Pledging to a More Sustainable Future at MCEC with EEAA

The Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has become a signatory to the Exhibition & Events Association of Australasia (EEAA) Sustainable Events 2030 Pledge, contributing to the collective commitment to a cleaner future for the exhibition and events industry. 

This new pledge has been developed to drive positive and meaningful change and make environmental sustainability practices central in the events industry. 

EEAA’s pledge is a broad umbrella of guidelines, lessons, business tools, and inspiration to support and nurture individual members to improve their practices concerning operating sustainable environment business practice.  

This aligns to our current sustainability strategy which includes commitments to a 25 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2026, 90 per cent of waste diverted from landfill by 2025 and to be powered by 75 per cent renewable electricity by 2025.

Goals to be achieved in the pledge by the end of 2023 and 2025 cover seven key impact areas during the planning and delivery of exhibitions and events:

• Exhibitor waste ​
• Attendee waste ​
• Food & beverage ​
• Staging, signage & promotions​
• Custom stands ​
• Logistics ​
• Audio / Visual equipment 

MCEC Sustainability Manager, Jacinta Caraballo said the pledge is an exciting and proactive step towards making real change in an industry which traditionally produces a lot of waste.

“As we look at the impact the events industry has on the wider environment, it becomes clear that none of us can do it alone and we need to approach the issue collectively as an entire sector.

"We are committed to looking for ways to bring the industry to the forefront of sustainability so that we can minimise the impact we have on the world around us."

Find out more about the EEAA Sustainability Pledge.