The report marks a significant milestone in EICC’s long-standing commitment to responsible business and sets a new benchmark for how venues can evidence their wider value beyond economic contribution alone.
Recognising events not only as economic drivers but also as platforms for positive societal and environmental change, the latest report demonstrates how EICC continues to lead the way in redefining impact across the meetings and events sector.
ENVIRONMENTAL impact
In 2025, EICC hosted 175 events, generating 173,000 delegate days and contributing £76 million to the economy. Since opening in 1995, the venue has delivered more than £1 billion in total economic impact to Edinburgh through the jobs, investment and commercial opportunities created by world-class events.
The Impact Report also found that total emissions in 2025 were 996.5 tonnes of CO₂e – an average of 5.7 tonnes per event. This compares favourably with the current industry average of 7.61 tonnes per event, indicating that EICC events generate around 25% fewer emissions than the sector benchmark cited in isla’s Temperature Check.
This sustained progress contributes to a 62.8% reduction in total emissions since 2013, reflecting more than a decade of investment in energy management, waste systems, procurement and catering practices despite doubling the number of events held at the venue annually.
community impact
Alongside environmental progress, the report highlights a series of initiatives designed to embed positive impact across communities, inclusion and knowledge exchange.
Launched in March 2025, the EICC Impact Network helps organisers extend the value of conferences into the wider community. Aligned with the five pillars of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the network creates structured connections to schools, universities, charities and local businesses across Edinburgh and beyond. More than 30 collaborators are already engaged, with further growth planned in 2026.
The Exchange Initiative, the venue’s academic advisory group, connects Edinburgh’s academic community with the business events sector, supporting knowledge exchange and enabling conferences to contribute to research, innovation and opportunity across the city. In October 2025, the first three Fellowship recipients attended the SIU Congress with fully funded places, with a further 80 fellowships in development.
In February 2025, EICC partnered with Welcome Brain and ABPCO to co-launch the Neurodiversity in Events checklist. Designed to help planners embed inclusion from the outset, the checklist was successfully trialled by NatWest when it brought its Internal Audit Academy to EICC in May 2025.
The venue also delivered six EICC Live events in 2025, using its platform to support public conversation on issues shaping society, from the circular economy and tech poverty to future-facing innovation. All events were free to attend, ensuring accessibility for the widest possible audience.
The Impact Report highlights significant progress on food waste, which is down 33% compared with 2024. This follows the introduction of enhanced waste-separation and measurement systems to support smarter purchasing, portion control, and menu planning. Food preparation waste is down 7.5%, supported by a root-to-tip kitchen approach, carbon-labelled menus and locally sourced produce.
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