We are all responsible for creating a more sustainable future.

As a global membership organisation, we at FIDI Global Alliance acknowledge our own responsibility towards greater sustainability. This means changing the way we have done things in the past, one step at a time. We also recognize that this is an ongoing, long-term effort, and that we will make mistakes along the way.

The annual FIDI Conference is FIDI’s flagship event, a key moment in our community’s calendar. However, as an international event with attendees joining from across the world, our conference’s carbon footprint is substantial.

As part of FIDI’s commitment towards greater environmental sustainability, we commit to making the 2022 FIDI Conference as environmentally sustainable as we can. To achieve this, we are working closely with our partners to plan the 2022 FIDI Conference which will wherever possible reflect green event best practices. We also ask you to commit to following best practices during the event.

Below you can find some of the key actions we are planning to implement: 

Carbon footprint offset 

“Carbon offsetting” allows individuals and organizations to compensate for CO² emissions by supporting verified projects that reduce emissions somewhere else.

To compensate part of our FIDI Conference’s carbon footprint, we offer the possibility for each attendee to purchase a 10 EUR “sustainability ticket”. FIDI will match each voluntary contribution (i.e. FIDI will pay an extra 10 EUR for each “sustainability ticket” purchased). The collected funds will go to a project from the United Nations Carbon Offset Platform.

Hotel

The 2022 FIDI Conference is taking place at the Hôtel Martinez in Cannes. We are working together with the hotel team to achieve the following environmental objectives for our conference:

• The hotel will promote vegetarian, local and seasonal catering options in their menus.
• The hotel tries to minimise single use plastic items. For example, hotel key cards are biodegradable; only metal straws are used in the hotel; laundry bags are made of fabric; etc. 
• The hotel provides waste recycling bins throughout its venue for easy recycling and has recycling facilities on-site.
• Where possible, the hotel tries to avoid paper printouts and single use decorative items.
• The hotel will either donate left-over food or recycle its food waste.
• The hotel is partly powered by renewable energy.
• The hotel has energy efficient lighting, equipment and ventilation.
• The hotel has dual flush toilets and uses water efficient appliances.

The Hôtel Martinez is part of the Hyatt group. On their “World of Care” page, you can find the group’s sustainability commitments and policies.

2022 FIDI Conference on-site promotion & information material

• Where possible, we will use paperless technology and avoid paper print-outs. The 2022 FIDI Conference programme, attendees list, etc. will be exclusively available via the 2022 FIDI Conference app and website.
• We will try to source the most environmentally respectful option for any printed material and assets.
• We encourage our sponsors to also distribute their promotional material in a paperless manner and/or on recycled paper where possible.
• Where possible, we will re-use assets from previous conferences, such as roll-ups, lanyards and brochures.
• We have decided not to hand out conference bags to attendees at the 2022 FIDI Conference, but will provide a reusable water bottle, which we encourage you to use throughout the event. Water stations will be set up throughout the hotel for this purpose.  
• Our attendee badges will be printed on biodegradable material.

If you are attending the 2022 FIDI Conference, what can you do to help reduce the environmental impact of the event? 

• Try to find the most efficient transportation option to the conference location, and when possible, walk or use public transportation during the 2022 FIDI Conference
• Participate in the 2022 FIDI Conference carbon offsetting project by purchasing the voluntary “sustainability ticket” for 10 EUR per attendee. FIDI will match each voluntary contribution.
• Where possible, avoid using printed promotional material, business cards or plastic gifts for your fellow attendees – try finding digital or environmentally friendly alternatives!
• During your stay at the hotel, follow basic environmentally conscious best practices, for example: reuse your towels and decline housekeeping for the duration of your stay; avoid wasting water unnecessarily; switch off the air-conditioning (and the lights!) when you leave your room; where possible, choose the vegetarian option in the menu; etc.
• Where possible, avoid using plastic bottles or single-use plastic cups or containers.
• Use the waste recycling bins diligently (and don’t be shy to ask for help – recycling rules are very different from one country to another).
• If you – as an individual or in your company – follow specific or innovative environmental best practices, share them with us and your fellow attendees. Lead by example and share your experience!
• If during the 2022 FIDI Conference you notice something that we could do better or if you have ideas on how we could improve our event’s environmental impact, please let us know at admin@fidievents.org     

We are only at the start of our journey to reduce the FIDI Conference’s environmental impact. We will make mistakes along the way – but we promise to try our best. Please help us to make our conference a truly environmentally responsible event. By making small changes and taking responsibility for our actions together, we can make an impact.