PortuguêsSustainability for events, festivals, venues and hotels Measured, reduced, proven.
The road to sustainability.
We measure the carbon footprint of your event, venue or hotel, prepare your ESG report and reduction plan, and help you communicate only what the data proves. Backed by over 10 years in large-event production.
A free PDF estimate of your event's footprint.
What changed for decision-makers in events and hospitality
Since 27 September 2026, the EU ECGT Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/825) bans generic environmental claims and offset-based "neutral" claims in the countries that have transposed it. Portugal and Spain are behind on transposition, but their unfair commercial practices laws already prohibit misleading claims.
Large sponsors, and many public funders, ask for emissions data for their own reporting. A line on your website no longer covers it: they want numbers, boundaries and sources.
An environmental label can only be displayed if it rests on a certification scheme with independent verification. For hotels and venues, programmes such as Green Key or ISO 20121 now carry more weight than any in-house logo.
The biggest emission sources (energy, logistics, waste, food) are also budget lines. When one goes down, the other usually follows.
Carbon footprints, ESG reports and reduction plans
We work with festivals, venues, corporate and sports events, agencies, sponsoring brands and hotels. Book a single service or the full cycle, edition after edition.
Measure
Event carbon footprint under the GHG Protocol (Scopes 1, 2 and 3): energy, fuel, audience travel, artists and production, accommodation, food and drink, materials and waste. Includes an audience travel survey, anonymous by default. Emissions inventory for promoters, venues and agencies: from a single event to a season or the whole year.
Report
Sustainability and ESG report aligned with GRI and ESRS E1, with a maturity scorecard by area. Data pack for sponsors and funders, in the format they can ask for, with clear boundaries and sources. Versions for your board, your sponsors and your audience.
Reduce
Decarbonisation plan with per-attendee-day targets, costs and timeline, and a 1.5 °C-aligned reduction pathway. Plans by area:
- energy: grid, generators, HVO, batteries, sizing
- waste and circularity: sorting, reusable cups, returns, concessionaires
- food and drink: menus, food waste, suppliers
- mobility: audience, artists and crew
- suppliers and procurement: environmental criteria in contracts and tenders
Communicate
Green claims review across your website, ticketing, sponsor decks and press releases: what you can say, in which words and backed by what. Copy and data for communicating your edition, your report and your reductions.
Certification readiness
Green Key for hotels, guesthouses, campsites and conference centres (Portugal). We prepare the application: eligibility, gap analysis, evidence file, staff training and audit readiness. Green Key is an international FEE programme, run in Portugal by ABAAE. ISO 20121 for events and venues. ISO 14064-3 verification of your footprint, carried out by an independent body we help you appoint. In every case, audit and certification are done by independent third parties.
Financial sustainability
What each measure saves on energy, waste and logistics. What carbon may cost on diesel and road transport under the new EU carbon market (ETS2). Which public funding and EU programmes fit your case.
On site
Site visits: pre-event diagnostic, live data during the show, materials and waste at strike. Training for production, bar and cleaning teams on data collection and new practices.
Formats and pricing
Footprint & Sustainability Report
One edition measured, report, scorecard and next-edition roadmap.
Annual sustainability programme
Report, reduction and waste plans, ongoing support, sponsor data; billed monthly.
Venue programme
For year-round venues, by capacity.
Green Key Ready
Green Key application readiness (hospitality, Portugal).
Site visit
Pre-event diagnostic, show-day and strike support.
Team training
Production, bar and cleaning teams: data collection and new practices on site.
Tailored plans and projects
Decarbonisation, waste, financial sustainability, ISO 20121, organisational inventory.
The report fee is credited if you move to the annual programme within 60 days.
Six steps, from first conversation to communication
On an annual programme the cycle repeats every edition, starting from the previous plan.
Diagnostic
A close look at how your event really works.
Before measuring, we learn how the event runs: site, power, bars and catering, suppliers, transport, accommodation, contracts, and what has already been said to audiences and sponsors. We meet your production team and, where it matters, walk the site.
You get: an initial diagnostic with priorities and communication risks.
Plan
Work and data plan.
We set the calculation boundary, the data needed, who provides it and when, and the audience travel survey. We collect data in the formats your team already uses (spreadsheets, forms, invoices, photos), with no extra load on production.
You get: a data plan with owners and dates.
Calculation
Carbon footprint under the GHG Protocol.
Scopes 1, 2 and 3, using public, cited emission factors (DESNZ, ADEME, Ember). Every number carries its source, year and quality: measured, calculated or estimated. Gaps are flagged, never hidden.
You get: the total footprint, by category and per attendee-day, compared with published benchmarks on the same boundary.
Reporting
Sustainability and ESG report.
Aligned with GRI and ESRS E1, a maturity scorecard by area and a data pack for sponsors and funders.
You get: the full report, a board summary and data ready to share.
Improvement plans
Next-edition roadmap.
Plans by area: energy, waste, food, mobility and suppliers. Each measure has its estimated impact, cost, saving and owner. Targets are set per attendee-day, so editions of different sizes can be compared.
You get: a plan production can actually deliver, with targets and deadlines.
Communication
What to say, and the proof behind it.
We review your green claims and prepare copy and data for your website, ticketing, sponsors and press, within EU rules.
You get: approved messages, each with its evidence, and a list of what not to say.
Report delivered within weeks of receiving the data.
Data-driven, not greenwashing.
