Reference

Common Ground SUSTAINABILITY GUIDANCE
ESCA × EDPA ESCA × EDPA

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Materials Library

Every material we actually spec.

Starts from the committee’s flooring tables. Grows across every category. Labels are directional — verify with your specific product and local recycler.

Glossary

Every term, in plain English.

Over 150 terms — every piece of sustainability language you’ll encounter in this industry, the wider green economy, or a regulator’s letter. Any underlined term across this site links here. Nothing is assumed.

of terms

Method

Open methodology. No black box.

Scoring

Each pillar scores 0–100 from two kinds of inputs. Sliding-scale fields (percentages like LED adoption or diversion rate) earn credit in proportion to the percentage (50% earns half the points). Yes/no checkboxes (like “Do you have a named sustainability coordinator?”) earn full credit when checked — no partial credit on a yes-or-no question.

Company and project scores are reported separately — a company can have strong policies and still run a weak show, and vice versa.

The overall score and each pillar score are reported on a 0–100 scale at all three scales (Company, Show, Booth), alongside the math that produced them.

Next to the overall score, the scorecard shows a named range: Seed (0–29), Sprout (30–49), Sapling (50–64), Canopy (65–79) and Old Growth (80–100). The names are shorthand for score ranges, not certification levels or rankings. They describe where a score falls, not how you compare with anyone else.

Carbon factors

· Grid electricity: EPA eGRID2023 (rev. 2, June 2025) subregion total output CO₂e rates, location-based (GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance). US average 0.350 kgCO₂e / kWh. EU average: European Environment Agency, 2024 data (published 2026), 0.175 kgCO₂ / kWh.
· Truck freight: EPA GHG Emission Factors Hub 2025, Table 8 · 0.188 kgCO₂e / short ton-mile, counted for inbound and outbound legs.
· Waste: EPA WARM v16 (Dec 2023), via EPA GHG Emission Factors Hub 2025, Table 9 · 0.58 tCO₂e / short ton landfilled (mixed municipal solid waste).
· Attendee travel: not included.

Committee working assumptions, not yet sourced

No published source was found for these. They are placeholders until members supply real data; replace them with your own numbers where you can.

· Floor energy when kWh is not entered: 0.5 kWh per sq ft per show day
· Freight weight: 5 short tons per 1,000 sq ft (show) and 3 (booth)
· Embodied materials: 0.9 kgCO₂e / sq ft (show) and 0.6 (booth)
· Booth structure multipliers: modular 0.4, fabric 0.5, hybrid 0.65, custom 1.0, not chosen 0.7
· Waste generated: 1.2 kg / sq ft (show) and 0.8 (booth)
· Adjustments: renewable electricity (× 0.85 of the renewable share), recycled content (× 0.3), booth LED share (× 0.3), consolidated booth freight (× 0.6), booth reuse rate (× 0.7), local fabrication (300 miles)

Every factor and its source appears in the “Show the math” panel next to each estimate. Replace with your own audited factors at any time.

Honest about what this isn’t

· Not a verified inventory. It’s a directional estimator. Pair with an actual GHG Protocol inventory for compliance.
· Not a third-party certification. Phase 1 is self-assessment. Third-party verification is Phase 2, once enough members are reporting to calibrate.
· Not exhaustive. Attendee travel is not included. Facility energy and goods-not-for-resale aren’t fully modeled.
· Not proprietary. Factors, weights, and code are visible. If something is wrong, tell us.

Legal & Disclaimers

The fine print, in plain English.

Every sustainability framework carries legal weight. Here is the full set of disclaimers that governs how this guidance is used, what it claims, and what it doesn’t.

1. Purpose & Limits

Common Ground (Sustainability Guidance for Events & Exhibitions) is a voluntary sustainability framework published by the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA) and the Experiential Designers + Producers Association (EDPA). It is designed as a practical tool for measurement, improvement, and honest disclosure. It is not a legal standard, a regulatory submission, or a substitute for compliance with any law. Users are solely responsible for understanding and complying with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations in their jurisdictions.

2. No Warranty

The information, formulas, emission factors, scoring weights, and recommendations contained in this site are provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. Neither ESCA, EDPA, nor their members, officers, directors, employees, contractors, or contributors make any representation or warranty regarding the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or suitability of this content for any purpose.

3. Not Professional Advice

Nothing on this site constitutes legal, financial, tax, accounting, engineering, environmental, or professional advice. The calculators, scoring systems, and recommendations are educational and directional. For compliance-grade carbon accounting, users should engage a qualified consultant and follow the full GHG Protocol Corporate Standard. For regulatory matters (SEC climate rule, CSRD, FTC Green Guides, California climate disclosure laws, and others), users should consult licensed counsel.

4. Self-Assessment (Phase 1)

Phase 1 of this guidance is self-assessment. Companies score themselves using this tool and publish their results under their own name. ESCA and EDPA do not verify, audit, or endorse any individual score. A company publishing a score has made that claim on its own authority. Third-party verification is targeted for Phase 2, pending member adoption and calibration.

5. Claims, Marketing, and Greenwashing Exposure

Any public sustainability claim derived from this guidance is the sole responsibility of the claiming party. Users are cautioned that sustainability claims are subject to the FTC Green Guides (US), EU CSRD / ESRS E1 (European Union), EU Directive 2024/825 (Empowering Consumers), California AB-1305, and parallel laws in other jurisdictions. See our Guardrails for common greenwashing risks, but do not treat that guidance as legal compliance. Before making any marketing claim, consult counsel.

