If you’re looking to make your event as eco-friendly as possible, it can be quite a challenge. Catering, prizes, activities – there’s a lot think about.
In this guide, we’ll run through over a dozen tips for planning a planet-friendly event.
At MedalStudio sustainability is one of our goals. Our wooden medals are sustainably sources, with all excess wood feeding a biomass burner of a local farm. We also use sustainable packaging, and we aim to be a zero-waste manufacturer.
Planning and Booking
1. Set Measurable Sustainability Targets
Don’t try to take on the world. Instead, set two or three goals before you book anything. Like aiming to halve single-use plastic, divert 80% of waste from landfill, or cut printed materials to zero. A clear target gives you something concrete to report afterwards, which matters for sponsors and repeat events.
If you’re an annual event, setting the targets to be better than last year is a good way to do it. Trying to be 100% sustainable from day 1 can often be too hard on yourself and end up sacrificing the quality of your event. It’s better to be realistic about your goals and keep improving them year on year.
2. Choose a Venue with Green Credentials
Look for ISO 20121 certification, Green Tourism accreditation, or BREEAM ratings. These mean independently verified energy efficiency, waste management and water use. A transport-accessible location also reduces the largest share of total event emissions: attendee travel.
3. Put Sustainability into Supplier Contracts
Add environmental requirements to your RFPs and agreements. Ask about packaging, transport distances, waste handling and material sourcing. Suppliers who can answer those questions clearly are usually the ones already doing the work.
Sustainable Ideas for Food and Drink
4. Source Local, Seasonal, Plant-Forward Menus
Local sourcing cuts food miles. Seasonal menus cost less and taste better. Offering plant-forward options can reduce catering emissions significantly compared with meat-heavy alternatives. Right-size the order to avoid surplus, and arrange with a local food bank to collect edible leftovers.
5. Swap Single-Use Plastics for Reusables
Replace bottled water with refill stations and compostable cups. Switch plastic cutlery and plates for compostable or reusable alternatives. The UK’s Deposit Return Scheme takes effect in October 2027 with a 20p deposit on PET bottles and aluminium cans, so moving away from single-use drinks packaging now avoids a scramble later.
6. Set Up Staffed Waste Stations
Clearly labelled recycling and composting bins only work if people use them correctly. Consider stationing a volunteer at each cluster during peak times. Since March 2025, England’s Simpler Recycling rules require businesses with 10 or more staff to separate plastic, paper, glass, metal and food waste from general waste.
Staging, Travel and Energy
7. Go Digital-First with Communications and Signage
Digital invitations, e-tickets, event apps and projected signage eliminate printed materials entirely. Projectors also let you update messaging on the day without reprinting. Reusable name badges collected at the end are another quick win.
8. Encourage Low-Carbon Travel
Publish public transport routes, set up a car-sharing board, and offer secure bike storage. Attendee travel typically accounts for the largest share of total event emissions, so even small nudges here make a measurable difference.
9. Choose LED Lighting and Renewable Energy
LED lighting uses up to 80% less energy than traditional event lighting. Choose venues powered by renewables where possible and avoid diesel generators. For outdoor events, solar-powered stages and lighting rigs are increasingly available from UK hire companies.
Prizes, Awards and What People Take Home
We love medals and awards because it’s what people treasure after a great event or season. We take pride in producing our wooden medals and awards sustainably while still making them bespoke and high quality.
10. Choose Awards Made from Sustainable Materials
FSC-certified wooden medals have been used at major UK events for years. The Royal Parks Half Marathon has awarded wooden medals since 2008 and FSC-certified ones since 2012. Recycled zinc, recycled acrylic and recycled glass are other credible options, each with different weight, feel and cost profiles.
Our eco-friendly medals use FSC-sourced wood, manufactured in our UK workshop with offcuts going to a local farm’s biomass burner so nothing is wasted. They’re ready within two weeks of artwork approval, and our free design service means your event branding is built into the medal from the start. For corporate ceremonies, our wooden awards offer the same credentials in a presentation format.
11. Order to Actual Numbers
Surplus medals and goodie bags are waste before they leave the box. Order to confirmed registrations or realistic finisher projections, not optimistic attendance estimates. If your timeline allows, later-cutoff or on-demand production avoids the problem entirely.
If you’re unsure, speak to our team. We may be able to be on standby should you need a last minute order of extra medals.
12. Let Attendees Opt Out of Swag
Give participants the choice to skip goodie bags, finisher T-shirts or race packs. At the Royal Parks Half, 24% of runners declined a finisher T-shirt in favour of planting snowdrops along the route. Fewer, better, chosen items beat a bag of branded plastic.
Running a Greener Race or Mass-Participation Event
13. Replace Bottles with Refill Stations
Single-use water bottles are the most visible waste at running events. Switching to refill stations and compostable cups is an easy and effective change. For longer courses, position refill points at regular intervals and brief runners beforehand so they know to bring their own bottle.
14. Offer Eco Finisher Medals and Opt-Out Packs
Eco wooden medals make a lasting, personalised keepsake without the environmental cost of imported zinc or plastic. Let runners choose a lighter race pack or decline the T-shirt entirely. When runners retire medals from past events, organisations like Sports Medal Recycling and Medals4Mettle give them a second life.
After the Event
15. Measure, Report and Improve
A post-event sustainability audit turns good intentions into evidence. Track waste diverted from landfill, energy consumed and materials used. isla’s TRACE platform is purpose-built for UK events. Publishing your results builds trust with sponsors and attendees, and it is the most credible answer to greenwashing: measure it, reduce it, report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you give as prizes at a sustainable event?
FSC-certified wooden medals, recycled acrylic awards, recycled zinc medals or recycled glass trophies are all strong choices. Experience-based prizes like vouchers or charity donations in the winner’s name avoid physical materials entirely. Choose options with a verified supply chain rather than a “green” label alone.
Are wooden medals actually eco-friendly?
When sourced from FSC-certified forests, yes. The wood is renewable, lightweight (reducing transport emissions), and biodegradable at end of life. Our eco wooden medals are also manufactured with zero waste. For a full breakdown, see our guide to whether wooden medals are eco-friendly.
Does going sustainable cost more?
Often it costs less! isla’s 2026 materials report found that 789 measured events spent roughly £500,000 on disposing of single-use materials. Using fewer, better materials cuts waste and cost at the same time. Refill stations cost less than bottled water. Digital invitations are cheaper than printing.
Do I need ISO 20121 certification?
ISO 20121 is the international standard for event sustainability management systems, updated in 2024. It covers environmental, social and economic impacts. Larger events and corporate organisers benefit most from formal certification, but any organiser can use the framework to structure their approach.
Make Your Next Event Count
The most practical green event ideas are the ones you actually follow through on. Pick three or four from this list, set measurable targets, and report what happened afterwards. If eco-friendly awards and medals are on your list, browse our eco-friendly range or get in touch for a free design consultation.
For more ideas on sustainable celebrations, see our guides to eco-friendly party bag fillers and green fundraising ideas.
Updated: 07/08/2026