SETAC Europe 26th LCA Symposium

Ensuring Environmental Quality at SETAC Events

The SETAC Europe 26th LCA Symposium strongly emphasizes the use of sustainable initiatives in all aspects of the symposium. In addition to promoting engagement in discussions on sustainable practices, SETAC's mission is to support and facilitate the development of principles and practices for the protection, enhancement, and management of sustainable environmental quality and ecosystem integrity.

We are convinced that not only we should strive towards organising sustainable events, but that SETAC, as the organiser of large events, can play a role in having more sustainable products and initiatives in the meeting industry. Although the influence is sometimes limited, we think that every step is important. 

A sustainable event balances environmental, social and economic responsibilities. Our objective is to organise events in a way that minimises potential impact on the environment. 

When travelling to Gothenburg, consider not only thinking about the ecological footprint but also about the ecological handprint, being the positive impacts of our event for a sustainable future. Networking, collaborating and working together in our committed community can make a difference, both globally, in defining the actions of the future, and locally, with the impact on the local economy when bringing our meeting to Sweden. 

Initiatives

Destination: We advise participants travelling from Sweden and Norway to travel by train if possible. To reduce your environmental footprint, make sure you plan additional meetings during your stay in Seville to reduce decentralised travel during the year. The symposium venue is easily reachable by train, tram and bus. All major tourist areas are accessible by public transport.

Venue: The symposium is held in the Chalmers Conference Centre, which is dedicated to embracing sustainability efforts and taking environmental responsibility through various actions, as mentioned on its website.

The venue offers spaces for sustainable meetings and integrates sustainability into all aspects of its operations, from the purchase of raw materials and reducing transportation, to the use of sustainable electricity and the ongoing environmental training of staff. Chalmers Conference Centre has also been awarded an Environmental Diploma in accordance with Svensk Miljöbas.

Catering: The symposium is being held fully vegetarian, with additional vegan options being served. The local food provider, Chalmers Conference & Restaurants, prioritises organic, locally sourced, seasonal, and Fair-Trade-certified products for all meals. Numerous initiatives are set in place to avoid food waste, such as products being delivered in returnable packaging, and a robust waste management system being in place to recycle and reuse products. Furthermore, mineral water is provided and we encourage attendees to bring their own reusable bottles. Lastly, biodegradable cups and dishes are used to avoid all use of plastic.

Accommodation: We recommend all participants check whether a hotel is Green Key-certified. See more at the Green Key website (Green Key - The International Ecolabel for Tourism).

Delegate materials:

• The programme books have been considerably reduced in number of pages and we continuously lessen the unnecessary printed information by providing information on the online platform instead.
• All meeting announcements and invitations are electronic.
• Badges are eco-friendly and the lanyards are reused at future meetings.
• Flags and banners are reused every year.
• We use as much digital signage in the venue as possible and keep any printing fabric at a minimum.