This informal CPD article, 'Understanding what sustainability strategy looks like for the event industry and how you can take action,' was provided by Positive Impact Events, a not-for-profit organisation, working towards the development of new resources and initiatives for a more sustainable event industry.
Creating a sustainable event strategy can seem like a daunting task and there is a lot of information out there to try to digest. There are so many measurement tools and checklists, but which ones can you trust and are they right for your organisation? In this article we will explore the industry standard ISO 20121 and initiatives such as the UNFCCC Race to Zero, as well as exploring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how events can address issues such as Human and Child Rights and Safeguarding.
ISO 20121: the Sustainability Management System for events
Originally inspired by British standard BS 8901 and developed to support the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games with the standard due to be launched for Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, ISO 20121 is a standard to enable sustainability to be considered at every decision point in the planning of an event. ISO 20121 specifies requirements for an event sustainability management system for any type of event or event-related activity and provides guidance on conforming to those requirements.
The ISO 20121 standard is an event management system. Simply explained, it is a framework for your organisation to consider sustainability at each decision point according to what is within your control. A simple overview of the requirements of the standard include:
- identifying your issues and setting targets to reach them.
- sharing your journey with your stakeholders.
- engaging with your supply chain to help your reach your goals.
- measuring and reporting your actions.
- creating an ongoing plan to review and improve year on year.
Currently the standard is going through a systematic review and comments period. A systematic review is an opportunity to suggest changes to a standard. To understand what changes may be needed it is important to ask if the standard is fit for use and to consider what has changed or could change since the launch of the standard. This is an opportunity for any event professional to contact their national standards body to ask to be involved.
The Race to Zero
One of the most important issues facing every industry including events, is the reduction of carbon emissions. Race to Zero is the UN-backed global campaign to take rigorous and immediate action to halve global emissions by 2030 and deliver a healthier, fairer zero carbon world in time.