Partner With Innovators
We collaborate with forward-thinking organizations that help us advance our sustainability goals, amplify impact, and support those driving meaningful change.
Sustainability at Trellis Events
Sustainability is at the core of our events, not just in our content but in how we operate. We are committed to making thoughtful choices at every stage of the event planning process – from reducing our waste to addressing our carbon footprint to mindfully planning our meals. While we navigate the challenges of working within existing systems, we continuously push for progress, seeking innovative solutions that align our operations with our values.rnrnOur mission is to host sustainable events that not only minimize our environmental footprint, but also educate, inspire change, and empower our venue partners to advance their own sustainability practices. When you join us, you don’t just hear about sustainability, you see it in action, experiencing what’s possible when values lead the way.
Our Approach
Work Within and Beyond Existing Systems
We engage with venues and vendors to understand their capabilities, educate where possible, and advocate for more sustainable practices—pushing for change from within.
Measure, Adapt, and Evolve
We track key sustainability metrics, evaluate our impact, and continuously refine our strategies—recognizing that sustainability is an ongoing journey.
Our 2024 Impact
8.6k+
lbs Waste Diverted
25k+
kgCO2e Saved From Plant-Based Meal Swaps
1.7k+
Meals Donated
5.5k+
MTCO2e Offset
Minimizing & Addressing Waste
We are committed to reducing waste at every stage of our event by making intentional choices about the materials we use and how they are managed. We do this by:
- Implementing a Zero Waste policy for exhibitors to encourage sustainable booth materials and practices.
- Setting a goal of 90% waste diversion to move closer to a truly zero-waste event.
- Thoughtfully reducing materials by working with venues and partners, limiting unnecessary items, and prioritizing digital resources over printed materials.
Partnerships & Initiatives
Composting
In 2024, we diverted 25,678.5 lbs of organic materials to composting facilities with the help of our partners and local composting facilities.
Material Diversion
We work with venues, vendors and sponsors to ensure we are proactively minimizing waste. This includes providing a zero waste policy for exhibitors, choosing reusables wherever possible, and limiting printed materials.
We’ve historically partnered with companies such as Replenysh, Recology, GreenWaste, and Waste Management to assist with onsite waste sorting and recycling and help us achieve our goal of 90% diversion at each event.
In 2024, we diverted over 8,600 lbs of waste from the landfill through our partnerships and waste reduction efforts.
Food and Beverage Planning
We collaborate with culinary teams and partners to create meals that are sustainable, inclusive, and waste-conscious. We do this by:
- Prioritizing low-carbon, nutritious menus that are delicious and accessible to all attendees.
- Ensuring clear labeling for dietary restrictions and allergens to support informed choices.
- Designing meals & beverage stations strategically to minimize food waste through portioning and presentation.
- Partnering on food recovery to donate surplus food and compost unavoidable scraps.
Partnerships & Initiatives
Food Policy
We aim to make event meals plant-rich, inclusive, delicious, and low-waste by partnering with venues to create low-carbon menus that honor diverse dietary needs and minimize food waste, building on our 2023 Astrapto Food Waste Training.
Plant-based Menus
We’ve partnered with Greener by Default to integrate more plant-based options into our menus to reduce our food’s carbon footprint and encourage our attendees to participate in sustainable consumption while at our events.
By swapping most meat and dairy items on traditional menus with plant-based options, we saved ~25,636.3 kg of CO2e across our events in 2024 and supported our venues in designing more protein-rich and nutritious plant-based menu items to add to their restaurant and catering offerings for future clients.
Food Donations
Thanks to Copia, we donated 2,141 lbs (1,785 meals) to local communities near each of our events. In 2024, organizations included Hope 4 Phoenix (GreenBiz), Circle Foundation (Circularity), Samaritan Daytop Village (GreenFin), and Muslim Sisters Helping & Martha’s Kitchen (VERGE).
This work prevented 2,991 kg of CO2e from entering the atmosphere, all while feeding people in need.
Measuring & Reducing Our Footprint
We team up with reputable partners to track, reduce, and offset the environmental footprint of our events, focusing on carbon and water. We do this by:
- Tracking attendee travel data through our on-site event check-in system.
- Calculating the impact of travel and operations of our events.
- Offsetting as much of our event carbon impact as possible.
- Encouraging attendees to carpool and take local public transportation to our events.
- Offsetting estimated water usage with water restoration credits.
Partnerships & Initiatives
Carbon Mitigation
- In 2024, we offset 1,500 tons of CO2e through high quality carbon mitigation projects with CNaught. Learn more about our offsets here.
- We also collaborated with Evertreen to plant a tree for every attendee at VERGE 24.
- We’ve partnered with TRACE by Isla to calculate the impact of event travel and operations.
- We partnered with Zero Labs to decarbonize VERGE 24, obtaining 91 MWh of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs).
Water Restoration
Thanks to the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), we contributed to the restoration of 1,380,000 gallons of water to the Middle Deschutes River in central Oregon. Our contribution to this river helped to secure legal agreements and partnerships to keep water in the Middle Deschutes River and ensure environmental and social benefits.
Continuously Improving
We recognize that sustainability is a journey, not a destination, and we are dedicated to continuous learning, improvement, and innovation. By embracing more responsible practices, educating and learning from our venues and partners, and fostering dialogue within our community, we aim not only to grow our initiatives but also to inspire others to join us in building a more sustainable future for the events industry. Want to collaborate with us on sustainability initiatives? Contact sustainability@trellis.net.
