A global standard for eco-friendly event management is ISO 20121:2012. It is the benchmark that organizations need to be aware of if they want to arrange an event that is both comprehensive and credibly "green" or sustainable. A single event, a series of events, or an entire organization can all use the ISO 20121 event sustainability management system. It also applies to freelance event planners, corporate event planning teams, and event providers (venues, caterers, lighting and sound engineers, transportation).
Even if it can be difficult and requires you to get over a few formal barriers, claiming compliance with the ISO 20121 international event sustainability management system standard is normally a simple process. After the sustainable event management system has been implemented, there are numerous ways to demonstrate compliance:
- by establishing consistency
- by obtaining an external audit performed and submitting a statement of conformance
- Receiving certification by an independent third party qualified to audit and certify the system
The first two alternatives are the most commonly used ways for claiming ISO 20121 compliance. The third entails a larger financial expenditure and is often conducted only when unique circumstances or client/stakeholder demands need it.
ISO does not conduct auditing or certification operations. As a result, the credibility of individuals announcing, auditing, or certifying conformity depends on their reputation. Transparency is strongly encouraged in this regard, and any type of "green-washing" about sustainable event management must be avoided. As a result, ISO 20121 documents are primary requirements in implementing a system that orienting events toward sustainability. It specifies target values and translates requirements into actual business processes. The materials outline how actions related to sustainable performance should be carried out and demonstrate how they have already been carried out.
In general, ISO standards impose specific requirements on operational and management-related documentation. ISO 20121 is no different. Aside from the operation's values and guidelines, several regulations, methods, and outcomes must be documented. This is not, however, a "paper battle," but rather the construction of an efficient "operating system" with associated regulations and predetermined outcomes. The documentation's purpose is to make basic procedures, facts, and evidence accessible to everyone clearly and understandably:
- Employees are expected to adhere to a TARGET VALUE (very beneficial when training new employees)
- Keeping track of the outcomes of the services is called ACTUAL VALUE
- Examination of whether the corresponding action is carried out exactly as specified
- Target vs. real comparison
- The evaluation of the learning effects that emerge during implementation in practice and should be included in the next goal specification is referred to as the new Target VALUE
Like the other ISO standards for management systems, ISO 20121 does not provide specific guidance for how organizations should organize their management documentation. The user has complete control over the type and format of documentation. Above all, it must be beneficial to the company's value and goal system. It makes the most sense to include it within the existing framework to boost employee acceptance.
Depending on the type of certification, ISO 20121 provides different documentation requirements. The primary question is whether a single event, a sequence of events, or the management system as a whole - the so-called "system deployment" (ALL occurrences + own operation) - should be certified as sustainably orientated. The documentation needed for ISO 20121 certification is listed below.
- Identification and engagement of interested parties
- Defining the scope of the event sustainability management system
- Sustainable development principles, declaration of purposes, and values
- ISO 20121 Policy
- Organisational roles, responsibilities, and authorities
- Issue identification and evaluation
- Objectives and how to achieve event sustainability
- Supply chain management
- Monitoring, measurement, analysis, and evaluation
- Non-conformity and corrective action
Global Manager Group can assist with a ready-to-use ISO 20121 documentation kit to make the ISO 20121 sustainable event management system documentation process simple, quick, and customized. The editable ISO 20121 documentation kit includes the ISO 20121 Manual, SEMS Procedures, SOPs, Blank Formats, ISO 20121 Audit checklist, case study, document matrix, job description, and additional primary documentation requirements for implementing an event sustainability management system. The documentation defines the baseline system meeting the event sustainability management system requirements. The documentation kit allows organizations to save a significant amount of time and money on document preparation.
