Carbon Literacy: our pledges

Back in September, Chrissie and Hannah took a trip to Manchester to attend a Carbon Literacy training day, hosted by Positive Planet. Carbon Literacy is the knowledge and awareness of the carbon impacts of daily life, and the training provided us with the science behind climate change, the tools to influence others to take action, and empowered us to continue to take action.

On completion of the course, we were tasked with developing our carbon literacy pledges (our commitment to reducing our carbon impacts), which are reviewed and certified by the Carbon Literacy Project. So, we are taking our pledges public and declaring our commitments to keep us accountable, and hopefully inspire others to make pledges that really transform the way they do things.

For a bit of background, we already have our own carbon reduction commitments in line with the Paris Agreement to reduce our emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050, alongside our environmental sustainability policy for running our business. However, in addition to our existing business operational commitments, we have introduced the following pledges:

• Reduce our carbon emissions by 25% by end of 2025, 50% by 2028 and net zero by 2040.

• We pledge to offset 150% of Worlds Better’s annual emissions for the next 10 years.

• All full-time staff members will attend Carbon Literacy Project's course Carbon Literacy as well as Train the Trainer, ensuring we can pass on knowledge to our clients and the events industry to support a lower carbon future.

• We will gain ISO 14001 certification by end of 2024. Gaining our ISO certification will support in us identifying where we can make ambitious reductions in our business operations to support this new reduction roadmap.

• We pledge to develop a sustainable procurement toolkit, to ensure that we and our clients can source the most carbon-conscious suppliers.

• Reduce our emissions from overnight accommodation by 5%, by the Worlds Better team only staying in hotels with sustainability certifications.

On behalf of the clients we have at Worlds Better, we have an opportunity to make a wider impact in the reduction of emissions and waste. For the work on behalf of our clients, we have pledged the following:

• Measure baselines and make savings of at least 7,500 tCO2e by December 2024 for the work we complete on behalf of our clients. 

• Provide at least 750,000 delegates with a sustainable event experience by December 2024. 

• Develop an educational library of content to provide training for the event industry on carbon literacy and the implementation of sustainable practices. This will include tools to influence stakeholders and specific sustainable practices relevant to a selection of event areas including venue, AV, printing, staffing, and catering.

We look forward to bringing you on our journey of achieving these pledges, and we plan to document an honest view of our progress.