“Do you track key sustainability performance indicators (e.g. energy, waste, travel)?”
Why this question matters
Many businesses are already making positive changes, but without tracking anything it’s difficult to know whether those changes are actually reducing impact or just sounding good in principle.
Tracking a few simple indicators helps you:
- See where the biggest impacts really are
- Make practical decisions (for example, reducing travel or waste where it matters most)
- Answer client and venue questions with confidence
- Avoid vague claims in sustainability statements
- Show improvement over time
This isn’t about complicated reporting. A basic record is enough to meet the intent of the benchmarking question.
What you should be tracking
You don’t need dozens of metrics. For most wedding businesses, three areas are enough to start:
1. Travel
This is often the largest impact for planners, photographers, celebrants and stylists.
Track:
- Miles driven for weddings and meetings
- Approximate number of journeys per event
- Whether travel was solo or shared
Why it matters:
Travel is measurable, and small changes (combining meetings, planning routes, remote consultations) can reduce it significantly.
2. Waste
This is relevant to almost every wedding business.
Track:
- What materials are thrown away after an event
- Whether items are reused, donated or recycled
- Packaging used in deliveries
Why it matters:
Waste reduction is one of the easiest improvements to make and one clients understand immediately.
3. Energy or materials used in your business
This depends on your role.
Examples:
- Electricity or fuel use in a studio or office
- Laundry or cleaning cycles
- Printing volumes
- Fresh materials purchased per wedding (flowers, stationery stock, props etc.)
Why it matters:
This helps identify where costs and environmental impact overlap.
A simple way to start tracking key indicators
If you are not tracking anything yet, begin with just three numbers:
- Total miles travelled for weddings this month
- One example of waste reduced or reused
- Your total electricity use or cost for the month
That is enough to begin building a record, and from there it becomes much easier to expand.
Consistency matters more than precision. Estimates are fine if they are reasonable.
Sustainability Tracking Sheet – Simple Version
For businesses that currently track nothing, the easiest way to begin is with just six columns. This takes less than a minute to complete and still provides useful information over time.
Use one row per wedding, event or working week.
| Date | Wedding / Project | Miles Travelled | Waste or Materials | Energy (monthly total or relevant activity) | One Action Taken to Reduce Impact |
What to record (simply)
Miles Travelled
Approximate round-trip mileage is fine. If there were multiple journeys, estimate the total.
Waste or Materials
Note what was thrown away, reused, or donated, for example:
- Reused table décor from previous wedding
- One bin bag of packaging
- Flowers donated
- Minimal waste
Energy
This does not need to be complicated. Examples:
- Monthly electricity use or cost from your bill
- Number of laundry loads
- Studio or workshop days
- Printing runs
If energy use doesn’t change week to week, recording it monthly is sufficient.
One Action Taken to Reduce Impact
This is the most useful column. Examples:
- Combined two meetings into one trip
- Used digital documents instead of printing
- Shared transport with another supplier
- Reused stock or props
If nothing changed, just write “none”.
Why this works
Most businesses overestimate how much they are already doing and underestimate how much difference small changes make once they start measuring.
Tracking these three indicators raises your awareness of changes you could make, which is a first step towards running a more sustainable business.
