Environmentally responsible events

How to plan sustainable events guide 

The How to Plan and Deliver Environmentally Sustainable Event Guide was published in 2019 and provides a practical, useful guide for event organisers and suppliers. The guide is currently being reviewed and a new version will be available in 2025. It was created in partnership by EventScotland and Zero Waste Scotland. 

Sustainability toolkit for festival managers 

The Sustainability Toolkit for Festival Managers offers practical information, work guides and examples. It is intended for professionals working on cultural festivals who want to develop and improve their strategies for environmental sustainability.     

The toolkit was developed by Edinburgh Napier University as part of a 2022 British Council initiative.  

Managing business travel emissions 

The Claim Expenses travel tool was created by Culture for Climate Scotland to help you capture, track and manage carbon emissions from business travel using a simple online tool which also manages your staff expense claims.

Sustainable access to live events for disabled people 

No Climate Action Without Us is a new toolkit on how to make disabled people’s access to live events environmentally sustainable. The toolkit aims to support the UK’s events industry to implement practical solutions that tackle both climate change and accessibility.   

This was created as part of a unique collaboration between Attitude is Everything, Julie’s Bicycle and A Greener Future. 

Explore our guidance on setting up a accessible event or festival.

Check out our advice and guidance on inclusive and accessible events.

Tracking and recording progress in environmental action 

The Creative Climate Tools allow organisations to track their impact, record progress and make strategic changes in their environmental action. These tools are designed specifically for the arts and culture sector. They were created by Julie’s Bicycle.

Green competency resources and tools for festivals

Future Festival Tools is a useful resource designed to empower event professionals across Europe to be future-ready, with green competency, tools and personal certification. These are provided by Vision 2025.

 A Greener Future 

A Greener Future offer a wide range of guidance, tools, research and information to members via their online resources hub.  They also offer an industry recognised quality certification scheme for events, festivals and venues.    

They are a UK based not-for-profit membership body helping organisations, events, festivals and venues around the world to be more sustainable and reduce their environmental impacts.   

How the Edinburgh Festivals are responding to the climate emergency

Festivals Edinburgh have collated a range of case studies looking at different aspects of festival and event operations and communications into a publication titled Edinburgh: A World Leading Sustainable Festival City. These case studies help to illustrate what festivals are doing in response to the climate emergency as they work towards a net zero carbon future. This publication is designed to provide support and inspiration to other event organisers undertaking their own climate change journey.

Festivals Edinburgh's mission is to maintain and develop the city's festivals and the city's position both locally and globally.

As well as working to reduce emissions, it’s important to recognise and adapt to the evolving conditions we are all facing as a result of the climate crisis. 

You need to act in response to new weather changes in Scotland that will impact on the continued successful delivery of your activity.   

VisitScotland has prepared some practical advice to help tourism and events businesses with their approach to adaptation, which can help you manage these risks and perhaps identify new opportunities for growth and development. 

Other helpful sources of information and resources include: 

• A climate resilience checklist | PDF 1MB created by Adaptation Scotland. 
• The Adapting Our Culture Toolkit | PDF 1MB provides a framework for creating a climate adaption plan, which Culture Climate Scotland (formerly Creative Carbon Scotland) recommend all organisations have. 
• Read more about adaptation in our understanding net zero article.