ISO 20121: the event sustainability management system

What ISO 20121 is

It is the international standard for event sustainability management systems. The version in force is ISO 20121:2024, which replaced the 2012 edition: existing certificates have until 31 March 2027 to make the switch.

Born for the London 2012 Olympics and revised for Paris 2024, it guides event organisers in managing their impacts responsibly — environmental, social and economic — across the whole life cycle, from planning to the legacy the event leaves behind. It applies to events of every kind and size, and the system is only as complex as the event. It follows the harmonised structure common to the other ISO standards.

Who needs it, and why

• Organisers of events, trade fairs, conferences, festivals and sporting or cultural occasions.
• Venues that host events and want to qualify themselves in the eyes of clients.
• Suppliers along the events supply chain (catering, staging, logistics, communications).
• Public authorities and companies that promote events and have to demonstrate their sustainability to sponsors, citizens and stakeholders.

Is it mandatory? The certification is voluntary. It is, though, increasingly asked for by public clients, sponsors and tenders, and it is a strong qualifying asset in a sector where sustainability has become a deciding criterion.

What the standard covers

ISO 20121 is not a checklist but a method for building sustainability into every function and every stage of an event. The 2024 revision widened the topics to be considered: alongside environmental impacts and waste management, it brings in climate change, human and children’s rights, inclusion and accessibility, digital responsibility, supply chain management and the social legacy of the event. The aim is that sustainability should not rest on the goodwill of one person in the team, but form a structured part of how the work is done.

The link with corporate sustainability

For organisations already working on environment and sustainability, ISO 20121 grafts onto a wider programme. It shares the logic of ISO 14001 and connects with carbon footprint work and ESG reporting: an event organiser with structured environmental management already in place starts ahead.

The path, step by step

1. Initial review — the free preliminary assessment: where you stand, what you already have, what is missing.
2. Planning — boundary, sustainability objectives, interested parties.
3. Impact analysis — the environmental, social and economic impacts of the activities around the event: the heart of the standard.
4. Building the management system — policies, procedures, supply chain management, communication.
5. Training and engaging the team and the suppliers.
6. Internal audit.
7. Certification audit — the assessment by the independent third-party body.
8. Maintenance — annual surveillance, renewal on a three-year cycle.

How the cost breaks down

There are two items and they stay separate: our consulting fee and the fee of the certification body, an independent third party. The variables are the type and size of the events, the number of suppliers involved, and whether a management system is already in place or you are starting from scratch. We discuss it openly at the first contact, on your case rather than off a generic price list.

Why BS & Partners

• Ten years in business, 117 projects, work in 9 countries.
• An integrated approach: event sustainability ties into environmental management and emissions measurement, and we set it up inside that wider picture rather than as an isolated obligation.
• The firm and the way we work: the BS & Partners profile.