Events and exhibition design specialists Ignition, formed in 2007, are based in Bristol and also have a US office in Indianapolis. Ignition has been an industry leader from day one when it comes to sustainability, thanks its founding ‘anti build-and-burn’ ethos. As well as holding industry standards ISO 20121 – Sustainable Events Management (since 2012), ISO 14001 – Environmental Management (since 2010) and ISO 9001 – Quality Management (since 2014), Ignition became the first-ever events company to receive The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development in 2020. The company forms part of Istoria Group, a collective of creative agencies and an accredited B Corp.
The Ignition team designs and delivers hundreds of exhibits and events each year, across four continents and with a 100% success rate, communicating key business messages for clients to target audiences with precision, originality and style. As well as offices and warehouses in the UK and USA, we have global partners in Asia and South America, meaning we have the skills and teams, as well as the local knowledge and accreditations, to deliver your project flawlessly, wherever in the world it’s located.
Sustainable thinking forms part of our everyday culture. For each exhibit we build, we start with sustainability and carbon reduction in mind. We carbon-track each show and report the findings to our clients. For clients who exhibit at several shows each year, we offer a reconfigurable exhibition stand kit with a lifespan of 5-10 years, which can make a significant impact on reducing the carbon footprint of exhibiting. For clients not looking for a modular kit, we offer a ‘made for metamorphosis’ approach, adapting components for a different use after an exhibition has ended – think garden shed, reception display, events backdrop or pop-up shop! We’re also currently designing a new lightweight exhibiting kit, made from sustainably-sourced, 100% recyclable materials to rent out to smaller clients.
We work across pharmaceutical, biotech, energy, beauty, aerospace and defence, as well as technology, media and culture and we have won, been commended or shortlisted for over 30 awards globally for our creativity, business leadership, team management – though particularly for our environmental initiatives.
Internally, we vet new suppliers on environmental standards and we connect regularly with existing suppliers to ensure they’re working to the same sustainable principles. We try to purchase from fellow B Corps where possible, and encourage suppliers to achieve ISO standards. Where cost-prohibitive, we knowledge-share pro-actively, inspiring other organisations to be more sustainable through practical ‘how to’ keynote presentations by our CEO at local and national congresses, which seek to educate and engage with stakeholders on sustainable initiatives, emission- and waste-reducing activities and reducing the industry’s carbon footprint. We also post knowledge-sharing articles on our website.
We are carbon neutral for scope 1 and 2 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and aim to be completely carbon neutral by 2030. Our targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative and we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint by 10% annually. We now publish an annual impact report to maintain B Corp status – a great way to keep us accountable and to link KPIs to improvement areas. We strive to change perceptions and help others protect the environment and reduce their costs. We believe sustainability is essential, not a luxury.
We offer creative collaboration and a powerful partnership model, which includes passing on cost savings. Why not find out what we could achieve together?
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Author: Adam Parry
Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.
