The environmental foundation provides an annual report on the level of risk to the survival of mankind due to the environmental pollution in Time of the Day, and Korea is 9:56 pm, warned of being in a dangerous situation. As awareness of environmental issues is increasing globally, there are more voluntary movements of protecting the environment regardless of the generation.

Alongside this trend is a trend of increasing requests for ESG management among companies, stressing that even the non-financial factors such as environment, social responsibilities, governance improvement, etc. must be considered for sustainable development. Companies were more focused on profit in the past, but ESG also focuses on how the companies make profit. We are now in the era where new consumers are considering not only the quality and the price but also the significance of consumption and the authenticity of the brand.

ESG, which has emerged as the keyword for business management, will also have an impact on the MICE industry. As ESG has emerged as an issue of survival for companies, eco-friendliness will also become an important issue in the MICE industry. There will be more attempts to increase energy efficiency in the relevant facilities such as hotels and convention centers, etc., including attempts to increase the eco-friendly factors by using recyclable exhibition booths in events and replacing printed materials and banners with digital contents, etc.

Due to the characteristics of MICE, there are many factors that run counter to the eco-friendly business, but there were continuous attempts to improve those factors into eco-friendly aspects. Such eco-friendly attempt may become one of the main trends in the MICE industry. 

One example of integrating eco-friendliness into the MICE industry is the "2019 ECO Fest in Seoul."

In the "2019 ECO Fest in Seoul," placards and banners were produced minimally, and mesh, corrugated board, and Tyvek materials were used to enable recycling. Tyvek banners were actually recycled into mats, with all the collected materials newly recycled for other purposes. 

In addition, participants to the "2019 ECO Fest in Seoul" were advised to bring multi-use containers, and cup, lunch box, tray, and spoon lending service was initiated at the site. Eco bag was provided to visitors who purchased products at the festival, including a self-packing table in an effort to reduce the use of disposable packing materials. 
The amount of garbage generated from the festival was announced after the event, and a total of 69kg garbage had been generated; this means that one visitor discharged about 14g of garbage. Compared to other events, the garbage volume was reduced to about 70%.  

In the "Asia-Pacific MICE Business Festival" held in April 2021, there was a keynote speech on "ESG Meets the MICE Industry."

Moreover, in the "4th Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific" to be held at the Suwon Convention Center on October 5~8, 2021, the event will be operated in an eco-friendly manner through zero paper, conference without disposable products, giving preference to eco-friendly vehicles, etc. 

Gyeonggi-do is continuing efforts to establish the eco-friendly MICE industry by including ‘Sustainability’ in the evaluation item when selecting the unique venue, so please look forward to what values can be created by integrating ESG with the Gyeonggi MICE industry!