One more step towards sustainable development: JPdL, professional manager of sustainable events

Over the past years, environmental issues have occupied an ever-increasing place in public society. The concept of sustainable development is now common knowledge and of particular importance to the meeting industry. But what does it really mean to be a sustainable business and how is it applicable in our field?

Becoming eco-responsible, what does that mean?

To be sustainable is to work to integrate environmental protection measures in activities, principles, and values. This concept is well known by event organizers, notably through reference to “green” events. These initiatives generally target issues of recycling, digitalization of documents, and transportation.

And if we told you it was possible to go further on your green path?

Beyond the important and necessary monitoring and reduction of waste and greenhouse gases, it is possible to strengthen this vision so that it endures in the long term and creates an eco-friendly culture within your company.

These measures can take various forms and adapt to respond best to the context of your organization.

These actions revolve around the three main components of sustainable development, namely social, environmental, and economic.

“Best practices” for reaching a level of maturity in your organizational culture can include:

• The creation of an internal green committee ;
• The mobilization of your teams and the sharing of knowledge on these issues ;
• The establishment of a social program promoting equity, teleworking and the sharing of common values ;
• An opening reflection around a business model with positive impacts, the objectives of which are linked to sustainable development ;
• The implementation of sustainable products and services ;
• The implementation of responsible purchasing policies ;
• etc.

To quote Jean-Paul de Lavison, founder and president of JPdL International: “From JPdL’s perspective, the active integration of green initiatives strengthens our reputation as an organization committed to the local sustainability of communities. We are invited to give advice on extremely interesting projects and to share new innovative ideas.”

JPdL initiatives in sustainable development

Being sustainable at JPdL is not only about helping our customers make their events more sustainable. Equally important is what we put in place internally as a business. For instance, various ecological and responsible approaches have been adopted internally, in particular composting (which our dear president uses to maintain his magnificent roses) and the prioritization of reusable containers.

However, the real change has been the emergence of a shared environmental awareness that is adopted by all JPdL employees. This change came about through the creation of a green committee, by internal “Lunch & Learn” trainings on various subjects such as DIY or even the implementation of “zero waste” challenges, with community involvement through volunteer actions, as well as by the development of sustainable products and services in collaboration with our partners and suppliers.

Again this year, JPdL is increasing its involvement and its sustainable initiatives by taking part in the “Montréal 2020 Sustainable Development Course” of the city of Montreal                                                  (“Parcours développement durable Montréal 2020”), as well as by becoming an ambassador for the ninth edition of the Les Vivats competition.

The Sustainable Development Course offers a unique opportunity to be supported over a twelve-month period in a process aimed at finding innovative solutions and developing a sustainable business model that benefits society as a whole.

Well-equipped and surrounded by experts, JPdL will be even better able to support clients and all stakeholders in their sustainable journey and, more comprehensively, become a key player in raising awareness and involvement of our industry on these issues.

References:

Eco-responsible (“éco-responsable”). (s.d). Dictionnaire Larousse on line.  https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais/%C3%A9coresponsable/10910959

Ellio. (2019). Documents internes. Conseil en développement durable. http://www.ellio.ca/

World PCO Alliance. (2019). Solutions for More Eco-Friendly Events: Three Alliance Partners Share Their “Green” Initiatives. http://worldpco.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=107&Itemid=294

Article by Sharon Claudel, Project Manager.