ICCA Achieves Zero Food Waste to Landfill Certification in Abu Dhabi

The 63rd ICCA Congress, which took place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 20-23 October 2024, was the first global event to achieve the Zero Food Waste to Landfill Event Standard certified by The PLEDGE on Food Waste, a first for the association, providing a blueprint for large-scale global events in the future. 

Building on the legacy of the Bangkok Protocol on Sustainable Gastronomy, which was established at the 2023 ICCA Congress in Bangkok, ICCA took the lead in 2024 by committing to achieve the Zero Food Waste to Landfill Event Standard at the ADNEC Centre, Abu Dhabi’s premier conference venue.

With the support of LightBlue Consulting as a technical expert, and in partnership with ADNEC and the Capital Catering team, the results obtained speak for themselves: more than 200 kitchen, service, and stewarding staff were trained on best practices; 1,115 kilograms of food were diverted from landfills; 371 kilograms of food were saved during the event; and 928 meals were redistributed by Ne’ma, representing 928 kilograms of CO2 equivalent. In addition, an average 163 grams of food waste per delegate per meal was recorded through LightBlue’s FIT Food Waste Tech.  

Senthil Gopinath, CEO of ICCA, said that “sustainability has become a cornerstone of ICCA’s mission, and achieving the Zero Food Waste to Landfill certification for the 63rd ICCA Congress is a proud moment for our community. This milestone reflects our dedication to innovation and raising the bar for the global events industry.” 

All efforts to train staff, rescue and redistribute food, segregate waste, and effectively transform it were documented, measured, and audited, enabling the ICCA Congress to achieve the remarkable score of 87.5% compliance at the ADNEC Centre. Due to operational challenges, some points were deducted on the separation, transformation, and monitoring sub criteria. The certification for the Congress was limited to covering food operations at the ADNEC Centre only. 

For his part, Ben Lephilibert, co-founder of The PLEDGE on Food Waste, said: “The certification of the 63rd ICCA Congress as the first Zero Food Waste to Landfill event is a monumental step for the MICE industry. By transforming ambition into measurable impact, ICCA has proven that even large-scale events can lead the way in sustainability. We’re proud to have worked with ICCA, ADNEC, and Capital Catering to create a replicable framework that inspires other organizations to adopt similar commitments.” 

This achievement underscores ICCA’s role as a leader in event sustainability. By aligning environmental goals with measurable business value, the 63rd ICCA Congress sets a new industry standard and inspires the global business events community to move toward the adoption of more sustainable practices.  In the future, ICCA aims to support the establishment of a benchmarking system in the industry and is working on the development of a practical toolkit to prevent food waste with LightBlue. 

Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB): “On behalf of TCEB and Bangkok, the host city of ICCA Congress 2023, I congratulate Abu Dhabi and ICCA on this remarkable success. It is a milestone of our commitment to creating a new chapter of sustainability for our industry. We trust that the achievement encourages stakeholders in the global meetings industry to collectively observe the practice, making it our standard in contributing to a better world”