"Part of our company’s DNA has always been: how can we do good in the world by bringing people together?"
— Kristin Johnston, Associate General Counsel, Eventbrite
In 2006, Eventbrite revolutionized live experiences by launching the world’s largest events marketplace. Today, Eventbrite has become a necessary platform for people to find events of all kinds—from large concerts to virtual cooking workshops. The company’s mission is to help bring the world together through live experiences, and it recognizes that reducing its carbon footprint is necessary to the long-term health of those communities it brings together.
De-risking corporate ESG
In early 2021, Eventbrite had traction on the ‘S’ and ‘G’ of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance)—with strong corporate governance and an active social impact team. But later that year, the company decided it was time to put the ‘E’ at the forefront of its ESG strategic planning. Eventbrite wanted to think long term and set realistic climate goals, but needed a partner to help turn goals into actions.
A quick sprint to a complete footprint
Eventbrite began working with Watershed to calculate its footprint in 2021. The company assembled a team from its legal and investor relations departments to pull together data, and Watershed’s software integrations made the process quick and easy.
Kristin Johnston, Eventbrite’s Associate General Counsel, reflected on the experience: “Start to finish, it took our team less than a week to pull together all of the data needed to calculate our footprint.”
"We're grateful to our partners at Watershed who helped devise a strategy for clearly and thoughtfully calculating and evaluating our carbon footprint."
Turning numbers into action
As a SaaS company, most of Eventbrite’s emissions are hiding in its supply chain (also called indirect, or Scope 3, emissions). It needed a climate program designed to address both its direct and indirect emissions, architected around accountable and high-impact reduction strategies. Working with Watershed’s Marketplace team, Eventbrite developed a three-pronged strategy—investing in carbon removal equivalent to its Scope 1 emissions, investing in clean power for its Scope 2 emissions, and buying high-impact avoidance credits for its Scope 3 emissions.
Set up for the future
Top of mind right now for Eventbrite is being prepared for the upcoming rule from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that is expected to require public companies to begin reporting their carbon emissions and reductions progress alongside their financial results.
“The upcoming climate disclosure will require a new level of rigor. We’re leaning on Watershed to make sure we're aware of SEC and other reporting requirements, measuring our emissions to address the requirements, and getting disclosure-ready across the required components."
As the world of live events continues to evolve and the work of creating communities continues, having a long-term positive impact on the planet continues to be a priority for Eventbrite. The company is gearing up to release its first sustainability report in the spring of 2023.
“A lot of companies are approaching their legal or social impact teams and saying, ‘You're now our environmental expert, go learn!’ We’re thankful to have Watershed as a partner to help us learn and make the right choices for our business."
