Have you noticed that interest in sustainable practices is opening up business opportunities?
According to a PwC study, 8 out of every 10 consumers are willing to pay more for more sustainable products.
This shows that public perception of sustainability is changing. What used to be a differentiator has now become an obligation.
That’s why many companies want to show their commitment to the cause and are turning to ESG events to do so.
In this article, you’ll understand what ESG means for companies, what ESG events are, why to organize them, and how to put them into practice.
Get ready to start organizing events with sustainability, social impact, and active governance.
What is ESG?
Basically, ESG is an acronym that stands for Environmental, Social and Governance.
These terms indicate a set of practices that guide a company’s actions.
In other words, ESG companies are committed to always making responsible decisions — taking into account their impact on the environment, society, and internal management.
ESG: what does each pillar mean?
- Environmental: refers to actions related to sustainability, such as reducing emissions, waste management, energy savings, and conscious use of natural resources.
- Social: involves diversity, inclusion, employee well-being, respect for human rights, and community support.
- Governance: concerns transparency in processes. With this pillar, companies commit to corporate ethics, transparency, leadership structure, and anti-corruption practices.
In summary, ESG means integrating responsibility and ethics into business strategy. That’s why ESG practices also include how a company communicates and engages with its audiences through events.
Why create ESG events?
ESG events are important actions that translate a company’s ESG principles into practical experiences.
They show the audience the brand’s values and bring customers and sponsors closer. They also generate benefits such as:
- Strengthening institutional positioning;
- Reinforcing the company’s day-to-day commitment to ESG practices;
- Engaging employees, partners, and the community;
- Promoting environmental and social education;
- Expanding the network of relationships with other ESG partners and sponsors;
- Increasing brand reputation and attracting conscious investors.
In addition, organizing sustainable events aligns with several goals of the global ESG agenda, such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Brands that lead these initiatives can gain recognition and become references in the field.
Examples of ESG events at companies
- Workshops and seminars on ESG practices;
- Trade shows and events with sustainable suppliers;
- Hackathons focused on social-impact innovation;
- Corporate volunteering activities organized as events;
- Internal events focused on diversity and inclusion.
How to organize ESG events? 8 steps
Naturally, organizing ESG events brings environmental, social, and governance practices into every aspect of the event. That’s why you should pay attention to points such as:
1. ESG objectives for the event
First, define the theme and objectives of the event aligned with your company’s ESG strategy.
What has your company been doing? Does it make more sense to raise employee awareness, educate new people, or engage the ESG community?
In short, use your event as a way to strengthen and continue the ESG practices already established at the company.
2. Sustainable event format
How an event is held also communicates the company’s values. It’s worth going beyond traditional sustainable giveaways. You can adopt practices such as:
Reducing your carbon footprint
Small actions can help reduce carbon emissions. For example, encouraging meat-free coffee breaks or organic food options.
Besides valuing the regional economy, this choice can introduce different foods and practices into attendees’ lives.
It’s also possible to opt for online formats or live streams with speakers from other cities, reducing carbon emissions from travel to the event.
Another interesting idea is to promote offset actions, such as tree planting or donations to NGOs. This reinforces the environmental pillar of the event and its results can be included in the impact report.
Reducing waste
Avoid printing and physical materials whenever possible.
Provide support materials in PDF and use tools such as a digital check-in app for the event.
It’s also worth investing in a circular economy approach for decor and booths — reuse modular structures, rent sustainable furniture, and use recyclable or biodegradable materials. This can even help reduce costs!
Also create selective waste collection points at the venue, ideally in partnership with cooperatives to ensure proper waste disposal.
Speaking of partnerships, working with local partners boosts the regional economy and encourages support for small producers — results you can later highlight in your post-event report.
ESG technology
Use apps or interactive event platforms for quizzes, polls, and challenges on ESG topics during the event, helping you educate, measure learning, and generate engagement reports.
3. Relevant content
Any quizzes should be based on the event’s content, since that’s your greatest vehicle for transformation. Include specialized speakers and real case studies that show how ESG practices can be applied in companies’ daily operations.
4. Inclusive actions
Inclusion is one of the pillars of the “S” (Social) in ESG.
An inclusive event is also more relevant, generates greater engagement, and strengthens the company’s image as an agent of social transformation.
To stay aligned with ESG practices, remember to:
- Ensure accessibility of the physical venue (or digital platform);
- Promote representation of gender, race, and orientation among speakers and content;
- Provide sign-language interpretation, captions, and safe spaces for all audiences.
5. Event impact
Measuring the impact of an ESG event is essential to ensure transparency and continuous improvement, and to demonstrate commitment to ESG practices.
Measure your achievements with metrics such as:
- Environmental impact: amount of waste recycled, CO₂ emissions avoided, etc;
- Social: number of participants who benefited, gender and race of speakers/participants who presented work, speaker diversity, etc;
- Governance: satisfaction levels or feedback.
Besides helping improve future events, this data is valuable for institutional reports and communication with sponsors.
6. Strengthen the community
After the event, your brand will have even more visibility, so get involved in the community!
People engaged in ESG are usually part of a strong, active, and growing ecosystem, so it’s important to be part of these spaces. This will help you learn from other players, form partnerships, and expand the impact of your initiatives.
Look for forums, associations, and groups focused on sustainability, and consistently contribute quality content on the topic.
Also create a WhatsApp, LinkedIn, or Telegram group for your event to drive engagement, promoting connections during and after the event and encouraging collaboration among participants.
7. Use an event platform
As you’ve seen, organizing an ESG event comes with specific demands — for example, avoiding printed support materials and enabling online check-in.
This is easy when you have the support of an event platform like Even3, which lets you:
- Easily manage hybrid and online events;
- Offer online check-in in any event format;
- Make content available online even after the event ends;
- Send notifications and announcements through the event app instead of printed materials.
A good idea is to create an event portal for your company, so your audience knows where to find and register for your events safely.
8. Event calendar
Creating recurring events can be a great way to build loyalty among your audience and strengthen ESG practices at your company.
Every year, there are strategic dates that can serve as triggers for creating your events, so it’s important to build an annual event calendar.
It’s a good idea to make it available online, so your participants and staff can plan ahead to attend.
ESG agenda: 3 major ESG events in Brazil
If you’ve never attended an ESG event and want to get closer to the community, here are 3 well-known events to check out. Research speakers, reach out, and register for events with open registration to become part of the community.
FBGA: Brazilian Forum on Environmental Management
FBGA is considered Brazil’s leading forum on environmental management and sustainability, typically bringing together government, businesses, and civil society. It promotes integrated knowledge exchange across sectors, driving effective innovation in environmental practices.
EcoExpo Brazil
Latin America’s leading trade show focused on solid waste management, recycling, urban cleaning, and sanitation.
EcoExpo showcases the latest sustainable technologies and services on the market, highlighting practical solutions for the circular economy and urban infrastructure, and connecting suppliers focused on real environmental impact.
COP30: United Nations Climate Change Conference
One of the most important events for the environment will be held in Brazil for the first time!
The 30th edition of COP will take place in Belém (PA) in November 2025.
Basically, this UN event brings together world leaders to discuss climate targets, green financing, protection of the Amazon, and climate justice. Major ESG influencers should be present, representing civil society at the event and showing Brazil the leading figures in the field.
Ready to put ESG events into action?
It’s finally time to move your ESG event organization off the page!
Start turning talk into action within your company.
Count on Even3 to organize sustainable, inclusive corporate events with real impact.