Case Study: How GL events streamlined scope 3 data collection and reporting with Pledge

GL events UK is part of the global GL events Group, a leader in providing integrated solutions and services for live events, conferences, venues and exhibitions. With a presence in nearly 100 international offices across 20 countries and five continents, and supporting events that welcome 12 million visitors annually, GL events’ logistics infrastructure is vast and complex, requiring immense coordination and efficiency.

Sustainability has emerged as a key priority for GL events in recent years. With scope 3 emissions from logistics operations within its supply chain contributing a large proportion of its carbon footprint, there’s an increasing need to streamline operations and accurately report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This case study explores the key challenges GL events faced and how Pledge’s carbon accounting solution helped its supply chain team save time, ensure consistent data calculations and meet climate disclosure regulations.

Challenges

GL events UK faced several key challenges. One of the primary issues was dealing with disparate data across their supply chain, which made emissions reporting both time-consuming and unreliable.

“Our suppliers range from small local operators to large international hauliers, so collecting standardised data was never easy,” said Jamie Connolly, Sustainability Specialist at GL events UK. “We often received data in different formats, and consolidating it into something usable was a real challenge.”

Each of GL events UK’s seven business units manages its own supply chain, spanning a range of logistics partners, from international hauliers to small, independent operators. This diversity in suppliers created significant difficulties in consolidating transportation data into a standardised format. Gathering, organising and interpreting data for scope 3 emissions — covering both upstream and downstream transportation and logistics — was particularly demanding. Each supplier provided data in various formats, creating an added layer of complexity that made it difficult to create accurate, uniform reports.

Additionally, recalculating the company’s carbon emissions baseline was a complex and time-intensive process. Calculating scope 3 emissions required extensive manual calculations using the UK DEFRA emission factors. But, without standardised data from suppliers, GL events struggled to produce consistent results. 

“We were spending hours manually crunching the numbers, and there were always concerns about the accuracy of the data,” Connolly explained. “Data quality issues were a constant frustration, which really slowed down our reporting process.”

GL events required a solution that could not only simplify data collection but also ensure trustworthy, auditable results for regulatory compliance and internal reporting.

The demand for sustainable solutions as well as accurate and reliable data is continuing to change the way in which traditional business transactions are being conducted. Scott Jameson, GL events UK CEO remarked, “We are beginning to witness a real shift in client demands. Demands range from alternative sustainable solutions across our whole product range beginning at the first start of our value chain right up until post-delivery with the requirement to provide a carbon impact analysis of the event we have delivered. Pledge plays a pivotal role in capturing this data.”

Solution

Recognising the need for a streamlined, scalable emissions reporting solution, GL events UK partnered with Pledge. Pledge provided a solution designed to automate and standardise emissions data collection, calculation and reporting, offering several key benefits:

Time savings through data collection

Pledge’s platform consolidated logistics data across all suppliers, regardless of size or location, significantly reducing the time spent gathering and formatting information. Instead of manually sorting through disparate data sets, GL events could now collect transportation data in an automated way with a consistent format.

Accredited calculations

Pledge’s platform ensures that emissions calculations are reliable and adhere to industry standards. Its Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC)-accredited and ISO 14083-aligned platform calculates and reports emissions using an auditable and transparent process. This enabled the company to make meaningful comparisons between suppliers and track their carbon emissions with confidence.

Scalable across the business

The flexibility of Pledge’s solution made it easy to scale across GL events UK’s multiple business units. Whether a shipment was handled by an international haulier or a local logistics provider, Pledge’s platform supported all transport modes and provided comprehensive emissions data for each. This allowed GL events to gain a complete picture of its environmental impact.

Data-driven decision-making for emissions reductions

With Pledge, GL events could not only gather emissions data but also leverage it to make informed decisions. The detailed insights into the environmental impact of its supply chain helped the company identify areas for improvement and implement targeted emissions reductions across its operations.

Seamless onboarding and support

Pledge’s user-friendly platform and dedicated support made onboarding smooth and efficient. GL events quickly integrated the solution into their existing processes, with guidance available at every step of the way. 

“Pledge has been fantastic to work with. The platform covers everything we need, and their team was incredibly supportive during onboarding. It’s great to know we’re in the hands of experts,” Connolly said.

Results

Partnering with Pledge delivers measurable benefits for GL events UK, both in terms of sustainability and operational efficiency.

Transparent calculations that build trust

Pledge’s Accuracy™ and Clarity™ features ensure GL events can provide fully transparent emissions data to its stakeholders. This transparency helps build trust both within the company and with customers and suppliers throughout the supply chain. Stakeholders can now clearly see how emissions are calculated and the quality of the data provided, making the company’s sustainability reporting more robust and credible.

Reliable data for impactful emissions reductions

The data collected through Pledge allows GL events to produce detailed reports on carbon emissions for each shipment. These insights are crucial for calculating the company’s overall carbon footprint and identifying areas for improvement. With trustworthy data at their fingertips, GL events can confidently pursue emissions reduction initiatives within their supply chain.

Improved efficiency

By automating the carbon accounting process, Pledge eliminated many of the manual steps that previously bogged down GL events’ supply chain team. Data collection, calculation and reporting are now all automated, reducing the risk of human error and freeing up valuable time for other strategic initiatives. This not only improves internal efficiency but also increases the reliability of the company’s emissions data.

“As carbon accounting becomes a necessity for businesses, it is exciting to see a company like GL events putting in place a scalable, robust and audit-proof process for supply chain emissions calculation and reporting ” said David de Picciotto, CEO and Co-Founder of Pledge. “We’re pleased to be supporting them on their sustainability journey as they look to reduce the environmental impact of their supply chain.”

Conclusion

Looking forward, GL events UK plans to continue its sustainability journey, leveraging Pledge’s solution to further refine its emissions calculation and reporting processes and implement effective emissions reductions across its supply chain. By partnering with Pledge, GL events has made significant strides in creating a more transparent, efficient and sustainable logistics operation.

As the company grows and the demand for environmentally conscious events increases, GL events is well-positioned to meet regulatory demands, reduce logistics supply chain emissions and achieve its long-term sustainability goals.