CLT Envirolaw is a consultancy that helps organizations implement ISO 20121, a sustainability management system for event planning and delivery. ISO 20121 provides a global framework to encourage more sustainable events. It applies to all types of organizations involved in event design and delivery. Key aspects of ISO 20121 include emphasis on strategy and context, management of supply chains, continual improvement, leadership commitment, stakeholder communication, and legal compliance. Certification can provide financial benefits like cost savings, improved reputation, and differentiation from competitors. Common barriers to implementation include lack of understanding and buy-in, and perceived complexity.

1. Sustainable Event Management: A
practioner’s guide to ISO20121
February 2013
Colleen Theron, director CLT
Envirolaw

2. Who is CLT Envirolaw?

4. Sustainability
• What is it?
• Not just about ‘green issues’
• Definition of sustainable development
• What about CSR?
• How do the concepts differ?

5. Sustainable business
• What does this mean?
• Involves long-term, strategic planning – allies
business growth with positive environmental
and social continuity
• Responsible business
• Very different to ‘environmentally friendly’
• Includes sustainable supply chains

6. Scope of sustainability

7. Why bother?
• Environmental risk and compliance
• Cost of fines, impact on business
• Reputation
• Investment- mainstream investors concerns
• Employees engagement
• Leadership
• Employee engagement and retention

8. Thinking business
96 % of CEOs believe sustainability
93% CEOs thinks sustainability will be should be integrated throughout their
critical to the success of their business operations
88% believe sustainability should be
72% cite ‘brand, trust and reputation’ as
integrated throughout their supply
top 3 factors to take action
chain
72% see education as the global 91% report that their company will
development issue most critical to their employ new technologies to address
business. Climate change as second sustainability issues in the next five
with 66 % years

9. Sustainability and events
• ISO20121
• Standards : what do they do?
– Voluntary sustainability certifications
– Been around for 20 years
– Contribute to £2.5 billion each year to UK
economy
– Establish shared terminology
– Key role enabling innovation
– Role in countries where regulations lag behind

10. What is ISO 20121?
• Management system for events
• Global framework to encourage sustainability
• Applies to ALL types of organisations involved
in design and delivery of events
• Follows plan- do-check-act

11. Key Aspects of ISO20121
• Emphasis on strategy/ context of an
organisation
• Supply chain/ procurement is key
• Continued improvement
• Leadership commitment
• Communication and awareness
• Legal register

12. What isn’t ISO20121?
• A checklist
• A green standard
• The same as ISO14001
• Just applicable to event organisers/ venues

13. Some Considerations
Suppliers and Resource consumption
contractors
Stakeholders
Waste minimisation
Investment policies Hazardous materials
Complaints
organization
Legislation – current
Codes of
and future
practice
Nature
conservation/heritage
Sustainability issues Corporate
Visual impact, policy
of Emergencies noise and odours
activities, products
(including disposal)
and services

14. Legal aspects ISO20121
• Most standards require procedure for identifying
and having access to legal compliance
• Does not increase legal obligations
• HOWEVER ISO20121 ‘beyond compliance’
• Aspire to achieve best practice
• Assumes understanding of a countries minimum
laws
• What about enforcement?

15. Benefits of a SMS?
• Adds value
• ISO20121 offers commercial benefits:
 Improves energy efficiency and costs
 Improves resource efficiency
 Improves reputation and brand
 Differentiates from its competitors
 Provides assurance to stakeholders

16. Examples of financial benefits
• Defra 2011 Study (SMES)
• Average annual saving over 2 yrs £4,875 per million
turnover
• Energy, raw materials and business travel delivered highest
cumulative cost
• General monies saved > $30million in 6 yrs
• Puma’s Environmental profit & loss account
• Unilever’s integration sustainability into business models
saved 10 million dollars annually
• New business sales – value of sales greater than cost
savings (1/3 SMES gained £14,961 per m. turnover)
following 2 yrs from certification

17. What are common barriers?
• Lack of ‘buy in’
• Lack of understanding
• Complexity of the law
• Use of language in the standard
• Seen as tick boxing

18. How does it apply to my business?
• Operational or facilities at the heart of
activities
• Decide on how it will benefit the business
• Make the ‘financial case’
• What about the boardroom agenda?

19. The Boardroom agenda
• What’s on the agenda?
• Is compliance and revenue generation linked
to sustainability?
• Do director’s know potential exposure?
• What about revenue generation?
• Director’s personal liability

20. What’s involved?
• Set your scope
• Identify the issues ( Environmental, social and
economic)
• Set achievable targets
• Develop a sustainability policy
• Engage with stakeholders
• Legal compliance

21. Beyond compliance
• Tick boxing
• What about leadership? Ethical codes
• Integration into business strategies
• Reputational gain
• Shareholder engagement
• Use of ISO and British standards

22. Further Information
• We have produced some documents to help you through the sustainability
reporting process. These are available at http://clt-envirolaw.com/ in the
“Resources section”. The documents include:
– A User-Friendly Sustainability Reporting Template for the Events
Sector. It includes all the requirements to get you to application level
C and provides a clear explanation of the process to help you meet
these requirements. Includes consulting support for up to 4 hours
– The Event Sector Reporting - Summary Guide is available for FREE. It
provides a clear overview of sustainability reporting in the events
sector.
– A comparison of ISO20121 against the previous BS8901. This is
available for FREE.
– A guide on Legal Compliance for ISO20121 available for £55

23. www.clt-envirolaw.com