.
For example, you can reduce waste by serving lunch in reusable, plastic clamshell containers or bento boxes. The same packaging can be washed, sanitized, and repurposed for lunch service on the second day of your event.

Gift individual, reusable water bottles.
In the spirit of single-serve, consider gifting reusable water bottles. Not in your budget? Share your environmental goal with your partners and vendors and see if any of them would be willing to donate branded canisters to your event.
Communicate your goals to attendees, too—let them know that the water bottles are more than just free swag, it’s also an opportunity to reduce waste. Naguib says to remember that thinking sustainably is a change for many people. “To act differently and carry their water bottles around, having refilling stations, that is a step,” she says. Layering in one change like this, one meeting at a time, not only makes it less overwhelming for you and your guests, but it also allows for a feedback loop.
“Get that feedback and insight from your own attendees to see what’s working, what’s not working, and cull ideas from them,” Naguib says.

Consider the materials.
There are ample sustainable packaging options—the trick is to find one that’s within your budget. Here are some considerations to keep in mind as you navigate what is and isn’t feasible for your next meeting.
<ul>
 <li>Glass containers for food and beverages are 100% reusable but are not always recyclable in many communities. While glass bottles (for, say, soda or iced tea) may be the first idea that pops into your mind, this could be the time to bring out your mason jars for easy pre-batching.</li>
 <li>Though paper packaging for food can be tricky to recycle, if you select paper packaging made from recycled paper, you are still reducing waste by not creating products from new materials.</li>
 <li>Metal vessels such as aluminum and stainless steel are highly reusable and readily recyclable. Opt for reusable jars or recyclable cans.</li>
 <li>When using plastic packaging, familiarize yourself with the <a href="https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/g804/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321/">recycling symbols</a> and make sure the recycling facilities in your meeting’s region accept that type of plastic. And avoid plastics with bisphenol A when you can.</li>
 <li>For single-use items such as straws, consider options made from biodegradable materials like paper.</li>
</ul>
Think outside the container.
Individually packaged items don’t necessarily need to be boxed or bottled. Wine glasses can be used to <a href="https://www.bizbash.com/catering-design/food-trends/media-gallery/21319420/15-lowtouch-hightaste-catering-ideas-for-live-and-virtual-events">serve starter salads</a>, and metal cutlery can be individually wrapped with cloth napkins instead of a sealed plastic pack.
And remember that individual items don’t all have to be inedible. Consider bread bowls for soup or ice cream cones to hold dessert candies. Keep an eye out for more <a href="https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=21377">edible packaging under development</a>, too.
Keep the big picture in mind.
As Naguib points out, communication is key. Work with your venue to place recycling and composting bins in a variety of strategic locations, and communicate these locations and your goals to everyone at your event. Additionally, make sure your recycling bins are clearly labeled, so there’s no confusion about which items can and cannot be placed inside.
If you’re reusing food and beverage packaging each day, make sure your attendees know how to use it. Create clear signage to show where water filling stations are located in your venue, or where to place materials meant to be sanitized and reused, such as mason jars and bento boxes. Doing these things will ensure everyone at your event feels safe while (re)introducing sustainability into your meeting’s mix.

Just because you’re serving individually packaged meals doesn’t mean your sustainability efforts are off the table.

Single-Serve Meals Can Be Sustainable Too 

With global conversations increasingly focused on climate change and resource conservation, reducing the environmental impact of events is no longer optional. Event planners understand this charge and must find ways to deliver memorable events while prioritizing sustainability.
Among North American meeting professionals surveyed in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amexglobalbusinesstravel.com/content/uploads/2023/10/2024-Global-Meetings-and-Events-Forecast.pdf">American Express 2024 Global Meetings and Events Forecast</a>, 69% said that sustainability is extremely important to their organization, and 70% said that sustainability has been strongly adopted in events. Still, nearly a quarter said that a lack of sustainability knowledge, skills, and resources is a big challenge.
Here are five strategies that can help you host more sustainable events.

