The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner
Management systems standards such as IS0 9001 (Management Systems) and ISO 14001 (Environmental management systems) are amongst the International Standards Organisation’s (ISO) best sellers. But these documents are also the most onerous and demanding for companies going for formal certification. ISO 20121 is for sustainable event management systems. Since its introduction in 2012 only a handful of exhibition organisers have managed to achieve certification for their shows. FESPA joins that illustrious cohort, following its audit by BSI at the recent FESPA event in Amsterdam. The Berlin 2025 event (6th to 9th May 2025) will be the first in our sector to be entirely run in full compliance with ISO 20121. Exhibitors, their shareholders and customers, can trust that the show is managed and executed with environmental sustainability central to all event related activities. This is huge.
In order to get its certification, FESPA has had to demonstrate full compliance with all clauses in ISO 20121, which are demanding to say the least. As part of its compliance, FESPA has put procedures in place to ensure the environmental sustainability of all aspects of the business, the event itself and its supply chains. To get their certification organisers must also be able to show that they can identify problems when they are still potentials, rather than realities. The environmental management system must ensure that environmental aspects such as inefficient waste processing or inconsistent carbon reporting are identified and corrected before they can have an environmental impact. Furthermore, a procedure for continuous improvement has to be in place for the whole organisation and for the event.
The underlying principles for the stringent requirements in ISO 20121 are the same Plan Do Check Act model that is the foundation for both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. All three management system standards require the event host organisation to have robust systems in place, including processes for risk mitigation and legal compliance, in both company headquarters and at the event site. Demonstrating compliance with environmental laws relating to the local built environment or local antibribery and human trafficking laws is not easy. The organisation has to ensure a healthy environment at the event site which can also be tough. For a large exhibition such as FESPA, compliance with ISO 20121 was an enormous ask, one that required sustained investment and management commitment.
This certification is a logical step on FESPA’s sustainability journey which began several years ago with tracking the organisation’s carbon footprint. Sustainability, which is based on societal, environmental and commercial impacts, has become central to how the FESPA business and its shows are run. The Profit for Purpose programme, which invests FESPA funds into local community initiatives run by member associations, is about societal sustainability. FESPA’s commitment to best practises in its operations and general business approach, plus the certification to ISO 20121 hits the environmental pillar. The certification also helps FESPA’s commercial future because its exhibitors can reliably trust that FESPA shows are as environmentally sustainable as possible. This benefits the FESPA community, the people who work the shows and visit them, their company owners and the locations where events take place. Certification to ISO 20121 gives FESPA a huge commercial advantage.
The certification also requires FESPA to ensure that its suppliers can show their commitment to environmental sustainability in how they do business, making it a factor in the selection of service providers. This pressure will drive environmental sustainability expectations within supply chains from stand builders and caterers, to public relations companies. ISO 20121 certification is a big push for continuous sustainability improvement in our industry and FESPA is leading the way.
FESPA’s event sustainability proposition is available to download here: https://cdn.asp.events/CLIENT_FESPA_9A085F6F_5056_B731_4C13A735A965012D/sites/ese-2023/media/libraries/event-sustainability-proposition-iso-20121/FESPA_Sustainability_Proposition_1.0_EMAIL.pdf
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This article was produced by the Verdigris Project, an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. This weekly commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Fespa, Fujifilm, HP, Kodak, Miraclon, RicohSplash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.
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