Sustainability and resource use
Sustainability questions for event suppliers
You want your suppliers to support your resource objectives, but you do not know what to ask or what to do with the answers.
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The short answer
Send each supplier a short written question pack before you book: what they can measure, what they can share, what they can reuse or take back, and what they say about any certification. Record each answer as stated by the supplier, with the date and who gave it.
A supplier's statement is not verified evidence. If you rely on a certification, ask for the document and the issuer, and check with them. Keep answers in the evidence log and use them in any wording reviewed through the claim review.
Ask only what you will use
Match each question to an objective you set in sustainability objectives. A question with no objective behind it creates work and nothing to do with the answer.
Keep the pack to a page for each supplier, with a reply date, so answers can be compared before you decide.
Questions by supplier type
| Supplier | Questions to ask | What you record |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | What resource data can you share for our dates? How are waste and recycling handled? What may we fix to walls and floors? Can you store items between events? | Written answers; what the venue will report and when |
| Caterer | Which counts will you share after each service? What do you do with unserved food? Which items can be served in reusable ware? | Counts agreed; handling as stated by caterer |
| Printer | Can you print small runs on request? Which paper and finishes do you offer? Do you reuse or recycle offcuts? | Quote lines; materials as stated |
| AV and staging | Can you reuse backdrops or panels? What can be delivered once instead of per day? Who takes packaging away? | Items and delivery plan as stated |
| Signage and exhibition | Which materials can be reused, taken back or modular? Can you provide a coded item list? | Item list, codes, take-back terms |
Handling certifications and claims
- If a supplier mentions a certification or standard, ask for the document, the issuer, the scope and the validity dates.
- Do not describe a supplier as green, low impact or holding a certification in your own materials unless the document supports exactly that wording.
- If a claim concerns law or regulation, treat it as a question for a competent adviser and record it as such.
Sequence
- Pick the questions that link to your objectives.
- Send the pack with the request for quotation and a reply date.
- Log each answer as stated, with source, date and any attached document.
- Compare answers alongside price and capability, noting where an answer was not given.
- Write the commitments you accept into the supplier requirements or contract.
Worked example · Fictional example
Comparing two caterers for a conference
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
A fictional institute sends the same six questions to two caterers. One agrees to give portions ordered, served and left over after each service, and to serve coffee in reusable cups. The other offers counts only for lunch and will not discuss unserved food.
The institute records both answers as stated and does not verify either. It weighs them with price and menu, chooses the first caterer, and writes the agreed counts and reusable cups into the contract.
Use this yourself
Supplier sustainability question pack
Copy this list into your request for quotation and adapt it to the supplier. Record answers as stated.
- What resource-use data can you share for our event, in what form and by what date?
- What do you do with unused food, materials or packaging after our event?
- Which items can be reused, returned or supplied as reusable alternatives?
- Can you provide a coded item list with quantities for signage, staging or exhibition items?
- Do you hold any certification or standard that you rely on? Please give the document, issuer, scope and validity dates.
- What are the venue or supplier rules that limit our choices, such as fixings, deliveries or storage?
- What would you not be able to do, and what would you need from us?
- Who is our contact for these answers and who confirms any changes in writing?
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- You work with a few suppliers and a secretariat that can send, chase and log written answers.
- Your objectives are few and clear.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Many suppliers or venues need comparable answers.
- Certification or legal wording needs competent review.
- Supplier requirements, contracts and reporting have to match across a larger programme.
Want supplier questions written into the requirements?
An Event Blueprint can turn the question pack into supplier requirements for each workstream, with reply dates, a comparison sheet and the log. Certification and legal questions are listed for the competent party. Send the suppliers you are considering and the objectives you have set.
Questions organisers ask
Should we verify what suppliers tell us?
Record it as stated. If you plan to rely on or repeat a claim, ask for the supporting document and have it reviewed before use.
What if a supplier does not reply?
Log it as no answer received, and weigh that with the other factors. Do not assume what the answer would have been.
Do we need a sustainability policy from every supplier?
No. Ask only what links to your objectives and what you can use in a decision.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.