Kempinski Hotels has launched Responsible Meetings & Events by Kempinski, a program and tools that allow meeting planners and organizers to assess and reduce the environmental impact of events held at certified Kempinski properties.

Created by EarthCheck, a leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory group for sustainable hotels, destinations and tourism organizations, the program includes a suite of solutions created in response to heightened regulatory demands placed on event planners, as well as the growing environmental expectations of delegates. Its core tools are: VenueCheck, a meetings management system that provides organizers with a checklist of actionable items to help reduce the environmental impact of events, and EventCalculator, which accurately estimates their event’s carbon footprint.

“We are proud to be working with EarthCheck, our long-term sustainability partner, to launch Responsible Meetings & Events by Kempinski across our constellation of beautiful havens,” says Barbara Muckermann, chief executive officer, Kempinski Group. “By providing event planners with a framework allowing them to calculate the potential environmental impact of their events, we are empowering them to make positive changes to the world.”

As EarthCheck’s global launch partner, Kempinski has early access to the tools and will provide further input into their design and development. In line with the goals and objectives set out in the Kempinski Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Report 2023, Responsible Meetings & Events by Kempinski extends the company’s environmental initiatives to other stakeholders and helps them to meet increasingly stringent regulations around meetings and events.

Stewart Moore, founder and chief executive officer, EarthCheck, explains: “As regulatory frameworks in Europe and the US put the onus on event planners and venues to place more emphasis on delivering sustainable events, VenueCheck is a powerful tool enabling all stakeholders to be mindful of the impact they have and respond to those impacts accordingly. Moreover, delegates now expect their events to be environmentally responsible – they want to know their participation in an event is going to have a positive impact on the planet. Our new offerings equip our clients to meet these expectations head on, not just with compliance, but with leadership.”

Measuring and improving an event’s impact

VenueCheck provides hotels and other meeting venues with a verified sustainability management framework tailored to each individual meeting space within a property, allowing venue owners to assess and improve the sustainability of their event operations. Event planners will be able to determine an event’s impact based on the unique dimensions and other characteristics of the spaces used within the venue.

In order to participate in VenueCheck, hotels must already hold EarthCheck certification. At present, 43 Kempinski hotels have attained EarthCheck certification (seven are Gold certified, 21 are Silver and 15 are Bronze), while a further 17 properties have embarked on the certification process and are working towards Bronze.

EventCalculator provides an accurate estimate for an event’s total carbon footprint including energy consumption, water use and waste generation, based on third-party audited data from the property, as well as emissions from transportation, food and beverage consumption and accommodation. By breaking down the sources of these emissions, EventCalculator aids in compliance and reporting, while helping planners make informed decisions about how best to reduce their carbon footprint effectively. All emission calculations used in this process follow the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and IPCC Reporting Guidelines.

“Our new products are built on a foundation of over three decades of research and data collection across multiple sectors,” Moore says. This scientific approach allows our clients to not just meet but exceed their sustainability goals. It’s about providing actionable, evidence-based tools that turn the ideal of a sustainable event into a tangible, measurable reality. Having worked extensively with Kempinski to advise on sustainability and award a growing number of Kempinski hotels with EarthCheck-certified status, we are thrilled to be collaborating on this next step in the journey towards a more sustainable future for the global meetings and events industry.”

VenueCheck and EventCalculator are aligned with the recently refreshed ISO 20121 standards for Event Sustainability Management Systems. Verified hotels will be able to display an EarthCheck Responsible Venue and EarthCheck Responsible Event logos across their marketing materials and meeting and events venues, demonstrating their commitment to sustainability across all areas of hotel operations.

At present, 18 Kempinski hotels have achieved VenueCheck verification and an additional 12 are in progress. By the end of 2025, Kempinski hopes all EarthCheck-certified hotels will have enrolled in the program.