As the global events industry faces mounting pressure to deliver on environmental promises, Africa is charting its own course with a sustainability model rooted in community upliftment and economic empowerment rather than simply carbon reduction.
RX Africa, the organization behind major industry gatherings including WTM Africa, ILTM Africa, and FAME Week Africa, is pioneering a regenerative approach to sustainable events, as Managing Director Carol Weaving calls it.
“Sustainability for us means so much more, it’s about driving systemic change in the communities we reach,” Weaving explained, emphasizing that the continent’s focus extends beyond harm mitigation to active regeneration.
This philosophy manifests in tangible initiatives across RX Africa’s event portfolio. At WTM Africa’s Responsible Tourism Awards, handcrafted trophies made by children in partnership with Uthando SA using recycled wine corks tell a story of circularity while building local craft skills and keeping economic benefits within communities.
The approach has yielded concrete business results. Through the Crafters Nexus platform at WTM Africa, small-scale artisans connect directly with international buyers. One local business recently secured a major international contract for custom bag covers, while others forged critical supply chain relationships previously inaccessible to small producers.
At FAME Week Africa, ethical stylist Tracy-Lee Rosslind’s “Overflow” installation highlighted the Western Cape’s staggering 6,000 kilograms of textile waste discarded every 45 minutes. The exposure has propelled her sustainability mission onto the global stage, with the upcoming African Fashion and Arts Awards in Abuja.
Beyond community impact, RX Africa is advancing operational sustainability as part of parent company RX Global’s commitment to reach net zero by 2040. The Cape Town International Convention Centre, venue for many RX Africa events, has signed the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge, becoming one of the few South African venues to make this formal commitment.
Practical measures include digital-only catalogues, seed paper badge holders, recycled plastic lanyards, and modular reusable event infrastructure. A new Events Sustainability Scorecard launched in November tracks progress across energy, production, food and beverage, logistics, and accommodation.
Helen Sheppard, RX Group Sustainability Director, noted that achieving net zero depends on collective regional action, with teams worldwide receiving training and tools to translate global goals into local progress.
For Weaving, genuine sustainability encompasses education, representation, and economic access. “It’s giving people the tools to build something that lasts long after the event ends,” she said, arguing that Africa’s context-driven model offers lessons that cannot simply be transplanted from developed markets.
The industry’s 15-year partnerships with organizations like Oliver’s Village, which supports over 600 people daily, and 18twenty8, which offers university scholarships for young women in tourism, demonstrate this long-term commitment to community development alongside environmental responsibility.
