On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of attending the Made Possible Festival 2025, hosted by isla at the Barbican. At Bright, we’ve been proud members of isla for a few years now, but this has been my first isla in-person event since I joined earlier this year.
It was an inspiring day packed with practical insights, real-world examples, and forward-looking strategies for embedding sustainability into events. Here’s a quick rundown of my key takeaways from the day.
Start with your suppliers.
A recurring theme throughout the day was that being sustainable isn’t a one-person job. It needs to be built into the fabric of every project from the outset through every part of the supply chain. To truly create a sustainable event, you have to think about every part of the supply chain and get everyone on board towards a collaborative goal.
What does this look like?
Briefing suppliers early on sustainability goals so it’s part of the core project, not an afterthought
Considering the full lifecycle of materials. What happens after the event matters as much as what happens during it.
Engaging clients throughout the lifecycle to support circular and responsible design.
One company that got a shoutout at the festival were SpaceCube who build modular, reusable and sustainable structures for events. They’re one to watch, a company I’ll be looking into myself, and a great example of how being innovative with your design can have a positive impact.
Transparency is key.
Carbon tracking was one of the hot topics of the day, and rightly so. If you’re not measuring and reporting on your impact, how can you know you’re actually making one? As isla members the team at Bright already encourage our clients to use tools like TRACE to help start the conversations earlier, and drive better decisions.
What does this look like?
Starting carbon tracking in the planning phase. The earlier you can have a clear idea of your impact, the sooner you can act on it.
Sharing carbon data with your clients and letting them know where the best reductions can be made.
Acknowledging that tracking adds workload but it also adds value both environmentally and financially.
Collecting and reflecting on your data to build a roadmap for continuous improvement.
Focus where it counts.
One of the most important messages from the day: don’t just aim for what looks sustainable, go for what actually is.
While audience & staff travel account for 56% of event emissions, that still leaves 44% from other sources which can be addressed and changed.
For example, catering accounts for 7% of event emissions, and 98.6% of that comes from the food itself, not the serveware. So while compostable cups are great, switching to a plant-based menu will have a much larger impact on making your event more green (no pun intended).
Getting ready for new Legislation.
Sustainability isn’t just good practice, it’s increasingly becoming a legal requirement. I recommend delving into each of these in your own time, as this blog would be way too long. But here’s what’s on the horizon:
The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is widening its reach to all non-EU companies generating over €150 million in the EU by 2027.
It’s likely we’ll see a draft this year of the UK’s new Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS), and it’s expected to be aligned to the CRSD to make trade within the EU a lot smoother.
In an attempt to rid marketing of greenwashing, as of last month, if you aren't following the UK Green Claims Code and are seen to be misleading about your environmental claims, you can be fined up to 10% of your turnover or £300,000 - whichever is higher. So make sure to check all your marketing materials!
Final Thoughts
The Made Possible Festival was a fantastic opportunity to connect, learn, and be inspired. When it’s released to the public, I highly recommend reading Isla’s Temperature Check Report 2025 which was shared on the day. It’s a must read for anyone who is looking to future-proof their event strategies and gives a solid overview of the data and challenges facing the industry.
In the meantime however, going through the 2023 report is a great place to start as the content is still relevant today, and does (unfortunately) show that we’re still having the same conversations two years later.
