An independent study comparing the carbon emissions impact of on-site vs. virtual events, commissioned by 6Connex and conducted by WSP — a leading engineering and consulting firm, indicates that in-person events would have generated an average of 40 times more emissions than their virtual counterparts.
“We’ve always known that by virtue of our products we are uniquely positioned as catalysts for a greener future. Virtual events, after all, naturally produce drastically lesser waste and lower carbon emissions compared to their in-person counterparts,” said Ruben Castaño, CEO of 6Connex, the leading global enterprise platform for virtual and hybrid events. “But we wanted to take that a step further and uncover just how much carbon emissions are avoided from virtual events hosted in our platform in an effort to champion a core value we have as an organization — contributing to a better world through sustainability.”
WSP, a world-renowned engineering and professional services consulting firm, conducted the research in the Spring of 2021, on behalf of 6Connex. The organization known to help some of the biggest companies in the world understand their environmental impact and structure greener solutions analyzed seven unique 6Connex-hosted events from 2020.
“We are always excited when companies come to us to help launch their sustainability programs. Witnessing organizations take on the responsibility of climate action never fails to leave us inspired. 6Connex is one of these inspiring organizations,” said Ron Feingold, Project Director of Sustainability, Energy, and Climate Change for WSP. “6Connex’s technology enables companies to make impactful strides towards sustainability. We are proud to be supporting 6Connex to assess their carbon footprint and we are honored to be a part of the journey they are trailblazing in the virtual technology space,” he continued.
The most significant carbon emissions would have been generated by the travel to and from the events, which were attended by an average of 6,900 people. For purposes of determining the length of travel, WSP assumed an equivalent on-site event would have been located in the city where the event organizer is headquartered. Events would have taken place in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and even one international location, Greece.
Edited by Maryssa Gordon, Senior Editor, Price of Business Digital Network
