Have We Moved the Sustainability Bar?

New survey data from American Express suggests that sustainability plays a supporting role, rather than a starring role, in business events.

The results of American Express Global Business Travel’s (AmEx GBT) annual Meetings & Events Forecast are in. What role does sustainability play now and into the next year in the work of the 600-plus meeting professionals across eight countries who participated in the survey? While it made it into the report’s top five takeaways, sustainability has more of supporting than starring role, although it’s something planners acknowledge is a growing expectation among their audiences.

Compared to five years ago, attendees want meetings to give them more visible sustainability measures (40 percent), like reducing plastics and using sustainably sourced food and drinks. The expectation is that events leave a positive legacy: social, cultural — and environmental. For 38 percent of organizations, this is now embedded in their meetings policies.

“Sustainability is a business and social imperative, but it is also personal,” Eloisa Urrutia, head of sustainability for AmEx GBT Meetings & Events, said in the report. “It’s emotive, drives loyalty, and inspires. Post-event surveys consistently show that well-executed sustainability ranks among the top drivers of attendee engagement.”

Taking a Backseat

Despite their audiences’ expectations that their events demonstrate sustainability, it isn’t a top priority for the year ahead for around one-third of respondents. Nearly three out of 10 said that improving sustainability initiatives and measuring “is still a pending item — behind reducing costs and boosting attendee engagement.” Respondents to Convene’s most recent Meetings Market Survey (results to be published in our December issue) also said that sustainability has taken a backseat to expense control, with several commenting that being sustainable can cost more.

Another gap when it comes to sustainability practices is measurement. Only one-quarter of respondents in the AmEx survey currently track CO2e emissions and only 28 percent said they will prioritize improvements to sustainability metrics in 2026.

Here are the sustainability practices implemented by AmEx survey respondents’ organizations:

•  38 percent said they have a sustainable meetings and event policy
•  34 percent are minimizing disposables and prioritizing sustainable materials and production.
•  One-third are offering sustainable F&B — local, seasonal, and plant-based.
•  31 percent are prioritizing sustainable venues — 23 percent said a key factor for destination and venue selection in 2026 is sustainability impact assessment.
•  30 percent implement waste-avoidance practices, which includes food donation.

When asked to choose among eight practices that they use in their meetings program, a majority (64 percent) selected defined sustainability goals. However, that was the least-often selected option. Chosen by 76 percent of respondents was meeting approval processes, followed by centralized staff for meeting planning and execution (73 percent). Other more popular practices included inclusion of virtual and hybrid meetings (68 percent) and inclusion and culture considerations (67 percent).

AmEx GBT recommends five action areas for 2026, and the fifth suggests using sustainability to increase your event’s appeal: “Think about how you can go beyond compliance to use sustainability as a creative and brand advantage. Use the latest technology-driven measurement tools to prove that doing good is also good business.”

“Companies are now evaluating events across three key metrics: return on investment, carbon impact, and return on experience,” according to Julien Houdebine, global chief sales & revenue officer for Accor, in the report. “Return on experience is a qualitative metric that seeks to answer the question — did the event deliver on the emotional needs of attendees?”

Convene Meetings Market Survey Responses

We also asked Convene’s Meetings Market Survey planner respondents how sustainability factors into their work practices. In response to the question of how their business model has changed in the past year, around one-quarter (26 percent) said they have invested in sustainability and DEI programs. Only 5 percent noted a decrease in their organization’s commitment to sustainability over the past year. Nearly eight in 10 say it has stayed the same and 19 percent said it has increased.

For most, sustainability is not top of mind when first designing their event program — only 18 percent said it is part of the event’s concept generation. The majority start thinking about it when the internal team starts planning the event, about six to seven months out. One-third has developed a clear sustainability strategy and plans, while more than half of respondents have developed initiatives or activities to drive sustainable impact. Including sustainability requirements in RFPs has grown as a practice, but that doesn’t necessarily signal deep investment. One in four have a formal sustainability policy, one in three have a strategy, and fewer have staffing or budgets dedicated to sustainability initiatives — and that’s where the rubber meets the road.

Here is what some Meetings Market Survey respondents had to say about their sustainability efforts:

“We’re starting small. Strategic F&B planning to avoid food waste. Annual gift bag full of swag is now a gifting suite so they can pick what they want. Adding more tactics year to year.”

“Over the last year, we’ve made sustainability a higher priority in our events by reducing single-use materials, moving more resources online, and choosing vendors who align with eco-friendly practices. We’ve also emphasized waste reduction, encouraged recycling and composting, and looked for venues with strong sustainability policies. These changes have helped us lower our environmental footprint while setting a positive example for attendees.”

Michelle Russell is editor in chief of Convene.

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