'It’s better to create your own standard'

ESG is gaining in popularity and is increasingly influencing business operations in the entire conference chain. However, the sector-specific interpretation of these regulations is still being developed. By acting as stakeholders in live communication today, businesses can ensure a workable, collective transition, according to Angelique Lombarts and Elvira Wilthagen.

Last year, Angelique Lombarts wrote an article entitled ‘ESG is here and is here to stay’ for Conference Matters international. The title makes it clear that introducing European regulations regarding environmental, social and governance is irreversible. Businesses have to record their ESG policy and report on it annually with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directives (CSRD).

The exclusive this year is for listed companies. From the 2025 financial year, all large companies are obliged to publish an auditor-approved report in accordance with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) on top of their usual financial report. In this case, a large company has to meet at least two of the following criteria: have a net turnover of more than €50 million, have more than €25 million on the balance sheet and/or have 250 or more employees. In 2026, the listed SMEs will also be obliged to report.

 

“First, there’s chain liability, which means that companies obliged to report can request information from their suppliers’ ESG policy,” says Angelique Lombarts

 

Getting started as a chain

This year, Lombarts urges companies and organisations that do not fall into the above-mentioned categories to get started immediately. “First, there’s chain liability, which means that companies obliged to report can request information about their suppliers’ ESG policy. At some point, it will surely become a requirement for doing business.

There’s another important reason for chain partners to act now,” says Wilthagen, together with Lombarts, founders of consultancy organisation ELAN - ESG in Hospitality. “The general regulations have almost been finalised, but there’s still a lot of development to be done in the sector-specific interpretation. This is definitely a challenge in hospitality because you’re talking about a whole range of very different activities. If you act now, you can still have a lot of influence on the final sector-specific interpretation. It’s better to create your own standard than to have to conform to the general rules.”

This also applies to individual companies in the chain, Lombarts and Wilthagen explain. The ESG transition—if you call it that—isn’t just a learning curve. As a leader, you can help establish the standard.

“I’m convinced that this also has business advantages,” adds Lombarts. “Companies will be more likely to do business with you, especially the younger generation, which often prefers to work with a B Corp certified company. That’s certainly an advantage given the current tight labour market.”

VenueNL Sustainability Initiative

In the Netherlands, ELAN is co-initiator of the VenueNL Sustainability Initiative together with GSES, developer of an international sustainability performance monitor, and meeting platform, Publique. From November 2024, a number of leading Dutch conference locations will be measuring their sustainability efforts. It’s a multi-year project with a focus on collective progress. It assesses which of the ten theme-specific standards in the ESG/CSRD benchmark the participants are jointly making progress, not who is the most sustainable.

 

ESG is based on a wide range of existing legislation

 

Existing legislation

The first takeaway from this initiative is that companies already have a lot of the information they need, but it hasn’t been organised yet.

In addition, assuming that companies will face completely new regulations is a misconception, as ESG is based on a wide range of existing legislation. To support this statement, Wilthagen and Lombarts follow up with a spontaneous summary: “minimum Energy Label C for non-monumental buildings, GDPR, HACCP, provisions in various collective labour agreements, the whistle-blower scheme, CESOP, etc.”

Even more important is Lombarts’ preferred topic: the number of women CEOs. Since the gender quota hasn’t changed much in practice, the Netherlands has had the Diversity Quota and Targets Act since 2022, which states that at least one third of the supervisory board must consist of women and at least one third of men. “In our country, the quota is limited to the supervisory boards of listed companies. In that regard, the Netherlands still lags behind bordering countries Belgium and Germany,” Lombarts notes.

There’s no legislation yet, but the ELAN founders describe a development that throws a shadow: ‘true pricing’. The aim is to show the hidden costs of products and services by factoring their impact on the environment and society in the purchase price.

“That could come into play when a participant considers coming to a conference. Does the price justify what I get from participating in the conference?” explains Lombarts.

 

'Ultimately, ESG is about developing structures and identifying opportunities and risks,' says Elvira Wilthagen

 

Paper tiger?

“Ultimately, ESG is about developing structures and identifying opportunities and risks,” says Wilthagen. “It’s all about better business operations. At the beginning, I also found it difficult to fully understand the ESG instruments, but now I see that they’re very cleverly put together.”

Regardless of how logical and intelligent ESG is, the possibility of a new paper tiger, or in this case, a digital one, looms. “Maybe it feels that way in the first few years,” Wilthagen answers. “But once it’s set up, it’s not too bad.”

She compares it to the introduction of HACCP, which she had to deal with as a general manager in the hotel industry. “At first it was quite a hassle, but then the checklists and useful tools arrived. Now it’s automatic in the sector.”

Code of conduct

If a company wants to get started with ESG, drawing up or updating its Code of Conduct is an excellent first step. To their surprise, the founders of ELAN discovered that many companies don’t do this.

“You could say that it’s at the core of your business operations. What do we stand for? How do we treat each other? You need to have a shared awareness of that,” says Lombarts.

“And it’s low-hanging fruit,” adds Wilthagen. “You can use online examples from similar companies as a basis. You’ll still need to check with employees about any changes or additions to your code of conduct. You have to do it together. However, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel, which applies to many things. There are many ways to record certain things.”

Important conference themes

For the conference industry, transport, catering and printing are important themes that should be at the top of the agenda. Such themes address how participants get to the conference as well as how to prevent food waste and unnecessary printing, the pair say.

Scope 3 CO2 emissions, or indirect emissions, often include these aspects, which are caused by the business activities of other businesses, such as airlines. However, organisers can influence the situation, which is why a policy should be implemented.

According to Lombarts and Wilthagen, it starts with a preliminary inventory of the participants, how they’re travelling and what time they’re arriving. “For example, you can share a ride. And you can roster your people better if you know which time slots will be the busiest.

Asking in advance how many participants plan to eat and what they want to eat helps reduce catering waste significantly. They can also order a meal, but must pay for anything additional. For example, you can spend the extra income on a donation, which will increase the acceptance rate. The most important thing is that you always explain why you’re asking or doing something, so that you can include participants in your objectives.”

“Even when it comes to conference information and promotional material on the stands, it makes sense to ask in advance how participants prefer to receive their information.”

Work-life balance

A final theme Lombarts and Wilthagen want to address is work-life balance, part of the ‘s’ in ESG. Organisers and planners are high up on the list of stressful professions, and to keep the profession and the sector attractive for the new generation, a targeted policy is an absolute necessity.

“Suppose absenteeism at your company is 10 percent, while the sector average is 4.9 percent. Then you really have some explaining to do,” says Lombarts. “It’s essential to understand how things work within your business. You need to be able to measure work-life balance, record how you can monitor this, and explain what you’ll do to improve it as a company.”

The same goes for governance. Make an inventory of your impact on the outside world and how you can contribute to society and your immediate environment. “You also do this together with your most important stakeholders,” Wilthagen and Lombarts conclude.

 

“If you act now as chain partners, you can greatly influence the final sector-specific interpretation,” claim Angelique Lombarts and Elvira Wilthagen of ELAN – ESG in Hospitality.