<h2>1. Reduce Single-Use Items</h2>
The reliance on single-use items, from plastic cups to tote bags, is one of the most visible sources of waste at events. Efforts to lower the waste you generate will be noticed and appreciated by attendees.
Many suppliers specialize in innovative reusable cutlery, plates, drinkware, and packaging. <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/482/how-to-talk-with-vendors-about-your-sustainability-goals">Talk to your existing vendors</a> and seek out new ones to add to your list.
Encourage attendees to take part in the event's sustainability focus, by inviting them to bring reusable containers for water or coffee, and provide refill stations. Incentivize participation by offering discounts on paid services or perks such as entry into a prize draw.
Although paper products can be recycled and reused, going paperless stops the environmental impact at the source, saving energy from the paper’s production and transportation. Reduce your reliance on printed materials and <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/35/optimal-use-of-event-apps">use an app</a> for schedules, maps, and communication. Apps also can provide a richer attendee experience, through personalized notifications and messaging options to boost engagement. A venue’s electronic signage can display real-time information, eliminating the need for paper programs entirely.

<h2>2. Repurpose Ingredients to Reduce Food Waste</h2>
Food waste is a pervasive issue, including at events, where large amounts of leftover food are typically discarded. By making food management a priority, you can minimize the environmental impact of your event.
Meeting planners should work together with their hotel Event Manager and culinary team when designing menus. Think about having a more selective variety or limit commonly over-produced items like breads, fruits, grains and produce. Hotels may also be able to repurpose ingredients across multiple dishes to ensure there is minimal waste.
All events are likely to have <a target="_blank" href="https://marriottbonvoyevents.com/news-and-highlights/article/371/how-to-manage-leftovers-from-your-meeting">leftovers</a>. Work with your hotel to develop a plan for donating excess to local food banks or community organizations so food is not thrown away or ask about other landfill diversion options such as composting.

<h2>3. Choose Venues with Strong Sustainability Credentials</h2>
The sustainability of your event starts with the venue you choose. Be prepared to weigh the environmental impact as much as cost, location, or aesthetic appeal.
Including sustainability questions in the RFP can make sure that expectations are clear throughout the venue selection process. Utilize industry standardized questions related to topics such as energy, water and waste reduction, responsible sourcing, and renewable energy use to help understand what each hotel is doing to reduce their environmental impact. And when reviewing venues, look for third-party sustainability certifications, such as Green Key Global or The Green Key, which are operationally-focused sustainability certifications, or building-focused certifications, like LEED.

<h2>4. Prioritize Local and Responsibly Sourced Materials</h2>
By making thoughtful choices about the origin of the products used at your event, you can enhance its overall sustainability.
First, think local. Many elements of your event—including décor, catering, signage, and structures—can be sourced from businesses near your site to minimize the environmental impact of shipping items from faraway places.
Next, source sustainably harvested, organic, or fair-trade certified materials whenever possible. Food may be the first thing that comes to mind, but responsible sourcing extends to a variety of other areas. For example, you could rent furniture and temporary structures made of bamboo or reclaimed wood.
To help planners in their sourcing decisions, Marriott produced a <a target="_blank" href="https://serve360.marriott.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Marriott-Responsible_Sourcing_Guide_August-2021.pdf">Responsible Sourcing Guide</a> in 2021–22 with criteria and third-party sustainability certification information that that meet core sustainability parameters, such as animal welfare and low-impact agricultural practices.

<h2>5. Understand and Measure Your Environmental Impact</h2>
When discussing your event’s needs with the hotel, ask about the ability of the hotel to provide impact reporting on the sustainable practices they have implemented and/or footprint data associated with the event, as well as any major initiatives they may be a part of that are reducing their environmental footprint behind the scenes.
For example, hotels in the Bonvoy portfolio are actively focused on their carbon footprint reduction, as part of the company’s science-based target and net-zero journey. A champion of climate action, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) develops standards and resources to help organizations achieve emissions reduction targets; and as of April 2024, Marriott is the largest global hospitality company to receive approval from SBTi.
When it comes to reporting on an event’s sustainability impact, Marriott’s Connect Responsibly program - available at hotels from participating brands globally in fall 2024 - provides planners with a detailed Meeting Impact Report and sustainability impact metrics tailored to their event. These include property-specific sustainability practices implemented during the event and the calculated carbon and water footprints of the event.
The Meeting Impact Report also provides planners with a list of vetted and verified carbon offset projects that their event can support.
To enhance transparency with attendees, share your event’s estimated and final footprint values, including the implemented sustainable practices and any funding of a carbon offset project, to help build credibility and educate attendees on the actions being taken collectively to reduce the event’s environmental impact.
“We understand that sustainability is a priority for our customers, which is why we created this robust program,” says Jennifer Kellogg, Vice President of Meetings + Events for Marriott International. “Now, event planners can focus on working with our hotels to deliver memorable experiences while knowing they can minimize their environmental impact.”

