Working together to #LeadTheChange
At Sibos we’re committed to protecting the environment, caring for the community and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
We recognise these issues are also fundamental to the business strategies of Sibos participants and exhibitors. Working closely and collaborating with the Sibos community, our long-term aim is to be one of the most sustainable global events, and lead much-needed change across the industry.
Swift adheres to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), taking the next step towards a low-carbon future. As part of this worldwide climate action initiative, we’ve set ambitious, science-based emissions reduction targets in line with a 1.5 ºC future.
The carbon footprint of Sibos 2023 Toronto was measured and will be used as our baseline target footprint for future North American Sibos events to ensure we’re always improving. See more details on our results here.
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Accountability
Each year we set clear, measurable KPIs across the three pillars of our sustainability strategy. Our 2024 KPIs are detailed below.
The Sibos Sustainability Pledge
The Sibos Sustainability Pledge is part of our commitment to lead meaningful change across the industry. Attendees pledge their support by agreeing to at least five specific actions to help make a positive change. Examples include opting for meat-free lunches, bringing a reusable water bottle, using official Sibos transport, supporting our charity partner and engaging in conference sessions addressing workplace diversity. You can sign up for this year’s pledge either on sibos.com or the Sibos app.
Exhibiting companies can also participate by completing the sustainability questionnaire provided in the exhibitor manual. By completing the questionnaire, you commit to our pledge and help the Sibos team better understand and calculate the environmental impact of the exhibition.
Once you've signed up, the Sibos pledge icon will appear in the participant/exhibitor lists on sibos.com and the Sibos app to highlight your support.
Our priority is to reduce CO2 emissions generated from Sibos by working with all stakeholders to lessen the impact of travel and transportation, reduce waste and optimise the use of resources.
THE NATURE CONSERVATION PROJECT
Promoting biodiversity and climate resilience
For many years, Sibos has contributed to nature conservation projects as part of our sustainability efforts.
For 2024, we'll be providing support to WWF’s Living Yangtze initiative in China, which works to restore habitats for biodiversity, strengthen their adaption to climate change and fight pollution.
The Yangtze is the world’s third longest river and provides water, food and livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people in China. It's also home to incredible biodiversity from giant pandas and snow leopards to over 400 species of fish and the world’s only freshwater porpoise.
REDUCE WASTE AND PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE SOURCING
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Sibos
Sustainability is always at the heart of the design and production of all Sibos and Swift exhibition features. We continuously look to limit the volume of materials used, source items locally to prevent unnecessary transportation, and choose options that can be rented, reused or repurposed.
Our goal this year is to ensure 60% of materials used for Sibos features and the Swift stand are rented or reused, and 85% are sourced from local suppliers.
The carpet will be recyclable and badges and lanyards will be collected and recycled.
In addition, this year’s venue, the China National Convention Centre, will use mainly green electricity to power Sibos.
Exhibitors
Collaboration with our exhibitors is key and together we can make a difference. We provide a range of support to help exhibitors create and manage sustainable stands. We also ask them to think carefully about any giveaways, energy usage and to repurpose and recycle unavoidable waste.
We provide sustainability guidelines and a ‘Sibos Sustainable event guide’. We also ran a free training session with a sustainability expert, covering everything from stand design to managing the end-of-life of materials used, which is available to download via the exhibitor portal.
We encourage all exhibitors to sign up to the Sibos Sustainability Pledge by completing the questionnaire in the exhibitor manual.
Participants
Our participants also have a vital role to play. We ask participants to bring a reusable water bottle and use the correct bins for their waste. To help reduce paper waste participants can visit our digital Newscorner for electronic copies of newspapers and magazines and use the QR code on their participant badges to exchange contact details on site.
sustainable food choices
Buying local, catering for all tastes
Our sustainability commitment extends to our catering. During the event, we offer a diverse and sustainable menu that celebrates local flavours and seasonal ingredients, with many plant-based options. Menus will display a carbon score for each dish to support informed choices.
Sibos is attended by thousands of participants from around the world and it’s important we create a positive impact in our host cities.
Giving something back
Supporting local organisations
This year our charity partner is the Beijing Charity Association (BCA), a non-profit network of organisations which help orphans, students, elderly or disabled people in need of financial or healthcare assistance.
Sibos will be providing funding to the BCA, and at the end of Sibos week, we’ll be offering a collection service so exhibitors can donate reusable stand items such as furniture, potted plants, books and carpet.
STAR scholarship
Enabling talent to shine
Leading banks from around the world are invited to nominate a high potential, ambitious employee to participate in the STAR scholarship.
This year we’re bringing together more than 30 women in finance who’ve made outstanding contributions to their organisations. They’ll benefit from a dedicated Sibos week programme designed to expand their networks and support their career progression to the next level.
SPEAKER SELECTION
Showcasing the Sibos community
Sibos supports the Inclusive Panels Charter and our conference programme is carefully curated to ensure it features speakers from a broad range of regions, cultures and backgrounds, reflecting the inclusivity and diversity of the Sibos community.
This year in Beijing we’re aiming to have 40% women speakers across the conference programme.
DEDICATED NETWORKING AND DISCUSSION
Celebrating diversity for a more inclusive future
Our diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) focused networking event on 23 October 2024 will feature a special guest speaker discussing how to build resilience and create an environment where everyone can thrive.
The conference programme will feature several sessions on diversity and inclusion, exploring topics such as neurodiversity, financial inclusion and employee engagement.
ACCESSIBILITY
An inclusive event
When we select our venues for Sibos we carefully assess their level of accessibility, for example step-free access to the venue. In addition, our digital pass means anyone can join conference sessions and access our networking tools from their home or office, anywhere in the world.