Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), the premier global developer and operator of flagship shopping destinations, has become the first UK venue to become a member of isla – a non-profit organisation focusing on a sustainable future for brand experience and events.
As part of Westfield’s membership, the retailer will follow isla’s ‘proseed’ – a universal framework for the event’s industry that simplifies sustainability, providing practical guidance, information, and solutions to event businesses.
‘Proseed’ will also act as a framework to benchmark sustainability performance for event deliveries against best practice which Westfield aims to enforce as a wide-scale guideline for all its future events and partners.
As part of their membership, Westfield also will participate in training modules centred around sustainability and implement isla’s ‘TRACE’ tool – an all-encompassing event carbon measurement and waste tracking tool.
Westfield will also join working groups across a variety of industries to collaborate and tackle climate challenges in addition to sharing knowledge and expertise.
Grace Charge, head of brand experience for UK and Europe at URW said: “Here at Westfield we are thrilled to be working with isla, a brand that aligns with our Better Places 2030 strategy and our commitment towards a sustainable future so perfectly. Isla’s action-focused tools and framework is a truly effective way to combat the ever present climate crisis through enforcing zero waste, 100% renewable energy and targeted carbon reductions across our partnerships, events and experiential activations. Joining isla’s membership and the vital resources they provide, demonstrate Westfield’s responsibility to delivering events that have a sustainable and positive impact moving forwards.”
Anna Abdelnoor, isla’s co-founder commented: “Westfield joining isla’s action-driven network is a demonstration to their clients and the public that the group are actively committed to achieving their sustainability ambitions. Embedding isla’s resources and tools, Westfield can begin to standardise their processes, leading the way in ensuring that the brands they work with are held accountable for delivering responsible events within their venues too.”
Launched in September 2020 in an effort to transform the event industry, isla’s focus is to provide solutions to challenges faced globally by organisations in relation to climate change by supporting and helping them implement a Zero Waste policy. Using 100% renewable energies with targeted carbon reductions, the overall ambition is to build a circular economy and reduce carbon emissions.
The membership will enable Westfield to strive towards its Better Places 2030 Strategy which focusses on minimising environmental impact to create a safer environment for its shoppers and retailers. For more information, visit www.urw.com
