Read about the progress taken since 2018 which resulted in the creation of an accelerator programme for event sector SMEs, and opportunities ahead of COP27.

Race to Zero is the UN-backed global campaign rallying non-state actors – including companies, cities, regions, financial and educational institutions – to take rigorous and immediate action to halve global emissions by 2030 and deliver a healthier, fairer zero carbon world in time.

As of February 2022 It mobilizes a coalition of leading net zero initiatives, representing 67 regions, 1049 cities, 5,227 companies, 1039 educational institutions, 441 financial institutions and over 3,000 hospitals from 52 healthcare institutions.

‘Accelerators’ commit to transformationally amplifying membership in The Race to Zero and spreading awareness of The Race through consistent messaging and events.

As of February 2022 there are 13 Race to Zero Accelerator programmes including: The Consumer Goods Forum, The Information Technology Industry Council, GSMA and Bankers for Net Zero.

For more details on credibility of this initiative please read the Help Accelerate section.

Prior to June 15th 2022, you were committing to:

1. To halve your greenhouse gas emissions before 2030

2. To achieve net zero emissions before 2050 (Fyi as of December 2021 the over 90% of the 160 event sector commitments gathered had committed to net zero by 2040)

3. To disclose your progress on a yearly basis

After June 15th 2022, The Race to Zero Criteria was updated so there is now a ‘starting line’ to be met. This means there is a criteria which you commit to before your sign up.

Starting line’ criteria lay out common procedural requirements for all individual members to meet, below which members cannot fall if they wish to join and remain in the campaign. Known as the 5 P’s, these criteria require members to Pledge, Plan, Proceed, Publish and Persuade.

There are 6 steps and you will receive an email directing you to resources for each step. These resources include recorded webinars, PDFs, measurement tools and more. Some resources are tailored to the event sector.

There are 3 stages to the sign up process. First you will sign up as a Positive Impact ambassador, second you will make your net zero commitment with Positive Impact, and finally on the SME Climate Hub Page.

The first stage exists so you can be supported in using your voice to champion the creation of a sustainable event sector. It also means if you get stopped in making your commitment we can follow up and empower you.

The second stage exists so your commitment can be tracked as being from the event sector. This stage made it possible for us to say in December 2021 that over 2% of Net Zero commitments within The Race to Zero are from the event sector.

The third stage is so that your commitment is registered with a Race to Zero partner - in this case SME Climate Hub.

This accelerator programme is tailored to SMEs. Making a net zero commitment and receiving free resources will build your capacity to deliver in line with The Net Zero Events Pledge.

Yes you commit to disclose your progress on a yearly basis, however there are currently no requirements on how you do so.

In the first step of this programme you will receive resources that will help you understand the right terminology to use.

We recommend you become a Positive Impact Ambassador and make the most of the capacity building opportunities within this community which will empower you to make a net zero commitment.

Yes, more than one individual can sign up through the Positive Impact website.

Watch this video to get an understanding of how to make your commitment and register it with SME Climate Hub.

We’ve put together a page all about SDG 13: Climate Action which contains a number of resources relating to carbon.