Getting Started with the Sustainability Ladder for Events
The City of Arnhem is a member of the Events Sustainability Ladder (DLE): a tool for organizers who want to make their events more sustainable, inclusive, and future-proof, step by step. Whether you’re organizing a small neighborhood festival or a large, multi-day event, the Ladder helps you make choices that fit your scale, impact, and ambitions. On this page, you can read about what the DLE entails and how you can apply the model in practice.
What is the Events Sustainability Ladder?
The Events Sustainability Ladder is a practical tool that allows you to demonstrate how sustainable your event is based on specific criteria. These include waste reduction, reusable tableware, transportation, energy, accessibility, and supplier choices. The model was developed by Green Events and brings together more than 50 sources and input from over 25 industry experts. This creates a reliable, accessible overview of knowledge and practical tools.
How does the DLE work?
The Ladder consists of several steps. Each step includes requirements or recommendations within themes such as waste, energy, food, mobility, and inclusion. The higher the step, the more far-reaching the measures. Consider, for example:
- Waste & Materials: Reusable tableware, circular procurement, sorting, and reduction.
- Energy: use of green electricity, smart generators, energy calculations.
- Mobility: promoting public transportation and cycling, planning for heavy traffic.
- Food: vegetarian options, local suppliers, reducing food waste.
- Accessibility: facilities for visitors who require assistance.
- Water & Sanitation: waterless urinals, water-saving features, clean facilities.
Organizers submit a plan in advance and demonstrate, either during or after the event, which measures have been implemented. In this way, the Ladder helps ensure that evidence and agreements remain transparent.
Download the Events Sustainability Ladder (PDF) here.
The call for a clear checklist of sustainability measures comes from both event organizers and municipalities. Harmonization is needed to prevent uncontrolled proliferation.
Arnhem Focus: Energy and Accessibility
Arnhem uses the Events Sustainability Ladder as a basis for setting priorities. In the coming years, the focus will be on two themes that have a significant impact on the quality and future-proofing of events: energy and accessibility.
1. Energy: Toward Zero-Emission Events
Arnhem is working toward a cleaner and more reliable power supply for events, using the DLE as a guiding framework. Previous research into energy consumption during Arnhem festivals formed the basis for new projects, including Zero-Emission King’s Day. Together with Connectr, the city is exploring how knowledge and solutions from the construction sector—such as battery storage, smart control systems, and zero-emission equipment—can be applied to temporary activities in the city center. A current example is the use of the trolley grid for zero-emission construction, which offers valuable insights for making events more sustainable.
2. Accessibility: Events for Everyone
Accessibility is one of the social themes within the DLE and is receiving special attention in Arnhem. The municipality wants events to be accessible to as many people as possible, regardless of disability or specific needs. This means working on physical accessibility, inclusive communication, and a safe visitor experience from the very first stage of design. By systematically incorporating accessibility into permits, discussions, and support, it naturally becomes an integral part of professional event organization.
💡Tip: You can find more information about organizing accessible events—including a checklist for each job role—on the Accessibility page.
The Sustainability Ladder makes it easy and straightforward to make events more sustainable. By actively using this tool in our municipality, we provide organizers with practical guidance on how to turn challenges into opportunities. By collaborating with other municipalities, we pool our knowledge and experience so that, together, we can create events that inspire and contribute to a sustainable future.
DLE in Practice
The Quick Scan
The City of Arnhem is implementing the DLE in phases, in collaboration with organizers of both large and smaller events. For example, the city has developed its own quick scan based on the thirteen DLE themes. Organizers can use this document to get an initial idea of how sustainable and accessible their practices are.
The quick scan aligns with the goals set out in the 2022–2026 coalition agreement: raising awareness, local and circular procurement, and a 60% reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2026. You can find more background information on the page Event Policies and Regulations on the Arnhem municipal website.
Download the Sustainability & Accessibility Quick Scan (version dated June 27, 2025)
Best Practices & Examples
More and more venues and festivals in the region are adopting sustainable systems and new ways of working. These examples show how the DLE themes play out in practice and what steps organizers are already taking.
💡Tip: Need more inspiration? You can find even more examples of effective sustainability policies in practice in this overview article.
And now it's your turn!
As an organizer, do you want to get started right away? Start small and choose one theme that will make the biggest difference for your event. This could be energy, waste, materials, accessibility, or something else that fits your venue and attendees. Many organizers discover that becoming more sustainable is mainly about practical choices, not major investments. Think about using reusable materials, managing electricity more efficiently, or improving accessibility on your grounds. From there, you can build toward the next step.
More information?
Do you have questions about the Sustainability Ladder for Events, or would you like to discuss how to apply it to your event? Please feel free to contact:
- Manon Cornelissen – Events Policy Advisor, City of Arnhem
manon.cornelissen@arnhem.nl - Pim Coenen – Events Advisor, City of Nijmegen
p.coenen@nijmegen.nl