Business Climate Guidance Case Study: 15Hatfields

Since opening in 2008, 15Hatfields has been committed to sustainability and carbon impact reduction. London’s most sustainable conference and event venue is the first to be certified by the NQA Sustainable Development Management Scheme.

On average, 15-20% of food at events is wasted, and single-use plastics are commonly used. The company sought to solve this issue with a ‘no bottled water’ policy within the venue. 15Hatfields is also a key champion for the #OneLess campaign which strives to end single-use plastic culture, alongside its own #MakePlasticHistory initiative. Its partnership with WRAP’s Guardians of Grub campaign also means there is virtually no food waste either.

Furthermore, 15Hatfields has picked its partners carefully to ensure they share the same common goal to reduce the amount of waste in hospitality. For example, its catering partner, Eden Caterers, avoids waste by using an onsite anaerobic digester. More than 90% of the venue’s hot water is provided by rooftop solar panels. LED bulbs used throughout the venue consume ten times less energy than halogen bulbs. All electricity is from 100% renewable sources, and lights in the washroom and kitchen are motion-sensitive to further reduce energy-use.

Key drivers:

• Ethos: Since launching, 15Hatfields has strived to be a sustainability industry leader, reducing its climate impact by working with its supply chain and events partners.
• Leadership: 15Hatfields consciously aims to be the best in this space, creating a ‘Guide to Running a Sustainable Event’ for its network.
• Cost: Taking climate action has allowed 15Hatfields to reduce its costs, achieving a 50% reduction in utility bills due to energy saving devices.

Challenges:

• Hygiene and safety requirements: Successfully adapting measures during the pandemic without sacrificing on sustainability.
• Behaviour change: Events delegates are key to achieving sustainability objectives and 15Hatfields encourages different behaviour when bringing in new practices.

Benefits:

• Supply chain: Developed close relationships with suppliers, such as TerraCycle, a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials. This avoids any waste going to landfill (whereby unrecyclable waste is used for energy recovery).
• Efficiency: Signage previously required the use of flimsy floor stickers in high footfall areas, which needed to be replaced regularly. This has now been replaced with heavy-duty mats and digital signage to reduce waste.

Read the Hospitality framework