Venues of Excellence is supporting the Meetings Industry Association’s (mia) plastics pledge and has committed to encourage its members to eliminate single-use plastic from their businesses by 2025.
The membership organisation, which represents specialist meetings venues around the UK, joins a growing number of businesses and organisations in signing the mia’s #20PercentLess pledge.
As part of the #20PercentLess initiative, the mia asks organisations to commit to reducing single-use plastic by a minimum of 20% each year for the next five years to completely remove it from their business by 2025.
So far, the campaign has gathered widespread support from almost 60 conference venues, hotels and suppliers across the business meetings and events industry.
Venues of Excellence will now encourage its 52 member venues to sign the mia’s plastic pledge and extend the initiative further.
Stewart Elsmore, Chairman at Venues of Excellence, said: “Sustainability and reducing single-use plastic is a topic of vital importance to us here at Venues of Excellence, and something we urge all of our venues to take very seriously.
“Backing the Meeting Industry Association’s #20PercentLess pledge cements our commitment to this cause, and we look forward to working closely with the mia to make a real difference across our collection of venues.”
Jane Longhurst, chief executive of the mia, said: “We have been encouraged by the level of support our #20PercentLess campaign has gained from across the industry since launching it earlier this year and are thrilled to now have the backing of Venues of Excellence.
“The world’s reliance on single-use plastics is having a terrible effect on our planet and we are all aware that we must tackle the issue now. Small steps in any organisation can make a big difference, but by collaborating and tackling this issue together, we will have a greater impact and initiate change much quicker.”
The mia is encouraging every business and organisation in the industry to sign its #20PercentLess plastics pledge.
For more information about the campaign and to sign up to the campaign visit https://www.mia-uk.org/20PercentLess.