The University of Padua as a virtuous example in the realisation of sustainable events

The results of the fifth and final year of activity of the Protocol of Understanding on Green Public Procurement (GPP), the agreement signed in 2019 between the Veneto Region, the University of Padua, the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, the University of Verona, the IUAV University of Venice, Unioncamere del Veneto and ARPAV, with the aim of pursuing the environmental objectives set out in the National Action Plan for sustainable consumption in the PA sector and encouraging the transition towards the circular economy, are now available online.

These are two documents, drafted by two different working groups, and approved during the Regional Council’s deliberation on 4 June 2024..
I testi riguardano rispettivamente The texts respectively concern the entrusting of the service of supply and installation of urban and outdoor furniture products, in the first case, and the organisation and realisation of sustainable events, in the second case.

Both documents take up the main and most important elements foreseen by the CAM (Minimum Environmental Criteria), constitute an action in support of the Regional Strategy for Sustainable Development, and are related to the actions in support of Goal 12 of the 2030 Agenda (MACRO AREA 6, Line of Action 5).

With the “GPP and sustainable events” text, available on the Veneto Region’s website, the second working table deepened the themes contained in the Ministerial Decree of 19 October 2022, developing in particular the indications for contracting stations.

The document is structured in three sections:

1. introduction to the theme of events with respect to the commitments undertaken with the 2030 Agenda and to the provisions of the PNRR. This first part concludes with a focus on the international certification for events ISO 20121;
2. an in-depth look at the topics of sustainable set-ups, packaging, waste management and the circular economy, the environmental impacts of an event and life cycle analysis, and the communication aspects of a sustainable event.
3. instructions for contracting stations contained in the Ministerial Decree of 19 October 2022 on the “CAM for the service of organisation and realisation of events.”, with some in-depth information on sector certifications.

To complete the second section, among the virtuous examples of entities committed to respecting the sustainable chain of event organisation and realisation, the University of Padua is mentioned, which within the framework of its own sustainability policies, organically included in the UniPadova Sostenibile project and formalised in objectives in the Sustainability Commitments Charter, has implemented since 2018 a series of measures aimed at conveying the values of environmental protection, promotion of inclusion, equal opportunities and social justice.

In 2023, the university also embarked on a path to develop a sustainable and certifiable organisation model for events organised by the university.
The project, for which internal competences such as the Centre for Quality and Environmental Studies of the Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering and the university spin-off Spinlife were called upon to provide support, saw a first phase, which took place between August and October 2023, aimed at assessing the state of conformity of current practices in the organisation of events at the University of Padua, specifically during the Inauguration Ceremony of the Academic Year – the case study chosen for the investigation – in relation to the requirements and guidelines contained in the international standard ISO 20121:2012 “Event sustainability management systems. Requirements with guidance for use’. In the next step of the project, which is currently in progress, the analysis conducted on the Inauguration of the Academic Year will be applied to four other institutional events of different types organised by the Communication and Marketing Area. This process will serve to elaborate a standard model with a set of guidelines for the sustainable organisation of University events that is functional for obtaining certification and valid for all the structures of the University, so as to make available to the entire academic community (and beyond) a tool that facilitates the integration of the sustainability dimension in all the events and initiatives organised.