6. Emission Factors & Methodology

Emission factors referenced in this site come from US EPA (eGRID, GHG Emission Factors Hub, WARM) where noted. Placeholder assumptions are labelled as such. Factors change over time. Users should replace the default factors with region-specific, audited factors before publishing compliance claims. The methodology is directional, not audit-grade, and designed for member education and internal benchmarking.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall ESCA, EDPA, their affiliates, members, officers, directors, employees, contractors, or contributors be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages (including but not limited to procurement of substitute goods or services; loss of use, data, or profits; business interruption; or reputational harm) arising in any way out of the use of, or inability to use, this site or its content, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

8. Third-Party Materials & Links

This site references third-party frameworks (EIC Sustainable Event Standards, GHG Protocol, ISO 20121, ISO 14001, SBTi, CDP, Better Stands, Net Zero Carbon Events, and others) for educational purposes only. The EIC Sustainable Event Standards are used under license from the Events Industry Council; see §13 below. Reference to other third-party frameworks does not imply endorsement, affiliation, or accreditation by those third parties. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

9. Intellectual Property & Use

© 2026 Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA) and Experiential Designers + Producers Association (EDPA). All rights reserved. This document was developed in part based upon the EIC Sustainable Event Standards, used under license from the Events Industry Council (EIC). EIC retains all rights to the EIC Sustainable Event Standards. The content of this site is the property of ESCA and EDPA and is licensed to members for internal use, education, and member-branded reporting. Commercial redistribution, rebranding, adaptation, or incorporation of this guidance into a competing framework without the prior written permission of ESCA and EDPA is prohibited. Third-party changes, adaptations, or derivative works require advance written approval from ESCA and EDPA. Fair-use excerpts with attribution are welcomed.

10. Privacy & Data

Calculator inputs entered in this tool are processed in your browser and are not transmitted to ESCA, EDPA, or any third party unless you explicitly submit a report. No personally identifiable information is collected by the calculator. If and when data submission is added in a later release, a separate privacy notice will govern.

11. Anti-Trust & Fair Competition

This framework is designed to raise environmental and social performance across the industry without restricting competition. Participation is voluntary. Scoring thresholds apply uniformly regardless of company size. Benchmarking and peer comparisons are published only in aggregated, anonymized form. Nothing in this guidance may be used to allocate markets, fix prices, or otherwise violate antitrust law.

12. Changes, Versioning, and Contact

This is version 2 (2026). The methodology is expected to evolve through public comment and member input. Material changes will be versioned, dated, and published with a changelog. Questions, corrections, and challenges to specific numbers or language are welcome at the ESCA and EDPA offices.

13. EIC Sustainable Event Standards & Acknowledgment

Portions of this framework are developed in part based upon the EIC Sustainable Event Standards, owned by the Events Industry Council (EIC). The EIC Sustainable Event Standards are used herein under a limited license granted to ESCA and EDPA as part of this Document. EIC retains exclusive ownership of the EIC Sustainable Event Standards. Use of the EIC Sustainable Event Standards for any purpose beyond this Document, including revisions or new editions, requires the express prior written approval of EIC. ESCA and EDPA acknowledge the contribution of EIC and the foundational role of the EIC Sustainable Event Standards in this work.

Plain-English summary

This is an industry-built tool to help our members measure themselves honestly and improve. It’s not a certification you can point a regulator to. Don’t use its outputs as marketing without vetting the claims with counsel. Use it the way it was designed: as a mirror, a map, and a checklist. The Events Industry Council (EIC) contributed foundational sustainability standards that inform parts of this framework — we gratefully acknowledge their work.

Industry resources

Outside programs, tools and rules, in one place.

The organizations behind the programs this guidance talks about, grouped by topic. Each link opens the organization’s own site. The “Use this for” lines are short summaries; check the source for current details.

Where a resource is about the law, nothing here is legal advice.

Guidelines, standards, certifications: what’s the difference?

The programs below are not all the same kind of thing. Here is what each word means.

Initiative: A program an organization runs to move the industry forward, such as IAEE’s Sustainability Initiative. It can include any of the items below.
Guide or guideline: Advice on what to do. It is voluntary and nobody checks. This site is a guideline, and so are the IAEE Sustainability Toolkit and the Net Zero Carbon Events guides. Our scorecard is a self-check, not a certification.
Policy: A rule an organization sets for itself or the people it works with, such as a show’s exhibitor rules or a company’s purchasing policy.
Standard: A published set of requirements you can be checked against, such as ISO 20121 or the EIC Sustainable Event Standards. Following a standard does not by itself make you certified.
Certification: An independent auditor checks a company, event or building against a standard and confirms it meets it, for a set period. Examples: ISO 20121 certification, Green Key, LEED, a Better Stands assessment.
Certificate: Usually proof that a person finished a course, such as a sustainability training certificate. It shows what someone learned, not how a company performs. Auditors also issue certificates as proof of a certification, so check which kind it is.
Pledge or commitment: A public promise, usually with regular reporting but no audit, such as the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge.
Measurement: What ties it all together. Guidelines tell you what to measure, standards require it, certifications check it and pledges report it. The numbers the scorecard asks for are the evidence every program here will want.