Towards Zero Waste | Tomorrow.Building World Congress

We’re working towards creating efficient, inclusive and sustainable cities – so naturally, our events should lead by example. Started back in 2016, Towards Zero Waste is a dedicated sustainability initiative in line with the European Commission’s Circular Economy strategy based on use of fewer materials, reuse and recycling of products, and no food waste.

BETTER EVENTS FOR A BETTER WORLD

What we are doing to reduce our footprint

Planting trees for the planet

We support the reforestation initiatives in collaboration with Plant for the Planet, an organization that aims to raise awareness about the issues of climate change and global justice. Money raised from attendees’ donations help us plant thousands of trees for the Planting for Doñana reforestation project, which has already seen the successful planting of 1.388 trees.

Opting for circular decoration

All of our venue decoration is carried out using circular elements, including carpets made from recycled materials. We do so by repurposing the same structures that are used to assemble our modular stand packs when putting together our decorations. 1,503kg of material were reused in 2024.

Avoiding single-use plastics

Once again, we say goodbye to single-use plastics and instead offer biodegradable cuttlery and water fountains with reusable bottles. In 2024, these efforts avoided 38,000 single-use plastic cups.

Recycling throughout the venue

Special containers for separating waste are distributed throughout both halls of the event, with dedicated volunteers on hand to help visitors. In 2024, this led to no special waste left on the site.

Using less paper

In order to reduce our paper use, we exclusively use the event app for all the event information – last year’s edition hit 20,211 downloads. Visitors are able to access the venue with the Digital Badge found in the App.

Limiting food waste

Retrieved food is collected and donated to the NGO Nutrition Without Borders and distributed by community kitchens.

Supporting sustainable travel

We encourage visitors to get around Barcelona sustainably by offering a parking area for bikes and scooters and discounts on public transport.

Offsetting CO2 emissions

All emissions generated by the event are offset by buying Verified Emission Reduction Carbon Credits for sustainable projects. During our 2024 edition, 150 tons of CO2 were offset.

Our venue's commitment to green energy

The Gran Via Venue runs on 100% renewable energy, cutting 12,500 tons of CO2 annually, and hosts one of the world’s largest rooftop solar plants.