Caterhire's Top Tips For Hosting a Sustainable Event

Sustainability is a key factor when event planning, and many event planners and event hire companies are becoming increasingly conscious of their environmental impact.

In fact, a recent survey discovered that more than half of us are concerned about the impact of climate change on society. Did you know that over 40% of waste from large scale events ends up in landfills, and that just one event attendee contributes an average of four pounds of waste?

With these statistics in mind, whether you’re hosting a wedding, corporate event, festival or anything in between, there are many ways to ensure that you’re doing your part for the planet, including the following:

Skip on the Invitations

300 invitations use approximately 7% of a tree. You can minimalise your paper usage by sending out digital invitations by creating a wedding/event website. And it’s not only invitations, either. You’ll also cut out the need for envelopes, stamps, and co2 emissions caused by delivering post. Marketing can also be done onsite instead of sending out flyers and brochures.

Choose a Venue that Values Sustainable Practices:

Opt for a venue with a sustainability policy or Environmental Management System (Green Hospitality Award, Green Tourism Business Scheme, ISO 14001, BS 8901, etc) certification if you’re not hosting at home. Sustainable practices to look out for are renewable energy usage, effective waste management, and other green practices.

Minimise Waste:

Reduce single-use items by choosing reusable or biodegradable options. Skip on those paper cups and plates! Introduce a recycling and composting area to ensure that waste is disposed of correctly. If you’re giving away promotional freebies at your event, consider opting for items like reusable water bottles, coffee cups and tote bags to promote sustainable practices instead of single-use items.

Hire, Hire, Hire!

By choosing an event hire company like CaterHire.ie, you can hire all of the event essentials like tablecloths,napkins,cutlery,crockery and glassware knowing that they’re guaranteed a new lease of life. If you buy your equipment instead of renting it, you may have items that sit unused for most of the year which contribute to resource waste.

Choose an Accessible Location

Just by choosing a venue that’s readily accessible via public transport, you can save on carbon emissions. You should also consider choosing start/finish times that coincide with public transport operational hours.

Consider Energy Efficiency:

Using energy-efficient LED lighting and natural daylight will help reduce your event’s environmental impact.

Sustainable Catering:

Food loss and waste are responsible for approximately 8-10% of greenhouse gas emissions. Source local, seasonal and organic food and beverage options. We also recommend providing vegetarian and vegan choices and collaborating with caterers who have certification of their commitment to reducing food waste. You should also inform caterers of the exact number of attendees wherever possible to reduce the risk of food waste, and you may wish to donate leftover food. You can also ensure your event is more sustainable by hiring items such as tableware from an event hire company like Caterhire.ie, which will be reused many times. 

Educate Your Attendees & Partner with Local Environmental Groups

Raise awareness about your sustainability efforts and motivate attendees to participate. Host workshops or panels on sustainability-related topics to engage and inform. You may also wish to collaborate with environmental groups to support your sustainable efforts.

After The Event:

Making sure that all waste has been removed from the event area will not only reduce your impact on the environment, but also set a good example to others.

By simply taking any or all of these steps, you and your event can make a significant difference and reduce your carbon footprint.

At Caterhire.ie, we're committed to sustainable practices. To reduce our environmental footprint, we have taken steps to minimise our paper use. We actively promote online communication and ordering online. This ensures both convenience and conservation of resources.

Furthermore, we use energy-efficient LED lighting to help lower energy consumption and reduce our environmental impact. 

We're committed to four key principles:

Reusing:

Our extensive range items for hire, from our elegant linens to to contemporary furniture, is designed for durability and repeated use. We believe in reusability and are pleased to offer items for hire that can be used repeatedly, ensuring they have a life beyond just one event.

Repurposing:

We also maintain and prolong the lifespan of our equipment and furniture by maintain, repairing and repurposing it, making sure that they serve a purpose long after your occasion.

Recycling:

Waste management is important to use at Caterhire, which is why we recycle our materials to ensure our waste stays out of landfills.

Reducing:

To minimise our environmental footprint, we've taken steps to limit packaging on our hire items. We also showcase our full product hire range online, reducing paper waste.

Here at CaterHire, we have over 35 years of First Class, Award Winning Service in Event Hire, and we’re proud to offer Click & Collect or Next Day Delivery to our customers!

Have a question? Contact us at 01 294 3111 or info@caterhire.ie where our team will with any queries you may have. CaterHire: Ireland’s leading Event & Party Hire Specialist.