Any type of event, from the smallest local exhibition to fairs of an international standing, has a direct influence on the environment; it is therefore increasingly requested that the event be conceived of, planned, and conducted in such a way as to reduce to a minimum the environmental, social, and economic impacts: consumption of water and electric energy, production of scraps, the effects on biodiversity, organisation and logistics management, impact on the territory and use of personnel and suppliers.
Standard UNI EN ISO 20121:2012 “Event sustainability management systems – Requirements with guidance for use” is recognised as a standard for the Certification of Event sustainability management systems; it also incorporates some elements characteristic of ISO 26000 Guidelines. Based on the “Plan-Do-Check-Act” (PDCA) methodology, it provides a precise framework for the integration of sustainable management practises, so as to reduce the impact linked to the economic, environmental, and social aspects:
UNI EN ISO 20121:2012 certification can regard any type of event and requires a clear definition of the scope of certification; it must indicate if the management system is applied to the single event, a range of events of the same type, or to all the events managed by the organisation.
The sustainability of the event is then applied to each phase of the manifestation: preparation and set-up, organisation, and holding and closing of the event and disassembly operations.
The procedures of a sustainable events management system involve every type of business, public or private, that:
All those who work on the event and participate it are involved and encouraged to contribute with their own behaviour to create a “Sustainable Event”; therefore, it should record the least environmental impact possible, a fundamental objective of UNI EN ISO 20121:2012 certification.
The application of the ISO 20121 standard makes it possible to reach numerous benefits for the Company and for the stakeholders:
Companies that opt to start a procedure linked to the Certification of their own sustainable events management systems enter the market equipped with greater credibility, demonstrating that they meet the requirements of the ISO 20121 standard.
The certification procedure, once the scope has been defined, follows the phases of the ISO 17921:
ISO 20121 was designed in such a way as to be integrated with other Management Systems schemes, like ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001.