Innovate Canada 2023 – Oceans is Destination Canada Business Events’ second carbon-neutral event! Keep posted for updates as we continue to incorporate exciting new sustainability initiatives.

making innovate Canada 2023 carbon-neutral

Now in its fourth year, the Innovate Canada program has a proven track record of highlighting the cutting-edge work taking place across Canada’s leading economic sectors and the value that comes from connecting an event’s purpose directly to the strengths of the host destination.

As of this year, the impact of Innovate Canada is expanding through Destination Canada Business Events’ leadership in event sustainability. Starting in May with Innovate Canada 2023 – Advanced Manufacturing, these events will be carbon neutral and planned with sustainability at the forefront of every decision. Check out the resources below to access our full sustainability report from our past event as well as our video.

An iterative process, lessons learned will continue to be incorporated into sustainability plans. Measures to reduce, track and offset the carbon footprint will serve as benchmarks for future events and important case studies for Canada’s first business event sustainability plan. Click here to learn more about this plan, which already has 16 destinations engaged and learning how to reduce the carbon footprint of their own events.

Our sustainability Goals

  1. To be Carbon Neutral
  2. Set Standards for Future Events
  3. Inspire Change 

Sustainability in Action at Innovate Canada 2023

Here are just a few of the steps we are taking to make Innovate Canada 2023 – Oceans a carbon neutral event:

  • Make sustainability a dedicated agenda item during each internal planning meeting between Destination Canada Business Events, its event contractor, and Partners
  • Prioritize venus and restaurants implementing sustainable practices, and highlight those practices to attendees 
  • Serve local and seasonal menus prioritizing vegetable options
  • Prioritize reusable materials while minimizing the use of single-use plastics
  • Walk to venues with a 20-minute or less commute and provide group transportation for longer distances
  • Offset carbon emissions for all client and staff travel
  • Use the innovative TRACE software to track our carbon footprint and set benchmarks for subsequent events
  • Increase attendee awareness around the sustainability initiatives we are taking to reduce the carbon footprint of this event (e.g. through daily newsletters, web content and social media postings) and what they can do to further reduce their individual footprints and support sustainable development

These initiatives (and several others) are each aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Based on learnings from the first carbon neutral event, efforts have been focused on the goals and specific sub-targets where the greatest impact could be made. Click on the images below to learn more about the actions being taken at Innovate Canada 2023 – Oceans:

Building a Sustainable Business Event Ecosystem in Canada

Aligned with the mission and vision of the plan, Canadian cities from coast-to-coast-to-coast have joined the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index) — the world's leading sustainability performance program for business tourism destinations around the world — at the close of 2022.

The GDS-Index cements Destination Canada Business Events’ position as a global leader in business event sustainability and positions Canadian destinations as changemakers accelerating progress toward the industry's 2050 net zero targets.