22live has become one of the live entertainment industry’s first suppliers to achieve the AGF (A Greener Future) Greener Supplier certification. This certification underscores 22live’s commitment to environmental sustainability and the company’s proactive efforts to reduce emissions and waste across its operations and services.
The AGF certification is an independently verified acknowledgment of our green credentials, helping events, venues, festivals, and tours easily identify green suppliers. This recognition will save both suppliers and clients time and resources in evidencing their commitment to sustainability. 22live’s journey to certification involved a thorough assessment of its practices in various key areas of environmental sustainability, including:
- Energy Management
- Food & Beverage Sustainability
- Transportation Efficiency
- Waste Management Practices
- Water Conservation
- Plastics & Packaging Reduction
- Social Responsibility
- Hazardous Materials Handling
- CO2 Emissions Reduction
The accreditation process took approximately six months, starting from having little information held to reaching a point where we could confidently demonstrate its credentials. 22live enlisted the help of HR Consultant, Claudette Barker-Dix to help the team achieve this goal. While the team knew it was doing its best to reduce, reuse, or recycle, the company lacked the necessary proof.
Claudette began by reviewing what 22live had in place and implementing some changes, followed by completing the initial questionnaire with AGF, which highlighted areas the team needed to work on to provide evidence. The most time-consuming task for her was collating the information required to calculate our emissions for the year. This involved gathering data from all aspects of 22live’s work, from suppliers and purchases to logging the weight of our waste and the mileage on the company van and everything in between. Additionally, the drafting relevant policies and procedures and reports to support ongoing efforts was crucial, as well as much discussion on targets and how we move forwards.
This journey is not an easy, quick or straightforward process. It has involved a steep learning curve and a growing awareness within the company about the importance of sustainability. 22live has implemented various initiatives to foster this culture of environmental responsibility, including planting a tree for every new employee.
Paul Timmins, 22live Hire Director, commented: “It was August 2023 when I took the call and was asked if we would consider applying for the AGF accreditation. A year on and we are delighted to be one of the first suppliers in our industry to receive this certification. It’s enabled us to look at our operation and deliver audio rental in the most sustainable way possible. People do care about this and as hire director I hope artists and management recognise what we are doing and make good choices in terms of audio supply in the future.”
