The IW Chamber of Commerce Expo – Carbon Audit Initiative

In July 2024, Alistair Chisholm accompanied the IW Mission Zero Business Hub as a committee member at the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce Expo. To engage meaningfully with fellow exhibitors, it was agreed that conducting a carbon audit of the event would be a valuable and proactive step.

Event audits typically reveal that the majority of emissions come from travel — both from exhibitors and attendees. With this in mind, we surveyed exhibitors to gather information on how far they had travelled and what modes of transport they used. Using this data, we calculated an average travel distance to the venue, layered with island-wide population spread and up-to-date statistics on transport usage, to estimate the likely carbon emissions generated by the event attendance.

The process gave us useful insight into how future audits could be made even more accurate — particularly by collecting travel data from all participants during the event itself.

Beyond the audit, the event provided a fantastic opportunity to connect with a wide range of Island businesses, many of whom expressed real enthusiasm and commitment to sustainability on the Isle of Wight.

To read the report click here