Three lines that read as greenwashing on event and hotel websites, and what replaces them once there's data.
Illustrative examples. This is technical guidance, not legal advice.
About us
Sustain.events is a sustainability agency for events, festivals, venues and hospitality, based in Portugal and working across Europe. We combine hands-on production experience with measurement based on declared methods and sources, so every decision and every claim has a number behind it.
Mission
To give decision-makers in events and hospitality the data, the plan and the proof to cut their environmental impact and communicate it accurately.
Vision
An events industry where every green claim has a verifiable number behind it and every edition emits less than the one before.
Values
Proof before promises.
We only say what the data shows, and we ask the same of our clients.
Field first.
Recommendations have to work at 4 a.m., in the rain, in the middle of strike.
Open method.
Every number has a source, a year and a quality rating. What we don't know is flagged.
Independence.
We measure and prepare; certification always stays with third parties.
Results that pay back.
We prioritise the reductions that also save money.
Marcelo Teixeira Rossi
Founder
Marcelo Teixeira Rossi is the founder of Sustain.events. He is a Chemical Engineer with over 10 years in operations and sustainability for large events: Rock in Rio, Glastonbury, Burning Man, Boom Festival, Universo Paralello and Waking Life. He co-founded Circular Unity, a climate tech platform for events, and was its CPO. He knows how a stage goes up, how a generator is run and how waste gets sorted at 4 a.m.
Where we fit
Self-service tools
They give you a calculator. We collect the data, run the numbers and hand over the plan, at a fixed price.
Generalist consultancies
They work for companies with offices. We work with temporary cities: audiences, attendee-days, generators, camping.
Certification
Certifiers assess. We measure and prepare; certification always stays with an independent third party.
Carbon Quick Scan: start with an estimate
Answer 10 questions about your event: type, country, audience, days, camping, energy, transport and catering. You'll get a PDF by email with your likely footprint as a range, a comparison with similar European festivals and the 3 levers that matter most in your case.
It's an estimate to help you decide where to start. To communicate your footprint to audiences or sponsors, it has to be measured with real data from the edition.
Frequently asked questions
Rules and claims
Do the new rules apply to my event or hotel?
It depends on the country, on what you say and to whom. The ECGT covers claims made to consumers, tickets and stays included, in the countries that have transposed it. We map your case technically; for a legal opinion, talk to a lawyer.
Can I call my festival carbon neutral if I offset?
Not on the basis of offsets. You can communicate your measured footprint, the reduction against the last edition and, separately, a climate contribution to named projects.
Do you sell carbon credits?
No. If you want to support climate projects, we help you set criteria and communicate that contribution separately from your footprint.
Does the CSRD apply to us?
Since Omnibus I (Directive (EU) 2026/470), the CSRD only covers companies with over 1,000 employees and over €450 million turnover, which leaves most events and hotels out. Sponsors that are in scope will ask you for data, and that's where we come in.
What changes at the bar and in catering?
We help plan cups, returns and concessionaire contracts.
Service and method
Do you certify my event or hotel?
No. We measure, plan and prepare. Certification and verification (ISO 20121, Green Key, ISO 14064-3) are done by an independent body. Whoever prepares you shouldn't certify you.
Which standards do you use?
GHG Protocol for calculation; GRI and ESRS E1 for reporting; ISO 20121 for event sustainability management. Emission factors come from public sources (DESNZ, ADEME, Ember) and are always cited.
What if we don't have data?
That's the usual starting point. We begin with what exists (energy and fuel invoices, catering contracts, ticketing) and fill the gaps with estimates labelled as such. For the next edition, data collection is planned from day one.
How much work is it for our team?
Very little. Data collection is as automated as we can make it: simple Google Sheets templates your team fills in during production, plus invoices and photos sent as they are. We do the sorting. All we need is one contact in production and access to invoices and contracts.
How do you measure audience travel?
With a travel survey, anonymous by default, sent through ticketing or run on site, cross-checked with ticket origin data where available. Travel is usually the largest share of a festival's footprint.
How long does it take?
The report is ready within weeks of receiving the data. When data planning should start depends on the event: its size, the number of suppliers and what is already measured. We set the timeline in the diagnostic.
Do you work with small events?
Yes. The Quick Scan is free and the report starts at €3,500 + VAT for events up to 5,000 people.
Do you come on site?
Yes: pre-event diagnostic, presence during the show and strike follow-up. Pricing is on proposal, based on days and travel. We go by train where we can and combine visits.
Do you train event teams?
Yes. We train production, bar and cleaning teams on data collection and new practices, on site or remotely. Pricing on request.
Where do you work?
Portugal and Spain first; the UK and the rest of Europe remotely, with site visits where they make a difference. Green Key preparation is Portugal only.
Pricing and contracts
How much does it cost?
The report has a fixed price by event size, from €3,500 + VAT. The annual programme starts at €590/month and the venue programme at €450/month. The Quick Scan is free.
Can I start with a report and move to the annual programme?
Yes. If you switch within 60 days, the report fee is credited. The programme is an annual contract billed monthly, with an 8% discount if paid upfront.
Data and privacy
Is our data protected?
Yes. Each client's data sits in a private folder, audience surveys are anonymous by default and we sign a data processing agreement (GDPR) with every contract. We only publish anonymised data in benchmarks, with your consent in the contract.
Let's talk about your event or hotel
Email hello@sustain.events or book 20 minutes with Marcelo. We reply within 1 working day.