Sustainability

The conference

The conference is dedicated to minimising its environmental footprint by adopting careful practices in energy and resource consumption. Our commitment encompasses the electronic circulation of meeting and marketing materials, a conscious decision to avoid unnecessary physical conference materials, and the selection of environmentally and socially responsible products. Additionally, we prioritise hosting meetings and social events in central locations, ensuring accessibility for as many delegates as possible. 

Some of the things CIPS does:

• Printed materials are kept to a minimum. We will not be printing a conference guide.  The full conference proceedings can be found on the digital platform.
• All marketing materials promoting the event are produced electronically.
• Conference registration is entirely online, and booking confirmations are electronic.
• Conference delegate badges made of paper (FSC certified) and no plastic badge wallets are used.
• We reuse conference lanyards where possible.
• We are working with sponsors and exhibitors to minimise materials they, or delegates, dispose of whilst at the conference.
• We will not supply single-use plastic water bottles.
• We are using reusable crockery instead of disposable coffee cups at the conference

Some of the things you can do, as a delegate:

• The venue is located in the city centre  – walk and explore the city, use public transportation or the city bikes instead of taking taxis.
• Calculate your carbon footprint using the WWF environmental footprint calculator. Whether you’re able to attend or not, it’s a great tool for tracking your impact on the planet and learning about what changes you can make to limit it.
• Please make sure to deposit your lanyard and badge in the reuse boxes provided at conference registration.
• Please follow the waste separation instructions at the venue.
• Be thoughtful about all conference-related printing that you do and aim to reduce this where possible.
• Pens and paper will not be provided to delegates to encourage the re-use of both paper and pens. Delegates should bring notepads made from scrap paper.
• Send fewer emails – research commissioned by OVO Energy in 2019 found that if each UK adult sent just one less ‘thank you’ email a day, it would save over 16,433 tonnes of carbon a year – the same as 81,152 flights to Madrid or taking 3,334 diesel cars off the road.

The Kia Oval 

The Club is aiming to reduce its carbon footprint by over 80% by 2030, with the remaining unavoidable emissions being ethically offset through certified carbon removal credits. You can read our Net Zero Pledge and find out more about the Club’s strategy to achieving it here.

The Club has set an ambitious target of reducing total CO2e emissions by 45% by the end of 2024. The initial focus will be on rapidly reducing the direct emissions that result from the Club and the running of The Kia Oval venue, this includes reducing electricity consumption, improving operational processes at the venue and increasing the quantity of recycling.

Surrey County Cricket Club and The Kia Oval are proud to have EcoSmart Gold Status, recognising our commitment to sustainability in all of our activities on the cricket field and in our hospitality & leisure spaces.

Below is a summary of things that have been implemented at The Kia Oval as part of our sustainability ambitions.

• During the 2021 Test Match vs India, the Club unveiled plans to make The Kia Oval a carbon neutral venue, with the first stage of the work – to understand the carbon impact the ground currently has – already underway.
• Every drink bought at the ground is served in a reusable, recyclable glass. Disposable pint glasses have not been used since 2015.
• All other drinks are either served in cans or decanted into reusable glasses or carafes from glass bottles.
• Fourteen water fountains have been installed around the ground to allow fans to refill their own bottles.
• Fans are allowed to bring empty refillable coffee cups and water bottles into the ground, which will be filled by all vendors around the Kia Oval.
• All electricity at the Kia Oval is generated from renewable energy.
• All conferences and events at the ground are serviced by filtered water in reusable glass bottles that are then retained, washed and reused for future events.
• Where appropriate, all food is served in compostable packaging and the ground has installed a comprehensive compostable waste stream, solving a problem where food waste would spoil large parts of the Club’s dry mixed recycling.
• The Club has instigated a procurement strategy focused on ensuring vendors sell products that have fully recyclable or compostable packaging.
• Kitchens at the Kia Oval use an ‘Orca’ machine which processes food waste into a liquid that be disposed of using the regular drainage system.
• The shop at the Kia Oval offers recyclable paper bags rather than plastic bags.
• Plastic straws and sauce sachets have not been used at the ground since 2018.
• The Club always seeks to partner with likeminded organisations and charities to allow us to constantly improve and innovate.