Sustainability is your superpower

A council-owned venue operated by ASM Global, P&J Live is committed to being an environmentally and socially responsible business. We believe it to be the most sustainable venue of its type in the UK.

We have set up dedicated teams based on our key sustainability pillars (environmental sustainability, community and people) each driving actions to achieve set objectives, our strategy focusses on a series of commitments: our energy strategy, transportation, food and marketing, as we feel the biggest impact can be made here. 

Energy at the site, (including two on-site hotels), is supplied by a multi-technology, low-carbon energy centre, along with a state-of-the-art anaerobic digestion plant that produces gas from local food, distillery and crop waste.

On the transport front, we work closely with the city council and later this year expect to see the energy centre exporting hydrogen to power the city’s fleet of hydrogen buses that in turn bring guests to the venue – a perfect circular economy. We’re also a key stakeholder in a major regional EV infrastructure feasibility study.

We’re making some decent inroads on the food front as an active participant in the ASM ‘Guardians of Grub’ initiative, championing a reduction in food waste.

The building has separate waste segregation for recycling and food. All food waste is processed and composted locally, menus are based on seasonality and local suppliers are used wherever possible, helping reduce food miles.

We have several other initiatives forming part of our sustainability strategy, but one we’re especially proud of is promoting the use of new, environmentally-friendly display boards for our conference organisers and exhibitor clients – rather than ending up in landfill, these can be recycled and offer clients lower costs and improved logistics.

We’re obsessive about tracking data and use it help develop our strategy. Being part of the AEV sustainability working group, signing up to the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge and getting close to securing our Greener Venue certification help us maintain focus.

We also appointed Net Zero consultants, Positive Planet, to enhance and accelerate our sustainability journey. First up they have helped us measure our scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions to establish this all-important benchmark.

I believe we are on the front foot when it comes to sustainability and setting a strong benchmark for the industry.