Use These Strategies During Your Planning and Execution.

5 Tips for a More Sustainable Event

Meeting Professionals International and Marriott International have launched a longterm sustainability partnership with the goal of moving the sustainability needle for the meeting and event industry by bringing people together for meaningful conversations and telling the story about important sustainability initiatives that are already taking place.
Look for monthly articles in MPI publications and robust conversations in a sustainability-focused MPI Community Forum and a sustainability-focused boot camp. Visit the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mpi.org/education/mpi-academy">MPI Academy</a> to learn more.
To set the table for this exciting new partnership between Marriott and MPI, we recently spoke with two sustainability experts about notable trends, how to measure efforts and overcoming challenges: Denise Naguib, global vice president, sustainability and supplier diversity for Marriott International, and Courtney Lohmann, CMP, SEPC, founder of Caretta Impact, a 23-year veteran of meetings, hospitality and travel who developed the curriculum for the new boot camp.

<h3>Why is sustainability such an important part of the meeting industry’s present and future?</h3>
NAGUIB: We all understand the value meetings— whether we gather to learn, celebrate, connect or collaborate. We also know that meetings have an impact—both positive (generating jobs) or negative (creating food waste). Our opportunity is to understand and work towards having meetings that can be a win-win-win—good for the economy, good for the attendees, good for the planet. This is the way forward as expected by attendees, meeting professionals, the community at large and employees.
LOHMANN: It’s important because bringing people together is important. When you bring people together, you essentially create a temporary space for them to gather, and with that you naturally produce a certain amount of waste—carbon waste, food waste, material waste, etc.
When we meet, good things happen. When we meet, we create bonds and push each other forward. We can’t stop meeting. But in today’s world, we have a much better understanding of how these meetings have an impact on the world—environmentally and socially. Meetings and events have always been designed to create something good, to bring positivity. We have to understand that the good and positivity must be carried through in the environment and our communities.
<h3>Can you tell us about one of the biggest challenges for sustainability efforts in the meeting and event industry?</h3>
NAGUIB: With so many people representing so many perspectives, one of the challenges is understanding the way customers evaluate hotels on sustainability. We hear from some that it isn’t on their radar, others who don’t know where to begin and those who have very specific expectations in order to meet their own goals. On the other side of the equation, we have suppliers also along a spectrum. Much of these gaps can be bridged with conversation and engagement between the stakeholders, identifying how to meet each other’s needs AND drive the sustainability agenda forward. I encourage all of us to remember that we are likely not in exactly the same place, but our collective intention is in the right, sustainable direction.
LOHMANN: I think the biggest challenge we are all faced with at the moment is climate change-related issues. This has most jumping to carbon emissions and then jumping to flights and the impact of travel. This is the biggest problem we have. If we want to meet, we have to bring people together, and more often than not, that means putting many people on planes.
While tackling this issue is challenging, it doesn’t mean we should throw our hands in the air and wait for a simple solution. We can look at carbon offset programs for our flights. We can look at ways to minimize flight miles by choosing destinations that make the most sense. But more importantly, we can dig in and really look at the most concrete things we can control. We can control the venues we select, the suppliers we work with, the destinations we go to. We can control what materials are used, how much waste we produce, what foods we serve. We can implement changes to our signage and communication plans. We can strive to hit zero waste in all areas of our events and create tremendous impact.
<h3>How do you measure the success of sustainability efforts?</h3>
NAGUIB: At the individual event level, there are many ways to measure success including looking at the impact metrics such as carbon, water and waste with a goal to reduce those impacts (on a per-person basis, for example). You can also measure the amount of food donated, trees planted, hours volunteered, water bottles saved. I also would look at the engagement of attendees as another important metric—were they aware of and appreciative of the sustainability efforts made? With our company’s philosophy of "success is never final," I would also look at success as identifying one more thing that could be done/done better next time!
LOHMANN: Every time you implement something, you create success for yourself. Even for those that haven’t started to implement any sustainability, a success can be auditing how much and what types of foods are left over at your event. Data is knowledge. As planners we’ve always known this. Collecting data and seeing how you grow your impact year over year helps you understand your successes and where you can focus more efforts.
I think the ultimate level of success is attendee engagement. Telling your story around the "why" of what you are implementing and then seeing more and more of your attendees partaking in what you are doing and asking for more or being excited around your impact areas—this is the true measure of success.

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