ACC Liverpool has successfully hosted The Company of Biologists’ 100-year anniversary conference Biologists @ 100, demonstrating its commitment to sustainability in collaboration with event organisers. The event, celebrating a century of biological discovery, served as a model for environmentally conscious gatherings, highlighting the venue's dedication to reducing its carbon footprint.
The Biologists @ 100 conference attracted around 600 delegates from around the globe. The organisers were determined to host an event that not only showcased scientific excellence but also reflected a strong commitment to sustainability. ACC Liverpool, with its established sustainability credentials and proactive approach, was chosen as the ideal venue partner.
The Company of Biologists worked with the venue team to ensure the event was as sustainable as possible, running the event in a carbon neutral venue and sending zero waste produced at the venue to landfill.
The venue’s catering partners Sodexo Live! used Vegware for smart packaging and tableware. They also used Klimato carbon labelling on their menus to track the footprint of dishes served to delegates. The Company of Biologists asked ACC Liverpool to prioritise vegan and vegetarian menus to minimise their catering emissions. All waste produced was responsibly processed, with materials reused, recycled, or composted wherever possible.
The event’s carbon footprint was measured throughout the conference by ACC Liverpool’s operations team, using Greengage’s EVENTsmart calculator, with The Company of Biologists pledging to apply any lessons learnt to their future events.
In the run-up to the conference, the organising team visited ACC Liverpool to film a video aimed at educating delegates about the venue’s sustainability credentials. The video highlighted the campus’ carbon-neutral status, alongside features including the 925 photovoltaic panels on the roof of their exhibition centre, air-sourced heat pumps and on-site biodiversity, including resident bees!
The Company of Biologists also put sustainable travel incentives in place, awarding international delegates up to £150 towards any train journeys that replaced the use of transportation with a high carbon footprint such as flights. They also awarded £700 to the attendee who submitted the best blog post describing how they made their journey to the conference more sustainable. They had minimised offering giveaways and prioritised suppliers that use natural fibres or recycled materials over raw plastic. The Company of Biologists also had dedicated sessions in the conference based on climate change themes and spread awareness about the challenges that global warming is posing. They also had a sustainable zone where they continued to engage more people on climate change concerns. To see more about the sustainable strategy put in place, please read their blog post about it.
“We were delighted to welcome The Company of Biologists to Liverpool for what was a very successful event”, said Eddie Dos Santos, Director of Operations and Venue Management.
“Sustainability is a key driver for us, and we are committed to providing our clients with the tools and resources they need to host environmentally responsible conferences. This event serves as a testament to what can be achieved through collaborative efforts.”
The organisers of ‘Biologists @ 100’ praised ACC Liverpool’s proactive approach to sustainability. “The venue’s commitment to environmental responsibility was evident throughout the planning and execution of the conference, and we are grateful for their support in making this event a success,” said Jane Elsom, the event’s main organiser.
ACC Liverpool recently shared an impressive update on their sustainability journey and have announced ambitious new targets for 2025 in their sustainability strategy. Long-term efforts to reduce carbon emissions are continuing to pay off after the latest figures show that their carbon emissions have reduced by 12%, putting the organisation ahead of schedule in their goal to reach carbon zero by 2030.